In 2017, Hush launched our National Composers in Residence Project, bringing together six established and emerging composers in a project to engages with adolescent patients at children’s hospitals around Australia.
Twelve composers worked with Dr Catherine Crock AM and hospital clinicians to connect with young people with chronic illness and mental health challenges and invited them to participate in the project, where they shared their stories and inspired the composition of new music.
The composers who took part in the project include: Matthew Hindson and Katia Beaugeais (NSW), Paul Stanhope and Natalie Nicolas (NSW), Stuart Greenbaum and Caerwen Martin (VIC), James Ledger and Olivia Davies (WA), Elena Kats-Chernin and Rachel Bruerville (SA), Maria Grenfell and Thomas Misson (TAS).
We are thankful to the participating hospitals: Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Health in Melbourne, Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, Perth Children’s Hospital and Royal Hobart Hospital.
Collective Wisdom is the stunning outcome of the National Composers in Residence Project. This beautiful album features twelve new works by the composers and recorded by ACO Collective.
“Adolescents needing hospital treatment shared their stories, hopes, fears, and anxieties with our twelve composers, who wrote this wonderful music in response”
- Dr. Cath Crock
Maria Grenfell and Thomas Misson talk about working with kids and hospitals to create their works for "Collective Wisdom".
ACO Collective with Dr Cath Crock at Trackdown Studios.
Composers Caerwen Martin and Stuart Greenbaum with patients and staff at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.