By Tyler Wright
On Sunday 9 October, Knox-based pianist Rosa Hwang and flautist Kelsy De Prada will be teaming up for a recital at the Dandenong Ranges Music Council in Upwey.
De Prada and Hwang will be performing a variety of music from composers Schubert and Piazzolla in the Hills after plans to perform the concert live on station 3MBS fell through earlier in the year.
“When a lot of people think of classical music or instrumental music with piano, it’s something you go into the city to see, or it’s something that’s got this [kind of] pretentious attitude about it,” De Prada said.
“But what we wanted to do was to bring it somewhere that for once was close to us – this is the closest concert we’ve ever had – and we just wanted to make it really personal.”
Like many in the music industry, De Prada had her career as a flautist interrupted by Covid-19 in 2020, with the brakes put on both an opera tour to China and a trial position with an orchestra in Bulgaria.
But coming back and delivering local concerts with fellow musicians like Hwang, makes the return to the stage “so much more sweeter,” De Prada said.
“A lot of musicians have completely retrained in other areas now… [so suddenly you’re left on your own, trying to scramble and make new contacts with different people you’ve never met before, because of COVID,” De Prada said.
“It has had a really big impact in that way, but it does mean that when we’ve come back into playing music this year, and a little bit last year as well…It’s so much more special, I think.”
De Prada said since the easing of Covid-10 restrictions, audiences have begun cheering and chatting after performances, with everyone “excited to have that shared experience”.
“There are programs like the Australian Digital Concert Hall, a classical music streaming service that’s become really popular that was born from COVID, but watching concerts through that, it’s just not same as going to share it with other people and being able to talk to the person you’ve never met before an interval and being like ‘hey, that was really cool, what did you think?’ De Prada said.
“You don’t have to know everything about music to enjoy it, you can just rock up and be like ‘hey, I’ve never heard a flute before, what does it sound like? Let’s have some fun and learn some more about it.”
And with a $10 ticket, concert-goers will be able to do just that, with an afternoon tea provided after the hour long classical music concert.
De Prada and Hwang will begin performing at 2pm, and anyone is welcome.
The Dandenong Ranges Music Council is located at 1451 Burwood Highway, Upwey, with the only entry through Marchant Avenue.
To book your tickets, visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=957424&
