Julius Eastman: Gay Guerrilla

What I am trying to achieve is to be what I am to the fullest – black to the fullest, a musician to the fullest, and a homosexual to the fullest.

- Julius Eastman 

Peter Dumsday, Joy Lee, Georgina Lewis, Christopher Nankervis, pianos

Judith Dodsworth, singer

singers from The Astra Choir
directed by Andrew Byrne

Program:

EVIL N***** for four pianos

PRELUDE TO THE HOLY PRESENCE OF JOAN D'ARC for solo voice

JOY BOY for voices and high instruments

GAY GUERILLA for four pianos

Julius Eastman (1940-90) is increasingly recognised as one of visionary composers of 20th-century music. As a gay Black man, Eastman faced exclusion and even hostility from multiple sides in the US musical community. However, he channelled that adversity into a music language of searing intensity.

Eastman's music is a bold fusion of the avant-garde and political activism. His works bear provocative titles like Evil N***** and Gay Guerrilla, a direct challenge to the status quo. Yet it is Eastman's gripping, propulsive musical language that commands attention.

In recent years, interest in Eastman's work has surged after a period of obscurity following his untimely death. This concert marks the Australian premiere of several of his significant compositions, offering audiences an opportunity to experience the raw power and emotional depth of Eastman's music.