Katie Yap (alum 2014, viola) is proud to share her four-part performance series multitudes with audiences in Hobart and Brisbane in 2025.
multitudes was created throughout 2022-23, and is the culmination of creative development through Katie’s Freedman Classical Fellowship. First performed in Melbourne across four weeks in November 2023, this is the first time Katie has since staged the ambitious cycle.
After receiving one of the inaugural Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowships for ANAM alumni, Katie has relocated her artistic practice from Melbourne to Hobart, and is establishing herself as an innovative creative artist in her new home. She is currently Artistic Associate with Van Diemen’s Band, which has allowed her opportunities to co-curate programs and deepen her involvement in the ensemble’s annual season, as well as time and space to focus on her own musical projects.
In association with Van Diemen’s Band, Katie is presenting the Hobart premiere of multitudes in June, and then in Brisbane with post-genre arts organisation Dots+Loops in July. Katie is thrilled to bring her works to her new home, as well as back to her hometown of Brisbane. “It’s exciting to bring multitudes to the various places I’ve called home. It feels especially poignant to perform the work in Brisbane, where I’m from - I owe so much to my communities there, and this is a rare chance to get to perform for them.”
This personal connection runs deep within this work. The cycle is inspired by a book of poems by Australian poet Judith Wright, gifted to Katie by her mother, who instilled Katie’s love for all things ornithological. “Many of the poems are written in a simple style, written by a mother for her child. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they are wonderfully evocative, full of imagination and whimsy. As this was my first time working collaboratively as a composer with others, it was tremendously important to have a focal point for the music, and these poems were a perfect fit.”
For each of the four performances, Katie performs alongside a different co-artist, and each program celebrates a juxtaposition close to Katie’s heart. Migrant Swift with guzheng player Mindy Meng Wang connects with traditional Chinese music, part of Katie’s own cultural heritage, and juxtaposes Chinese and Australian works. Night Herons sees Katie perform with fellow ANAM alum Emily Sheppard (violin 2013), celebrating the nexus of classical and folk forms through works by both artists, as well as contemporary composers Alice Chance and Leilehua Lanzilotti. Black Cockatoos with harpsichordist Donald Nicolson draws inspiration from old and new influences, ranging from Hildegard von Bingen through to modern-day electronica. And Passenger Pigeons sees Katie and South Australia’s award-winning Bowerbird Collective showcase music which contrasts natural and urban environments, culminating in Lament for Passenger Pigeons after Wright’s poem of the extinct bird.
Bowerbird Collective (ANAM alum Simone Slattery and cellist Anthony Albrecht) with Katie Yap
“There is something about making and creating music together, and working towards a shared goal, that is ego-less. I love that – especially as a viola player, the middle child of the string family – and it brings me a lot of joy. This way of music-making brings an intensity of connection that is truly special – after sharing days improvising, playing, and composing together in a deep dive, you start to think ‘wow, it’s almost impossible to conceive this type of musical connection’. Sharing this magic with a live audience feels so authentic: a distillation of the fundamental purpose of making music - to connect wordlessly, heart-to-heart.”
Katie doesn’t like to claim the title of composer, but rather prefers the term ‘co-composer’. “It’s not so daunting,” explains Katie. “In many genres, there is an integral link between composer, improvisor, and performer - they are often one and the same person. Historically, this was the case with classical music as well, and yet now we find ourselves so siloed into our specialisations, which I think is a shame. I’ve found this process of co-creating music through improvisation an exhilarating way of re-establishing those links.”
Most certainly through her development of multitudes, co-composition has now become a staple of Katie’s performance output. Her collaboration with harpsichordist Donald Nicolson has resulted in their duo Bronzewing, who recently performed at the prestigious Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House. She has also continued to develop new music with Mindy Meng Wang and Emily Sheppard, and appeared in several recent performances with the Bowerbird Collective. It has also given Katie the confidence to continue approaching other like-minded creators, such as viola da gamba player and early music specialist Laura Vaughan.
“Personally, multitudes is special because it feels like the first project where I’ve dared to be my whole musical self,” reflects Katie. “And I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of doing that with four of my dream collaborators – who have become my musical family along the way.”
Katie Yap’s multitudes – presented by Van Diemen’s Band
Fri 13 Jun, 6pm – Migrant Swift with Mindy Meng Wang
Sat 14 Jun, 2pm – Night Herons with Emily Sheppard
Sat 14 Jun, 6pm – Black Cockatoos with Donald Nicolson
Sun 15 Jun, 2pm – Passenger Pigeons with Bowerbird Collective
Moonah Arts Centre, 23-27 Albert Road, Moonah TAS
Tickets: $20 | $30
4-Concert Pass: $64 | $96
Katie Yap’s multitudes – presented by Dots+Loops
Thu 24 Jul, 7pm – Night Herons with Emily Sheppard
Fri 25 Jul, 7pm – Passenger Pigeons with Bowerbird Collective
Sat 26 Jul, 2pm – Migrant Swift with Mindy Meng Wang
Sat 26 Jul, 4pm – Q&A and Workshop with Katie Yap (free)
Sat 26 Jul, 7pm – Black Cockatoos with Donald Nicolson
VENTspace, 23 Glenelg Street, South Brisbane QLD
Tickets: $20+
4-Concert Pass: $60
A recording of Katie Yap’s multitudes will be released by Van Diemen’s Band in August 2025, available to pre-order here.
Words by Laura Panther, ANAM Alumni Manager
Photo credits: Emily Sheppard and Katie Yap (in a waterfall) by Caz Whitehead; Bowerbird Collective and Katie Yap by Denis Smith