A song about the trials and tribulations of constantly being stuck in the same groove, and hoping to find the energy to get out.

Lying

To Build A Home (feat. Patrick Watson)

Written and composed by The DuBarrys.
Produced, recorded and mixed by Ben Mason. 
Recorded at Konk Studios. 
Additional production and mix at We Are Audio Studios.
Additional instrumentation on all tracks by Matt Prior. 
Rhodes on This Time recorded by Tim Bidwell.
Assistant engineer at Konk studios, Josh Green.
Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering.

Copyright © 2014, The DuBarrys
All rights reserved

Undress Your Soul

Premiered at Sydney Town Hall, May 2022 by Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra (Conductor Brett Weymark)

Paper cranes symbolise hope and healing, and lavender is a colour symbolising peace and serenity. The past two years have brought immense stress and conflict across the world (covid-times), as all walks of life have suffered through this experience in various ways. I personally yearn for a sense of calm and stillness once again.
Lavender Paper Cranes not only reflects on recent hardship but looks forward in hope, with musical gestures such as the constant ‘ticking’ of the harpsichord symbolising the continuation of time – no matter what good or bad occurs in life, time moves forward. Our ‘crown’ has not fallen down but we remain strong and composed, willing the world to feel at peace again.

Lavender Paper Cranes (for Chamber Orchestra)

Dizzy - Joshua

The Poet uses sections from the poem "The Poet" by Khalil Gibran as text and inspiration, and was composed by Isabella Rahme for her Elective Composition HSC submission. The piece is written for SSA choir and harp, featuring a soprano solo, and was nominated for the 2018 HSC Encore Showcase.

The Poet

Spin Dance for chamber orchestra, performed by Sydney Sinfonia cond. Dan Carter.

Spin Dance

A live performance by Frankie Bouchier (voice), Estelle Shircore-Barker (piano) and yours truly (cello) of my setting of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

Death and Duty (live)

Aguardiente at Sunrise is based on the exploration of Latin rhythms and timbres, set to the backdrop of field recordings of my 2019 trip to Colombia.  This work juxtaposes the traditional instrumentation of Latin and Pre-Columbian music with modern electronic sounds, while the rhythmic elements are primarily lifted from salsa and cumbia music. This piece juxtaposes these traditional dance elements by placing them in a slower, ambient environment where the transformation of tone colour and the interplay between the rhythmic elements become the primary focus of the listener.

Aguardiente at Sunrise

This piece is based on a section of the poem 'Funeral Rites' by Seamus Heaney. I try and reflect the unsettling feeling of a funeral presented in the poem. The same lines and melodies are echoed through out the choir and on the clarinet creating a haunting feeling. The piece then builds to a brief sense of happier emotions which then fades again. This piece was performed by Ad Lib Choir in 2019.

Funeral Rites

This piece is written for flute, oboe, two horns and four hand piano. “Objects and Space” explores the concepts of sound and silence. In the piece I attempt to represent “objects” as blocks of sound and use silence to represent the “space” between these sound objects. The first and final section have very obvious sound objects with all the instruments playing in unison and clear moments of silence. In the middle section, the lines are blurred, and the silence is not as distinct. In this section, the silence exists in the individual voices, but they are no longer in unison. This allows for different combinations of sound and silence to be explored.

Objects and Space

Aija Draguns is an Australian Sydney-based emerging composer and conductor, specializing in vocal music. Her compositions are often inspired by her Latvian heritage, specifically from the folk and choral genres.
Email: aijadraguns0@gmail.com
Website: https://www.aijadraguns.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aijadraguns/?hl=en

Lavender Paper Cranes (for Chamber Orchestra)

Aija Draguns | Composer

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