| Merlyn Quaife is a distinguished soprano
and performer of great versatility, encompassing opera, oratorio,
lieder, chamber music and contemporary music to great acclaim
throughout Australia, Europe and the USA. She began voice
studies at the University of Melbourne and in 1979 was awarded
a DAAD Scholarship to pursue Post Graduate studies in Munich.
Back in Australia, she is a regular ABC performer and broadcaster.
She has also appeared with each of the State Opera Companies.
She returns regularly to Europe to perform contemporary
music which is one of her fortes. Her performances of contemporary
music are stamped by an intensity of expression and powerful
vocal technique. She has performed and recorded in Germany,
Holland, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain and France.
In addition to her Move recordings, she has also recorded
Aria for John Edward by David Lumsdaine, which won her a
Sounds Australian Award.
She is currently a Lecturer in Voice at the Faculty of
Music, University of Melbourne.
Merlyn Quaife is also a generous sponsor of the Fitzroy
Learning Network. Proceeds from the sale of her CD “Lest
we Forget” go toward our programmes for Refugee Support.
This is the world's first "classical" protest
CD. The music is wide-ranging, from Germany, France, England,
Austria, Poland, Chile, USA, and Australia, covering issues
as diverse as world wars, the Holocaust, dictatorships and
the stolen generation. It is a no-holds-barred plea for
humanity to get a grip on humanitarian values, before it
is too late.
This CD has been undertaken as a labour-of-love by the
artists and by Tall Poppies
"This collection of songs began as a protest against
recent events in our country, to remind ourselves that the
relaxed and comfortable culture our government was intent
on bringing us was in fact based on lies, fear, threats,
apathy, hatred and the glorification of small-minded selfishness.
Above them all, and most perniciously, came the vaunting
fallacy that this selfish indifference was quite acceptable,
the idea that not caring is somehow simply human and a harmless
and innocent thing to do.
Listen to our songs. Not caring is never harmless.
All the songs were written by and about people whose plight
was caused because others did not care enough to see; or
even worse, they saw and did not care enough to stop what
was happening. The songs, born of suffering or the knowledge
of suffering, demonstrate compassion and even love. That
is what gives them their strength: the real voice of humanity."
The CD is available at tall
poppies records. Proceeds from the CD go toward the
Refugee Support programmes at the Fitzroy Learning Network.
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