Pecan Summer
Encyclopedia
Pecan Summer is an opera
written and composed by the Indigenous Australian
singer Deborah Cheetham
, who also sang in the premiere season. It was orchestrated by Jessica Wells. It is the first opera written by an indigenous Australian and involving an indigenous cast. It is based on the February 1939 Cummeragunja walk-off
, in which Cheetham's grandparents were involved.
Pecan Summer was commissioned for the Olympic Arts Festival to be held in association with the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London
.
The libretto was written by Deborah Cheetham during a short stay in Lucca
, Italy
.
The opera had its official world premiere at the WestSide Performing Arts Centre, Mooroopna, Victoria
, on 8 October 2010, where it was presented by the Short Black Opera Company and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra under David Kram. It had an unofficial preview performance in Melbourne
in July 2010.
With his agreement, Cheetham used a recording of then Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd
's February 2008 parliamentary apology to the "Stolen Generations" as part of the work.
The timeline of the opera moves from the Dreamtime
; to July 2006, on the banks of the Yarra River
near Federation Square
in Melbourne
; to 1939, on the banks of the Dhungala (Murray River
) near the Cummeragunja Mission; to several months later in winter 1939; to Shepparton
at an unspecified time; to Federation Square on 13 February 2008, the day of Kevin Rudd's apology.
The world premiere performance was broadcast by ABC Classic FM
on 28 November 2010.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
written and composed by the Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
singer Deborah Cheetham
Deborah Cheetham
Deborah Joy Cheetham is an Australian Aboriginal soprano, actor, composer and playwright.Cheetham is a member of the Stolen Generations; she was taken from her mother when she was three weeks old and was raised by a white baptist family. Jimmy Little is her uncle...
, who also sang in the premiere season. It was orchestrated by Jessica Wells. It is the first opera written by an indigenous Australian and involving an indigenous cast. It is based on the February 1939 Cummeragunja walk-off
Cummeragunja walk-off
The Cummeragunja walk-off in 1939 was a protest by Australian Aboriginal people at the Cummeragunja Mission in southern New South Wales.-Background:...
, in which Cheetham's grandparents were involved.
Pecan Summer was commissioned for the Olympic Arts Festival to be held in association with the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The libretto was written by Deborah Cheetham during a short stay in Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The opera had its official world premiere at the WestSide Performing Arts Centre, Mooroopna, Victoria
Mooroopna, Victoria
Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns...
, on 8 October 2010, where it was presented by the Short Black Opera Company and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra under David Kram. It had an unofficial preview performance in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in July 2010.
With his agreement, Cheetham used a recording of then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
's February 2008 parliamentary apology to the "Stolen Generations" as part of the work.
The timeline of the opera moves from the Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
; to July 2006, on the banks of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
near Federation Square
Federation Square
Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
; to 1939, on the banks of the Dhungala (Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
) near the Cummeragunja Mission; to several months later in winter 1939; to Shepparton
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
at an unspecified time; to Federation Square on 13 February 2008, the day of Kevin Rudd's apology.
The world premiere performance was broadcast by ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
on 28 November 2010.