Recently performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra at The Nielson, Pier 2/3, Sydney, the production – ‘To Whom I May Concern’ – was developed by Dr Maureen Matthews in the USA. This unique collaboration between the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Group Homes Australia, Dementia Australia with support from the University of New South Wales, is the first time the program has been delivered publicly in Australia.
Dr Cyrus Meurant, originally composed ‘Monday to Friday’ for Beaumont Care. The work was released as a full-length studio album, featuring music for listening at different times of day, throughout the week. As musical director and pianist for ‘To Whom I May Concern’ Cyrus was featured performing ‘Monday III’ for solo piano (from the ‘Monday to Friday’ album). Other works on the program included Cyrus’s recent String Quartet and an arrangement of his song cycle ‘Stray Birds’ for cello and piano.
The production ‘To Whom I May Concern’ aims to redefine perceptions of dementia and promote kindness towards those with dementia. Matthew Westwood in The Australian wrote of the production:
“I don’t expect to see many shows this year as important, affecting and beautifully presented as this one. Everyone’s stories are individual, uniquely their own. And yet there are similarities, shared experiences of living with dementia…The live music reminds us we are in the realm of people’s emotions. It calls us to listen, to attend to their stories…The brave people who took part in ‘To Whom I May Concern’ deserve to be more widely heard.”
If you want to listen to the album you can do it with Cyrus Meurant’s Spotify player below. But first, pause the player above which is playing Sortie.
The CD “Monday to Friday” is now available worldwide from the following online outlets:
For classical music lovers, here is more from Cy: Cyrus Meurant – Sortie
Story by Linda Beaumont, pictured (top image) is composer Cyrus Meurant on the left with musicians Caroline Hopson, Daniel Yeadon, Ilya Isakovich and Beth Condon.