Claire Edwardes

Rhythms of Change is a project that addresses the parity of representation of women in classical music and specifically in the rarefied world of solo percussion music.  Rhythms of Change was triggered by the realisation that basically all the pieces that Claire had been performing throughout her entire career were written exclusively by men. The featured new works on this album were all written for her by a range of esteemed Australian composers from emerging to established and reflect Claire’s personal connections to the composers, the Australian culture as well as the time of COVID when many of the works were commissioned. Concurrently with the creation of this album Claire created the Australian Marimba Composition Kit to and many of these works are also featured in the kit.

Maria Grenfell is a Tasmanian composer originally from New Zealand who has written a huge array of music for the Tasmanian Symphony especially. Her work Stings and Wings is in three movements and was inspired by her work on the film quoll farm with the various movements representing insects - jack jumpers, dragonfly’s and moths. 
Peggy Polias is a mid-career composer who was recently part of the Composing Women program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Written during the first outbreak of COVID in Australia in 2020, her new work Receptor is a response to the pandemic, specifically the physicality of the tiny virus entity and all its stages. 

Emerging composer Ella Macens wrote her piece Falling Embers during the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires. Tracing a glowing particle suspended above desolate land where all has been lost and destroyed, the piece beautifully explores the last moments of something – the final glow before life burns out.


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"I am very grateful for your project and feel that the gender balance among composers for percussion is the most important challenge we face currently - I feel the need for greater equity more than ever right now. Thank you for your efforts Claire!” Steve Schick (legendary American percussionist)

“I can guarantee that anything Claire Edwardes does (whether solo or with Ensemble Offspring) is going to be absolutely fascinating. I think the highlight for me ... was Ella Macens’ Falling Embers, which has the most ethereal sounds conjured out of a vibraphone and crotales in a moving reflection on the fires of the 2020 summer. An outstanding release.”  ★★★★ — Paul Ballam-Cross, Limelight

“When looking at ways to address the lack of representation for female composers and composers of colour in mainstream repertoire, it can be hard to know where to start. Do you focus on live performances or on recordings? Do you commission new works or do you program repeat performances of recent commissions? Do you advocate for change at the top end of town, or do you focus on building from the ground up? For Claire Edwardes, the answer to these questions is simply ‘yes’.” Hugh Robertson, Limelight Magazine 

“Virtuoso percussionist Claire Edwardes performs impressive new solo marimba or vibraphone works with precision and panache.” Loudmouth 
 

“Edwardes has aimed to raise the profile of Australian women composers as well as that of her specialty and to expand its repertoire at several levels. I do believe she has achieved this through her accomplished performance and some entertaining and socially relevant music.” Sounds Like Sydney