MadeBy, a world-first composition and choreography initiative developed in partnership by APRA AMCOS, OneMusic Australia and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), has come to a stunning conclusion with the online premiere of Hope, the commissioned collaboration by Blue Mountains composer and multi-instrumentalist Emma Greenhill and Brisbane-based choreographer Monique Mangano.
In 2021, Greenhill and Mangano were selected through a submission process and paired together to create a new piece with original music and choreography. Their journey culminated in the premiere of Hope on 10 September in Brisbane, when the two artists met in person for the first time. The intention of MadeBy is to help bring brand new work to life that will live on in future performances.
Rising stars in their own fields, Greenhill and Mangano are just at the start of their own exciting careers.
Greenhill’s credits include original compositions, music for the screen and numerous orchestrations and arrangements. Recently, she arranged Kutcha Edwards’ ‘Photograph’ for Melbourne Youth Orchestras’ Warta-Kiki concert, Roy Orbison Orchestrated with Damien Leith at QPAC, The Voice and Guy Sebastian’s 2022 national tour.
Greenhill is excited to do more composing, following the MadeBy experience. “I also have MadeBy to thank for the trajectory of my career. Being recognised by OneMusic and APRA AMCOS certainly legitimised me in the industry and has, without doubt, played a huge part in all the work I have received these last couple of years. Thanks to this experience, I now have the confidence to pursue a career in composition.”
A Queensland College of Dance graduate, Mangano’s professional dance career is taking her around the world dancing for Norwegian Cruise Lines.
“This is just the beginning of my journey, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have this opportunity to share a little piece of Emma and myself with the rest of the world,” the choreographer said.
Both artists received cash prizes from OneMusic to support their work as well as professional mentoring from composer Rachael Dease and dancer and choreographer Alice Topp.
MadeBy also provided funding for Greenhill’s recording of the music for Hope, which is released today on all streaming platforms and available for radio airplay.
Future performances, anywhere in the world, will generate royalties for the creators as well.
In Greenhill’s artist statement, she notes, “In my job, I often write music with strong briefs and guidelines, and while I do love this work, it was an absolute delight to indulge in a style and process that felt personal to my own taste with no limitations. I wanted to use this opportunity to mix synths and production techniques with minimalist contemporary classical elements and in the process, feel I have found a stronger compositional voice. For this reason alone, this experience has been invaluable to me. I now feel empowered to explore this side of my compositional voice and have been working on an album independently.”
She continued, “Watching Monique attach her own experience and artistry to this piece is surreal, and like I’m experiencing the music for the first time, with an entirely new identity and narrative. She has simultaneously brought this piece to life (literally) and made this work her own.”
In Mangano’s artist statement, she said, “The creation of this work has been a challenging yet rewarding process. I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Emma and learning new ways in which music can influence my choreography. Bringing our vision to life has been an eye-opening experience and has allowed me to delve deeper into the world of choreography. I hope this MadeBy collaboration inspires young artists to keep pushing the limits creatively and find new ways to bring their own visions to life.”
Cameron Lam, Art Music Lead, APRA AMCOS said, “Congratulations to Emma and Monique on the completion of MadeBy and the incredible Hope. Their collaboration adds a wholly original and vibrant new work to the Australian composition and choreography repertoire. APRA AMCOS is proud to have supported the initiative with RAD and OneMusic, and we look forward to watching what comes next in Emma and Monique’s careers.”
Shelley Yacopetti, Interim National Director of RAD Australia, said, “We are so very pleased to see this stunning and creative piece of work come to life. RAD Australia is proud to be collaborating with OneMusic on MadeBy. It is a unique project bringing opportunities and support to artists to explore their creativity through collaboration and mentorship and learn industry ready skills. Congratulations to both Emma and Monique and to all involved in this wonderful initiative.”
Alice Topp, Resident Choreographer with The Australian Ballet, and mentor to Mangano, added, “It’s been a pleasure having the opportunity to mentor and connect with Monique over the past few years and watch her and Emma realise their vision and bring the concept to life! It’s such a wonderful initiative, and it’s so great to see platforms where young choreographic voices are nurtured and fostered.
“MadeBy was two member-based organisations coming together to build awareness of one another and provide opportunities during the pandemic for their struggling arts and cultural creators,” said Catherine Giuliano, Director, OneMusic Australia. “It’s a unique opportunity for OneMusic to educate the dance community on the value of music. It’s also a great opportunity for us to better understand the music that dance schools use and remunerate the right creators.”
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