Inaugural Event — Handmark Concert Series
The captivating paintings of Alex Wanders, on show for his Gleanings exhibition, will be the perfect backdrop for our first event.
A long-held dream of Handmark Director Allanah Dopson becomes reality on February 20: “Art and music talk so beautifully to each other,” she says. “We are about to present our first of four concerts, and to mark the occasion, join us for the premiere of Dean Stevenson’s String Quartet No. 1, The Monster and the Lake.”
Composer, pianist, singer and bass player – the formidable and enigmatic Dean Stevenson is recognised as an integral part of Tasmania’s cultural and musical scene. Churchill Fellow, and with a Masters from the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, Dean is more recently known for his daily ‘installations’ at MONA. Starting each morning with a piano and blank paper, he composes a new work. At 4pm a string quartet arrives to play it. “I have done this for 405 days, and The Monster and the Lake draws on this experience,” Dean explains. “It is about the fear of the unknown. In my case, the fear of confronting that empty sheet of paper day in and day out”
Dean will be joined at Handmark Gallery by musicians Miranda Carson, Phoebe Masel (violins), Caleb Wright (viola) and Nicholas McManus (cello). But, for a change, he won’t be performing. “No. I will be sitting down and enjoying the music with a glass of wine in my hand.”
The first Handmark Concert will be held on Thursday February 20, at 6pm. Tickets are limited and available through Eventbrite for $20.