Nat Bartsch Quartet
Pianist/composer Nat Bartsch presents ‘Hope Renewed’: a jazz/post rock reinterpretation of her ARIA-nominated classical album ‘Hope’. This reinterpretation brings the work to life with her jazz quartet, classical musicians and live ambient electronic effects. Hope in this context is an abbreviation of hopefulness and hopelessness; creating a space to sit with our worries and grief whilst also looking to the future with optimism. While Hope was a quiet suite composed during 2020, reflecting upon the Black Summer bushfires and pandemic lockdowns, Hope Renewed is an epic mosaic. It represents this post-pandemic era: the world has re-opened, and everything feels enormous. Featuring Robbie Melville (guitar), Tamara Murphy (double bass) and Maddison Carter (drums).
Performers
Nat Bartsch – piano/electronics
Robbie Melville – electric guitar
Tamara Murphy – double bass
Maddison Carter – drums
Concert Program:
For The Koalas
Brightness in the Hills
Fight Not Flight
The End of the Decade
Untitled
Emerging
Over the River
Hope
(All compositions by Nat Bartsch)
Nat Bartsch is a critically-acclaimed, multi-award-winning pianist and composer. Her meditative, lyrical music defies the conventions of genre and is enjoyed by people from all walks of life often in profoundly personal moments.
She has released eight albums of original music including for ABC Classic and ABC Jazz, and recently established her own record label, Amica Records.
She is most well-known for her lullaby album Forever, and No Time At All, designed for parents to enjoy with her children; along with Hope, her response to the Black Summer bushfires and long pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Jazz re-interpretations of both of these albums, Forever More and Hope Renewed, cemented Nat’s reputation for moving effortlessly between genres.
She has composed commissions for many leading classical artists including Grigoryan Brothers, Plexus Collective, Inventi Ensemble, Matt Withers, Sally Whitwell and Muses Trio. Nat has toured Australia, Japan and Europe and performed at several festivals.
She is one of a small handful of artists to be nominated in both jazz and classical ARIA categories, as well as receiving AIR, Music Victoria and Bell Award nominations. In 2023 she received an Art Music Award for Jazz Work of the Year (for her single Busy/Quiet). She also received the prestigious 2021 Merlyn Myer Commission and the 2010 Melbourne Prize for Music Development Award.
She holds an Honours degree in jazz improvisation from the VCA and a Masters degree in classical composition from Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.