Skittering - a segment of a doodle from 2020

2020

What a strange year! Started well…

Jan 8-9 2020, in The Chapel recording studio in Hobart working on “Sculpted Silence” – a planned album of Anne’s recent works…

Jan 10-12 2020, Cygnet Folk Festival, Tasmania. Skyglass trio: Emily Sheppard (violin, viola, vocals), Yyan Ng (guitar, vocals), Anne Norman (shakuhachi, vocals). Two different programs presented to two full houses and a standing ovation.

Jan 13 2020, 10am Morning Meditations, MOFO. Solo shakuhachi outdoors at Fairy Dell, Cataract Gorge, Launceston, Tasmania, featuring my own compositions, improvisations and traditional meditations.

FrontPage Examiner: Morning Meditations

Jan 14-17 2020, Anne in the Tarkine finding inspiration and sharing music with the Sumac camp.

Jan 21 2020, 12:30pm-2:30pm Skyglass at MONA Outdoor Stage. Hobart.

Jan 22 2020, 6pm Skyglass at Scottsdale Hall, 11 Kings st Scottsdale, NE Tasmania. Bookings

Feb 26 2020, 9:30pm Wednesday. Faraway Trio at Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Rd. Anne Norman (shakuhachi), Stephen Hornby (bass), Chris Lewis (drums). All original jazz and free impro. $10 at the door.

Mar 10 2020, Tues 1:05pm Skyglass, Lunchtime series Hobart Town Hall

Mar 11 2020, in The Chapel recording studio in Hobart.

Mar 14 2020, Sat 3pm Skyglass  perform in the Newdegate Cave, Hastings, Tasmania. SOLD OUT. Reviews from 2017: “I felt far more connected to the music than in a conventional venue. Loved the beautiful instruments and voices blending so perfectly together” Aleah.  “I loved the formations and the drip-drip of the surroundings. The acoustics were amazing and looking up into the stalactites” Lindsay. Humanitix

playing the dongs to accompany “takayna found” for Forest Choir composed by Anne

Mar 15 2020, Sun 9:30-3pm Community Forest Choir – Day workshop at Dreamfarm Eco-Arts Retreat, Huon Valley, Tas. Workshops conducted by Skyglass – teaching two choir pieces for singing enthusiasts, and those interested in playing tuned percussion riffs on “dongs” or plucked strings. “takayna found” by Anne Norman and “Memory Palace” by Emily Shepard. Details/bookings: Trybooking

ALL GIGS from this point on are CANCELLED
(except those in green). 

I am now focusing on composition, practice and admin so I will be ready with new material to be up and running once this period of COVID-19 social distancing is over.  What a year for all of us!

Anne With Face gag attempting to blow shakuhachi

MEANTIME, HAVE A LISTEN TO  MY SELF-ISOLATION ALBUM… more tracks will be added as we progress through this global shift. Take care and stay well. 

Mar 17 2020, Mon Omusubi  1 show at Fahan School, Sandy Bay, Tas. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

Mar 20 2020, Omusubi 3 shows at Tanunda primary school, SA. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

Mar 23-27 2020, TAIKO Drums and Flutes of Japan, 8 shows in Bundaberg schools, QLD. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

Apr 8 2020, Wed 7.30pm The Faraway Trio perform at Bar 303, 303 High St, Northcote. CANCELLED

Apr 20 2020, 7pm Yyan and Emily Album LaunchVIRTUAL LISTENING PARTY.  Join us in your place of self-isolation, get comfy, and lets listen to this beautiful music by Emily Sheppard and Yyan Ng, with featured artists Anne Norman (shakuhachi), Rob Manley (cello) and Gillian Marsden (cello).

Apr 22 2020, TAIKO Drums and Flutes of Japan, 1 show at St Mary’s Ascotvale, Vic. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

Skyglass concert tour of Melbourne and rural Victoria.

Emily Sheppard (violin, viola, vocals), Yyan Ng (guitar, vocals), Anne Norman (shakuhachi, vocals).

Apr 23 2020, Thurs 7pm Skyglass in the Oratory, Abbotsford Convent, the BOITE. CANCELLED

Apr 24 2020, Fri 7pm, Skyglass at the Amphitheatre stage, Peninsula Hot Springs, 140 Springs lane, Fingal. CANCELLED

Apr 26 2020, Sun 10:30am Skyglass underground in Walhalla Gold Mine.   CANCELLED

Apr 30 2020, I launched my PATREON page to refocus my endeavours and garner moral support to prop-up my flagging self-identity as a (no-longer) touring performer. I found the very long lockdowns of 2020 super difficult, as did most people. A huge thank you to my patrons, or PatPeeps as I call them. 

May 1 2020, Fri 8pm Skyglass performs with the Pollyphonics choir in the Castlemaine Goods Shed, 11 Kennedy St, Castlemaine. CANCELLED

May 2 2020, Fri 5:30-7:30pm Open Studio Skyglass with Georgia Shine (cello), 204 High Street, Northcote. CANCELLED

May 3 2020, Sun 2:30 Shakuhachi Syrinx, solo recital at St Oswald’s Anglican Church, 100 High Street, Glen Iris. PDF CANCELLED

May 4 2020, Omusubi 1 show at Allansford primary school, Vic. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

May 6 2020, Wed 7:30pm Skyglass with local choristers Khinkali and Friends sing our songs: Memory Palace and takayna found. Mozart Hall, 2 Gilles St, Warrnambool. CANCELLED

May 7 2020, Thurs 8pm Skyglass at The Platform in Geelong. Presented by NEAL. Bookings through Eventbrite CANCELLED

May 8 2020, Fri 8pm Skyglass and the Sweet Mona’s perform a double bill at Ballarat Trades Hall, 24 Camp St Ballarat. CANCELLED

May 8 2020, GOOD NEWS! I received a grant to compose a work for virtual choir and field recordings entitled BROLGA DAWN supported by the City of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grants. I composed a 7 minute work and sent the score off to three singers to create a demo. So good to be making music in this locked-down world.

May 9 2020, Sat 8pm Anne performs with Brandon Lee (koto) and associates at Box Hill Community Arts Centre for the Boite Matsudo celebrations. CANCELLED

May 18-20 2020, Omusubi 6 shows in Vic. NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

May 27 2020, Omusubi 2 shows in Brisbane, QLD NEXUS ARTS CANCELLED

May 29 2020, Friday night, David Jones World Ensemble at Melbourne International Jazz Festival at Chapel Off Chapel. CANCELLED

Jun 1-19 2020, 22 solo shows in Perth through NEXUS ARTS. CANCELLED

Jun 8-12 2020, 6 TAIKO shows in Perth through NEXUS ARTS. CANCELLED

July 2020, Anne [was going to] move to Japan to focus on composition projects, shakuhachi studies and performance… and improving her shoddy Japanese…  Also CANCELLED due to COVID-19.

Basically this calendar I found on Facebook sums it all up!

Sept 14 2020, Beat Magazine article on Anne’s upcoming Doodle gig, in which the shakuhachi is described as “rare” !

Sept 16 2020, Song Appetit with Anne Norman. Sharing my music video clips, COVID stories and doodle artwork ONLINE. Auspiced by The Boite. 7pm Melbourne time.  Tickets available from TryBOOKING    Read the REVIEWS.

Nov 29 2020, 2:00pm to 9pm The Boite marathon of music – a free online festival of performances, featuring live cameos from guests, footage from the year’s work, an auction of artwork and the premiere of a new song from Kavisha Mazzella and Arnold Zable. Anne’s segment is from 3.13pm-3.25pm in the 2nd Concert ending with a live conversation with the artists on Zoom at 3.50pm.

Nov 29 2020, 5pm Sunday Gala – Nanyubak Dreaming – Port Fairy Spring Festival on-line. Tickets available online. DEBORAH CHEETHAM Soprano; ANNE NORMAN Shakuhachi; MONICA CURRO Violin; PHILIP ARKINSTALL Clarinet; STEFAN CASSOMENOS Piano; ELIZA SHEPHARD Flute; EMMANUEL CASSIMATIS Oboe; MICHELLE WOOD Cello. Anne performed in “My Mother’s Country” by Deborah Cheetham. A real treat to perform with Deborah and the Plexus trio.

Dec 23 2020, More GOOD NEWS! (see May 8) I received a small grant from APRA/AMCOS for my Brolga Dawn project for professional editing of music and video files for an online virtual choir with field recordings. Will upload a demo video and score online with a callout to choristers in January. Thanks to the three singers who have worked on the project so far Jerzy Kozlowski, Daniel Thomson and Joanna Kerr.

How did YOU get through our endless lockdowns? I attempted to stay sane through composing, teaching shakuhachi online and DOODLING… as well as reading an enormous number of novels! A recent doodle… with the hope of escape…

Sail Away