When Music Plays...
Mara Kiek’s expressive and compelling voice evolved in tandem with the discovery and inspiration offered by the many cross-cultural connections and collaborations in her career. For over 40 years, Kiek’s ARIA winning band MARA! has been a platform for presenting music of many cultures—particularly those of the Balkans—layered with its members’ international credentials in the worlds of jazz, classical, improvised and original music.
Long-term MARA! member and composer Paul Cutlan is studying this cross-cultural, stylistic hybridity in his PhD research. As part of his Creative Practice output, Cutlan has composed a cycle of songs, to poems in some of the languages which have helped shape MARA!’s cross-cultural journey. ‘When Music Plays…’ traces a narrative of love, the emotive potency of music, fallibility, and the healing power of reflection. The language of each poem offers a different lens through which to appreciate life and the world—each offering its own imagery and ‘music’. For this project, the MARA! quintet is joined by the emotive beauty of a string quartet, creating a transportive and expressive palette of sound.
Musicians
Mara Kiek | vocal & percussion Llew Kiek | guitar & bouzouki Sandy Evans | soprano & tenor saxophones Paul Cutlan | composer, clarinets & alto flute Lloyd Swanton | double bass Liisa Pallandi | violin Riikka Sintonen | violin Beth Condon | viola Oliver Miller | cello
Photo of Mara Kiek by Tomas Pokorny
This event is presented by Theatre and Performance Studies in the School of Arts & Media With assistance from the Esme Timbery Creative Practice Lab.
Source: https://www.emus.space/archive/2025/10/2/when-music-plays