Swirling Flame album launch: Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival

Name: Swirling Flame album launch: Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival
Start: 2025-10-30T10:00:00+11:00
Location: Johnston Street Jazz

Schedule

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025 at 10:00 am

UTC+11:00

Location

Johnston Street Jazz | Pyrmont, NS

‘A head-spinning dialogue between half a millennium ago and now, and a sound as foreign as dreaming someone else's dreams…’ (John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald)
Elysian Fields, Australia’s only electric viola da gamba band, returns to SIWJF to celebrate the release of Swirling Flame, our third album. With inspiration provided by the works of leading ceramic artist, Barbara Campbell-Allen OAM, Swirling Flame is a project born from recovery and renewal after band leader, Jenny Eriksson, suffered a serious arm injury requiring surgery 3 years ago. Building on our previous releases, the album is a bold fusion of jazz, baroque, contemporary classical and folk influences—anchored by the haunting resonance of the rarely-heard 7-string electric viola da gamba.
For our first appearance at Johnston St Jazz we will present tracks from the album including a musical acknowledgement of country by First Nations musician, Troy Russell, as well as charts by Jacques Emery and Matt McMahon. In celebration of women artists there will be two world premieres by two female composers: band member Susie Bishop, and singer/pianist/song writer, Laura Bishop. Laura’s piece, commissioned by Jenny Eriksson, will be sung in Elvish, perhaps a first for SIWJ!
A haunting folksong reimagining by Icelandic composer Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir, two pieces by Alice Chance, plus music written by Jenny Eriksson, all conceived for the Swirling Flame project, round out the set list.