Merlyn Myer Commission with Alice Chance, Chloe Kim & Syzygy Ensemble

Witness the world premiere of Joy Extract for the 2025 Merlyn Myer Music Commission.

Witness the world premiere of Alice Chance and Chloe Kim's 2025 Merlyn Myer Music Commission, Joy Extract. This dynamic new work asks, what does it mean to distil and extract joy through music? It draws upon diverse influences such as the drumming practice of Chloe Kim, rooted in traditions from her birthplace South Korea, expanded into personalised improvisational movements and language, the scientific process of extraction, and the work of significant figures in Australian history Olive Pink, Dorothy Hill and Adrienne Clarke. 

Joined by esteemed quintet Syzygy Ensemble, this collaboration presents an authentic and poignant performance as it delves into the extraction of joy, and our connection through music. Composed for violin, flute, clarinet, cello and piano, Chance and Kim’s vision comes to life in a dynamic and innovative concert and conversation experience.

This presentation will be the sixth Merlyn Myer Music Commission, an initiative established in memory of Dame Merlyn Myer to support female composers in Australia. This prestigious commission offers a unique opportunity for a selected composer to create and present the premiere performance of a new musical work.

The Merlyn Myer Music Commission is generously supported by The Aranday Foundation and The Yulgilbar Foundation.

Tickets

Standard $35 ($30 Concession)

Please note, seating in the Primrose Potter Salon is General Admission.

A Transaction Fee between $4 and $8.50 applies to orders made online and by phone. Delivery Fees may also apply. A ticket limit of six is in place online to ensure fair ticket access for all. Want to bring a bigger party? Call our Box Office during business hours on (03) 9699 3333 to book.

About the Artists

Alice Chance
Alice Chance is an award-winning composer whose works span concert music, musical theatre, electronic music and screen music. She recently returned from three years in Paris, studying at the École Normale de Musique de Paris. Winner of the 2024 APRA Art Music Award Work of the Year Large Ensemble for her work for Sydney Symphony conducted by David Robertson, she has been a three-time finalist in the category of Work of the Year Choral. Upcoming projects include Sjaella (Germany) COMA (London) and Australian Youth Orchestra. Alice enjoyed working with Syzygy’s Laila Engle on a work for the Airforce Wind Quintet. 

Chloe Kim
Drummer Chloe Kim (Yeajee Kim, 김예지; MMus Performance Research. she/her) is one of Australia's foremost improvising musicians and composers, regularly working with Australian jazz and improvised music legends (AAO, Jeremy Rose, Sandy Evans) as well as in solo drumming contexts. She composed Music for Six Double Bassists (People Sound, 2023) and was recently commissioned by SIMA to create Music For 50 Musicians. She is currently working on a new piece for Melbourne’s Moirai ensemble. She has performed at Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival, and MONA FOMA where she performed 100 hours of solo drumming across 10 days.

Syzygy Ensemble
Laila Engle flute
Robin Henry clarinet
Kyla Matsurra-Miller violin
Campbell Banks cello
Leigh Harrold piano

Syzygy Ensemble came into being in the summer of 2009, formed by close friends Laila Engle, Julia Stoppa and Leigh Harrold. Things moved pretty quickly after that – in the following twelve months, Syzygy expanded into a quintet, won first prize in the chamber music section of the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition, and were the only Australian group selected to compete in the 2011 Gaudeamus International Interpreter’s Award in Amsterdam.

Since then, they’ve gained a reputation as one of the finest new music ensembles in Australia, lauded for their virtuoso precision, innovative programming, and the ability to connect viscerally with their audiences. They were nominated for a Helpmann Award in 2012 for a George Crumb tribute concert, and in 2014 they were the recipients of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Contemporary Masters Award for their performance of David Dzubay’s ‘Kukulkan 2’.

Committed to the heritage works of last century as well as the newest works being written here and now, Syzygy have given critically-acclaimed performances of Schoenberg’s ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ and Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’, as well as being entrusted with the premiere of over 50 new Australian works – most of which have been written especially for them. Apart from having a regular subscription series at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Syzygy has had great success touring regional Australia, allowing remote audiences the chance to experience (and even participate in!) contemporary masterworks such as Schoenberg’s First Chamber Symphony, Riley’s ‘In C’, and Rzewski’s ‘Les Moutons de Panurge’.