1300 ROAR

Designed to assist the community emotionally manage the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, residents were encouraged to dial in to a hotline express their emotions. Those feelings have now been transformed into a specially composed piece of music written and produced by local composers, internationally recognised Rae Howell with support from emerging composer Brannoc Whetter.

1300 ROAR was developed as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to supporting the arts and culture sector as well as integrating creativity into the City’s response to recovery from the pandemic.

The resulting piece of music titled ‘In So Many Words’ is wistful, hopeful and emotional, being described as for everyone who has a sense of longing to return to the 'normal'.

The composers were faced with the challenge of jointly composing a piece of music from supplied sound files of phone calls. But this was not the only challenge. Rae Howell is currently marooned in the UK and unable to return to her native Ballarat meaning the pair needed to work in completely different time zones.

The composers did not listen to the phone calls, instead processing the sounds to make the identities and language of the contributors unrecognisable. But some sounds still stood out – including the recorded sound of a single person walking which became an integral part of the percussion of the piece.

“My impression from the outset was that it was going to be an intriguing project, like stepping into the unknown,” said Rae. “It was something I would be able to encapsulate musically and meaningfully. It sparked my interest because as a composer it is always great to be give restraints to explore, without expectations on the final work.”

Brannoc shared Rae’s enthusiasm for the project. “People were allowed to express themselves in any way they wished without inhibition, so I definitely believe this was a cathartic for many,” he said. “There were some standout sounds that Rae and I knew had to be incorporated, and some others required a bit more processing and thought before we added them to the track.”

Residents were able to call the hotline for a few weeks and were provided with an opportunity to connect to Lifeline should they need to speak directly to a person about what they were feeling.

“What an honour it is to musically interpret the anonymous voices of the Ballarat community,” said Rae. “The concerns, feelings, emotions, and silent footsteps during such a difficult time.

“I just hope this composition helps to ease the discomfort of so many closed doors.”

The 1300 ROAR project was designed to deliver against the City of Ballarat’s Creative City Strategy, implement the obligations of the Compassionate City Charter and the Prosperity Framework in highlighting and celebrating the positive, caring and forward-thinking community we aspire to be.

The resulting piece of music will be released as part of our Be_Hear/Now community music and art festival in November.