Anyone who thinks flute music is merely a pastoral affair limited to avian twitterings and musical sweet nothings should sign up for the next Claire Chase concert. Over the past decade, the two-time MacArthur Fellow and Avery Fisher Prize-winner has stretched the boundaries of what the instrument is capable of, while advocating for the flute as soloist, collaborative artist and curator. Along the way she has presented the world premieres of literally hundreds of new works across the globe. In 2013 she launched Density 2036, a 23-year commissioning project aimed at creating an entirely new body of repertory for flute between 2014 and 2036, the centenary of Edgard Varèse’s mould-breaking 1936 flute solo, Density 21.5.

Claire Chase at National Sawdust. Photo © Jill Steinberg

In May 2018, thanks to the farsighted Liza Lim who heads up Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Composing Women program, Chase visited Australia where five composers – Georgia Scott, Peggy Polias, Brenda Gifford, Josephine Macken and Bree van Reyk – had the opportunity to work with her first-hand. Regular email and Skype sessions over the subsequent 15 months brought a series...