BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Wesley Stormer grew up in Mount Riverview, a suburb of the picturesque Blue Mountains. He went on to study composition at Western Sydney University, and has since written contemporary classical music for local musicians and orchestras.
Now, Wesley watches as his young niece and nephews begin to grow, too. And he has crafted a beautiful lullaby to accompany their own childhoods.
Wesley’s new piece A Bedside Lullaby stems from a love of family and community. All those who played the music and produced the video are from the Blue Mountains. In this interview, Wesley tells us about what his local community means to him, and why he wanted to write a lullaby for his family.
Read the interview, then watch the premiere.
Wesley, before this interview, you told me you’d wanted to work hard to make 2020 a year in which you’d be more proactive, focusing on your compositions and recordings. As we hit 2021, it’s the moment of truth: how did you go?
I like to think I did pretty well considering everything else going on in 2020. Even before the pandemic, I was feeling a bit restless with my musical output. I had a backlog of completed pieces that hadn’t been performed or recorded, and I really wanted to change that. As the year went on, collaboration became difficult. But I did manage to record a few new works — including this one! — with some amazing musicians, so I’m feeling pretty satisfied with my 2020.
A major achievement for you was the creation of a new lullaby. Congratulations on the release, which is premiered here in 2021! Take us back to why you wanted to write a lullaby in the first place.
Thanks! I’m really quite proud of the piece and how it all turned out. I didn’t set out to compose a lullaby or anything in particular, but it naturally went in that direction. The piece was written over a few different stages, and during that time I became an uncle so that really cemented the idea of creating a lullaby that I wanted to dedicate to my niece and nephews.
How did your niece and nephews respond when they heard your music? Did they have the reaction you’d hoped for?
My niece and nephews are all under 3 years old, so feedback was always going to be a little bit limited — but they definitely did engage with the music.
Darcy, 2, who is the oldest, was pretty focused on the video and was swaying to the music. [I] wanted to create a time capsule for them to find when they’re older.
What did writing this lullaby teach you about the way children engage with music?
I learnt not to underestimate a child’s ability to appreciate and benefit from music. Regardless of the style and difficulty of a piece, I think children can get a lot from just absorbing and moving to the sound. Having said that, I think having a clear, singable melody can always help.
I don’t have an intended audience, and would love everyone of all ages to listen and hopefully gain something from the piece.
Despite the hard work that went into this piece, the intention is for the listener to feel relaxed or soothed. Did you find the process of composition calming or cathartic?
I think a bit of both, really. The conception of the composition was definitely calming as the ideas seemed to flow quite organically. As time went on, however, and the initial spark dissipated, it did become more challenging and so completing the piece was definitely cathartic.
You make your music in the beautiful Blue Mountains, and you chose to work with musicians from your community to produce the track — from performer to video editor. Why was it important to work with local talent, and what do you think can be achieved if we use music to bring our local communities together?
I was already good friends with the people I worked with, so that made things a lot easier! Generally, I think working with local talent can really enrich a project. Having a shared connection to a place and a desire to contribute to the local culture really keeps everyone motivated.
I think a lot can be achieved using music in our communities. Live performances literally bring people together that may have nothing else in common other than music, and that can open up all kinds of conversations.
Why did you choose to film the video at the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba?
I needed to find a location that had a grand piano that was in an area where we could record easily and was visually exciting, and the Carrington definitely ticked all of those boxes. It’s also in the Blue Mountains, which is a plus! They were very accommodating with everything, and we were super fortunate to be able to film there in their main dining room.
This year, you’ll have another work premiered by a group that’s fairly close to your community, the Penrith Symphony Orchestra, having won its young composer prize in 2020. And you’ll also have another work presented at the Blackheath Chamber Music Festival. To those unfamiliar with the arts community in this regions, such as those from other parts of New South Wales or Australia, how would you describe the vibrancy of this culture?
The Blue Mountains is a really rich and exciting place for the arts. Being a little removed from the city, there is a really self-sustaining arts scene there, and an eager community of people who want to be a part of it either as an audience member or participant. There is a real openness to genre and style and lots of great venues that support original music.
People should definitely take a trip out there and see what is happening!
As we watch the premiere of your video, do you have any other words for us?
I want to first acknowledge and give a huge thank you to Justine Bristow (flute), Tim Hans (piano), Andrew Mell (video), Craig Field (mixing and mastering), and to the great people at the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba. I really couldn’t have brought the piece to life without them.
I think some people experience a certain kind of pressure when listening to ‘classical’ music as if it’s not for them, or it’s hard to engage with. I’d love for people to just click play, watch, listen and see what they feel.
Thank you for listening!
WATCH! This is the official world premiere of the video for A Bedside Lullaby by Wesley Stormer.
Follow Wesley on Instagram and Facebook.
Images supplied.
