Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Australian composer and pianist, Sarah Elise Thompson has recently released her second EP, an album she describes as "an intimate, personal journey of my own grief, written in the wake of the death of my close friends." Featuring 5 pieces, Sarah explains they "are written as signs of hope, light and beauty, with soaring melodies and warm strings. The music is a source of comfort, healing and strength to rise from the ashes. There is a light that never goes out...". We sat down with Sarah to find out more ahead of the first live shows of the EP release.

Can you tell us about your creative path so far and how you've developed your creative style?

Being a composer has taken me down so many different creative paths and collaborations over the years. I never anticipated becoming a classical composer or embarking on the current path I'm on, but I'm so grateful to be in the place I am now and doing what I love - making music. I initially began writing music as a singer-songwriter and performing my original songs in a band in my home town. I wrote from my own personal experiences and used songwriting as a tool to capture how I was feeling and process all of the emotions I was going through. I was inspired by stories, memories and nature, and how our personal experiences shape our world view.

I then went to the Sydney Conservatorium where I studied composition and it changed my whole perception of what was creatively possible. It was unlike anything I had previously experienced. The Con was a melting pot of so many different musical voices and extremely talented performers. I was constantly inspired everyday by everyone around me, and have so many memories of playing music with my friends. I think it also created a feeling of being lost and intimidated in that environment. I think because of that feeling of intimidation or imposter syndrome I tried to compose more 'experimental' music as a way to fit in and impress my teachers, but ultimately I felt I lost my own sense of self. It wasn't until I came back to playing and composing at the piano many years later, writing commissions for other ensembles and performers, and more recently making my EP eternal light that I truly felt I found my sense of style and personal voice.

How has your experience so far led to the creation of eternal light?

The making of eternal light was a very emotional creative process. It marked my return to the recording studio and the writing room after an extended period away from music.

In 2022, I had a number of challenging events in my personal life, including the loss of two of my close friends who passed away days apart from each other. They were musicians who were both roughly age 30. Before they passed, my friends and I were composing and collaborating on new music. I have so many memories of us jamming and playing together in practice rooms and I had so much fun composing music for them. I had known both of my friends from just after the time I graduated from the Con and was at a stage in my career where I was looking for guidance as to where I wanted to go next creatively. I think as a young musician it can feel like your music can very easily get lost in the crowd and it can be frightening to share your own ideas publicly.

When my friends passed away, it made me realise that I had to just go for it, release my music and not be scared. I chose to keep on going for them as they cannot play or create music anymore. The lead inspiration was to create music in memory of them and sharing the light and the joy we had creating music together. In making this record, I believe that I found my most personal, authentic musical expression to date and I'm so proud of the pieces on this EP.

Image: Sarah Elise Thompson. Photo by Kal Cinema

What does eternal light represent to you?

eternal light for me represents the idea that those we love and the memories of them never truly leave us. Their light continues to remain with us forever and their presence continues on even once they have departed.

I wrote this EP in the wake of the death of my close friends, and an intimate, personal journey of my own grief. The 5 pieces on the record are instrumental contemporary classical works for piano and string quartet. I wrote them from a place of reflection, where I channeled the love and grief I was feeling for my friends. I tried to capture those emotions in the music with gentle moving piano parts, soaring, beautiful melodies and warm strings. The music for me is a source of comfort, and strength, and I hope it brings listeners deep comfort and healing. I want it to be a recording where you give yourself permission to feel your own emotions and remember the light of those you love.

Can you tell us about each of the works on the EP? Their meaning and the process of creating them?

There are 5 instrumental pieces on the EP, all written during my time in residence at Church Street Studios in Camperdown. The music is written for either solo piano or piano and string quartet.

wings
I originally conceived wings as a quiet, reflective memorial piece for solo piano, but as I continued writing, it grew into a powerful expression of resilience, inner strength and the courage to keep going after grief and hardship. Through peaceful, meditative piano passages that build into soaring melodies and resonant chords, I wanted to capture the strength to keep going and rise up from the ashes.

church on the hill
church on the hill is inspired by my visit to St Nicholas' Chapel in St Ives, Cornwall, my ancestral hometown on my mother's side. I took a trip to the UK and visited this church in 2023. I wrote the piece as a reflection on the generations of ancestors who in their own time of joy and grief have sought solace and peace within the church that looks down over the town. Through this piece, I wanted to remind myself and others to find moments of pause amid life's chaos, to reconnect with ourselves and find sanctuary in the world around us, even in the most difficult times.

embrace
I wrote embrace to capture the warmth and overwhelming joy I imagine feeling if I could be reunited with my friend and be close once more. Through this piece, I wanted to celebrate the precious memories and intimate moments that keep our loved ones near, reminding us that love endures long after they are gone. The piece is filled with warm, heart opening strings and reflective piano waves.

saw you in a dream
I wrote saw you in a dream in the days after losing my friends, inspired by a dream in which I saw them again. When I experienced this dream, I woke up with an extraordinary sense of joy and relief. I wanted to capture that feeling of grief becoming uplifting, capturing the love and the hope and comfort we can find in feeling connected to those we have lost, and the joy of seeing them again.

moonchild
I originally wrote moonchild in collaboration with one of my friends Emerson, who passed away in 2022. We were exploring musically the bond we shared as we were born just one day apart and called each other 'moon twins' based on that shared birth date connection. I was inspired by the moon's cyclical nature and its ability to connect us even when we are apart. The piece blends minimalist piano patterns with otherworldly melodies and atmospheric textures to reflect its mysterious beauty. When I rearranged it for solo piano, I deliberately preserved the silences where his parts once belonged, honouring his absence while holding onto the hope that, if we listen closely, he is still there. Through this piece, I wanted to explore how the special people who enter our lives can leave a lasting imprint on us, even if their time with us is fleeting.

Tell us a little about the recording process, did the music change during collaborating with the string quartet?

We recorded the EP over two days with our recording and mixing engineer Rose Mackenzie-Peterson. Rose and I had previously worked together on my first album self centre and it was so great to work with her again. It was so special to hear the pieces come to life. The first day was dedicated to recording the piano at Point Blank Studios. Then we took those recordings and brought them to Church Street Studios, where we recorded and mixed the string quartet in a single day. I invited my friends Amanda Chen (Opera Australia), Tim Yu (ACO), Liz Woolnough (ACO) and James Larsen (Nomad String Quartet) to come and record the string parts. We are all friends and colleagues that met when we were students at Sydney Con. Collaborating with the strings brought a whole new dimension to the pieces, adding depth and emotion while filling the spaces between the original piano parts. Hearing how the strings responded to the piano and enhanced the melodies was a beautiful experience, and although the heart of the music remained the same, the arrangements evolved into something richer and more expressive. Overall, it was a very intimate and beautiful process, and incredibly special to hear the music transform into the recordings you hear today. I can't wait to hear how we will sound together in a live format.

Image: Behind the scenes at Church Street Studios. Photo by Kal Cinema

Did your approach to this second EP change after your debut album?

Yes, my approach to this EP was quite different to releasing my debut album. This time, I played piano on every track, which made the recording process feel much more personal and connected to the music - and a lot more vulnerable. I also wanted to build on the one instrumentation - piano and string quartet - to capture the central themes of the record rather than creating a portfolio or introduction to my work. It allows the pieces to feel like part of a continuing story. Having established that foundation with my debut, I felt more confident in exploring these themes in greater depth and creating something more intimate, cohesive and emotionally honest.

Melbourne on Sunday 8 Nov 4pm at Tempo Rubato with Northside String Quartet

Sydney on Saturday 28 Nov 8pm -at Church Street Studios with Nomad String Quartet

I'll also be performing in the world premiere of my new piece, the green island, with Divisi Chamber Singers on Tuesday 3 November at 4:30pm at 45 Reid Street, North Fitzroy, VIC. The piece was originally written for my friend Max, who passed away before we could do the premiere, and now the piece has been reimagined for chamber vocal ensemble and piano, and it's incredibly special to see this music take on a new life. You can find tickets and more information here.

There's more news to come in the new year and I hope to share with you more soon.
Thank you AMC for all of your support over the years!