Cathie Travers

'SANCTUARY' live performance by Pi [pictured above]

Welcome to my internet home...

in the real world my home is in the bush just outside Perth, the capital city of Western Australia

2012 was marked by the acquisition of two new accordions, a Super King which emerged from the Pigini Castelfidardo workshop in February, and a Sonola SS4 Ernie Felice model from the 1960’s – lovingly restored by Guenadiy Lazarov from the Accordion Gallery in New Jersey.

2013 is shaping up with some good stuff in the pipeline...
February and March I’m working as soloist with the Perth Symphony Orchestra, and in April with the strings to launch the Perth Chamber Orchestra. Stay tuned for dates and venues.

Also in February the University of WA Centenary celebrations kick off with a one day arts festival ‘Luminous Night’ on the 8th. I’m performing with Nova Ensemble, my own quartet Saggezza, and my latest musical venture Salma Gundi – with Charles Hoernemann & Gillian Catlow.

The premiere recording of my piece ‘Procession’ commissioned by the University of WA for CD release in celebration of the centenary has just been mastered – I recorded it last July. It’s for accordion and laptop using Ableton Live and a stack of MIDI footpedals.

Late March I’ll be in Pete Grandison's Shanghai Twang studio, with Saggezza, Salma Gundi and a few other great colleagues. I can hardly wait!

I have renewed my working relationship with mezzo-soprano Annette Tesoriero and we’re developing a new show that will be ready to take on the road early in 2014. Keep your eyes out for Olive & Concetta…two middle-aged musicians with a huge sense of humour, love for life, passion for food, wine, & travel and no-holds-barred in telling it like it is. And I can’t help thinking that the accordion is going to emerge as the third character in the story!

Plans are taking shape to be in the USA, UK and Italy from late July through early September. More on that later as we get confirmation happening.

I composed several new works for accordion during 2012 and I reckon 2013 will be even more prolific – I guess that’s one of the advantages of having some nice instruments to play…I’m really excited about composing new repertoire!

‘Dark’ the movie, for which I composed & recorded the music in 2012, is now showing in many full-dome planetaria around the world.