Dr Tonya Lemoh's hands on the keys of a piano.

In this unique presentation featuring Henry Handel Richardson’s compositions for voice and piano, music by Clara Schumann and Fanny Hensel, letters and scripted narration, Dr Tonya Lemoh will share her research findings on the hidden musician inside this iconic Australian writer.

Image
Dr Tonya Lemoh sits with her hands on the keys of a piano.
Dr Tonya Lemoh. Image: L.B. Westersoe.

The presentation will consist of a pre-concert talk where Dr Lemoh's research findings will be shared. These will include discoveries drawn from the library’s collections of letters, manuscripts and other written material by Henry Handel Richardson. A brief description of the concept behind the theatre piece, Interiors – a journey into the musical world of Henry Handel Richardson, will follow. 

The second half of the presentation will involve a performance of works for voice and piano by Henry Handel Richardson, interwoven with excerpts from her letters and diaries. This half of the presentation will also feature piano works by female composers of Richardson’s era, Clara Schumann and Fanny Hensel, both of whom composed Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without words). This part of the presentation will feature performers Dr Tonya Lemoh (piano) and Dr Narelle Yeo (soprano). 

Dr Tonya Lemoh is the 2022 Creative Arts Fellow, supported by the Friends of the National Library of Australia.

Bookings are essential to attend this free event. For those who can't make it in person, the event will be livestreamed on the Library's Facebook page

Type Fellowship presentation