Lockdown chats with Ali Fyffe
My next conversation with Forest Collective members past and present is with Ali Fyffe. Ali and I met on orientation day at the VCA, and hit it off from day one to still be good friends and collaborators today.
As mentioned below, Ali performed some early works of mine, within a small chamber ensemble group that went on to become the founding group of Forest Collective in 2009.
Tell us about your involvement with Forest Collective, how long have you been involved, and how it all started?
My first involvement with Forest was in 2018. In an amazing coincidence, long-time Forester and saxophonist Nick Yates was moving interstate just when I moved back to Melbourne and I was able to slot in. Through social media, I'd been watching Forest do all kinds of amazing gigs and projects while I was overseas, and I couldn't believe my luck that I could get involved. It's so fun playing saxophone/s for Forest - being in between brass and winds sonically is always interesting in contemporary music. All that said, technically my first involvement would have been way back in 2010 when Forest Collective was more of an idea, when Evan and I were at VCA together studying our undergrad degrees!
Can you name your highlights from working with Forest Collective?
One highlight was when I was sharing the first Forest gig I was in (Berceuse in July 2018) and people responded with such positivity. People knew Evan and Forest Collective and were excited about the 2018 season. It was a pretty cool way to announce I was back doing gigs in Melbourne, to see everyone be as excited as I was! Another highlight has been working on the Shifting program, even though lockdowns mean it hasn't been performed yet. The energy Forest has to program less-performed works and support emerging artists has always kept their programs fresh, and being able to contribute in a small way to the list of interesting works Forest programs has been amazing.
Speaking of lockdowns, performing Diimpa's works at the Heide Museum of Modern Art earlier this year when restrictions allowed it was another highlight. I think for a lot of people (in Forest and in the audience) it was a breath of fresh air to experience such a beautiful outdoor gig in-between months of musical drought.
What's keeping you occupied this lockdown?
Throughout these lockdowns I think I did what everyone else did - seriously consider doing a solo album then getting overwhelmed/busy/uninspired and not doing it. I started playing the piano a bit more and thinking about music more as a joy than a job - I'm sure we all knew we were going to miss gigs but all underestimated just how much! I was super lucky that I had a full-time job though, and that kept me good and busy.
What's on the musical horizon for you at the moment?
More rest and reflection is on the horizon, and maybe that solo album will finally happen...
