Complimenting the offerings from Western Australia’s more established arts companies, the last five years have witnessed a growing number of entrepreneurial musicians creating opportunities for themselves by forming small-scale arts companies and chamber ensembles. Through thoughtfully curated programs, new commissions and inter-arts collaborations, these groups are reaching new, and often younger, audiences. Bonnie de la Hunty is a lyric soprano and is a key player in this scene, most noticeably through her Baroque music ensemble HIP Company. This concert, however, sees her move from the 18th century to the present day in an imaginative program for soprano and string quartet. Lasting a little over 50 minutes, with no interval, seven works were presented. Three of them, André Previn’s Vocalise, Elena Kats-Chernin’s Eliza Aria and Samuel Barber’s Sure on this Shining Night were skilfully reworked by de la Hunty for voice and string quartet. Whilst I occasionally missed the fundamental bass in Previn’s Vocalise, this was compensated by Krista Low’s beautiful cello playing. The Barber shimmered suitably and Kats-Chernin’s iconic work delighted in yet another version.

HIP Company Illuminations Bonnie de la Hunty and musicians at the lluminations concert. Photo ©...