Michael Shirrefs

An end to discord

Music is music, right? But through the middle of the 20th Century, our evolving appetite for innovation took us on some pretty weird detours, especially in the world of classical music. So, in the midst of all this, what happened to the familiar tradition of tonal composition?

Crisis & Creativity
—a 4 part radio series

The European Union is struggling. Not just because of Brexit, the GFC, and the arrival of millions of refugees, but because Europe as an idea of fairness, democracy and freedom is under attack. However, this radio series finds optimism in creative strategies keeping the heart of the EU beating.

Southern Sun, Aegean Light—The poetry of second-generation Greek-Australian poets

What does it mean to be a second generation Greek-Australian? How clear is your sense of identity and of belonging? Against the backdrop of Greece’s rich history of language and ideas, there’s been a great modern tradition of writing from across the Greek diaspora. Southern Sun, Aegean Light is a diverse collection of poems from second generation Greek-Australians.

Requiems for the 21st Century

How do requiems help atheists and heathens to grieve in the 21st Century? Through the 20th Century the form became increasingly abstracted and in a way secularised, to a point where today we have works that are not merely ecumenical—they’re universally accessible.