Opera Ochre  is a new music theatre company through which Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal composers, musicians, singers and crew can join hands in creative processes achieving a reconciliation of lifestyles, philosophies and music styles on the common ground of the stage.

The underpinning principle in the composing and performing is that of respect. In this light, those with foundations in Western musical practices of composition and performance work closely with those who have a more 'vernacular' approach. For example, composers involved collaborate to write for both the music readers and non-readers and in performance the trained voice and the raw talent type voice appear together and the accomplished instrumentalist of Western classical traditions is set with the rock or folk instrumentalist. Composers of vocal music set voices against one another as they do instruments of varied timbre, rather than try to train non-readers or blend distinct voices.

Darryl Griffen and Christopher Sainsbury

You can contact Chris at the Eora Centre