Expect some weird and wonderful sounds emanating from The Hotel Esplanade Basement this year, thanks to experimental new music specialists, Ossicle Duo. 

Ossicle Duo (trombonist Benjamin Anderson and percussionist Hamish Upton) are all about the exploration and extension of sound. Based in Melbourne, the Duo have been celebrated for their performances of contemporary art music, winning the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Contemporary Masters Award in July 2019.

In the series, Ossicle Duo invite local and international guest musicians to join them for an experimental improv jam in the basement of the Hotel Esplanade. Together they’ll explore radical noise production, extended playing techniques, and the strange and intimate connection between some bizarre instrument combinations.

The guest for this Espy Underground Session is Miranda Hill.
Miranda Hill is the creative force behind Homophonic, Melbourne’s annual new music performance celebrating queer composers. She is also the director of 3 Shades Black Ensemble, one of Melbourne's most innovative contemporary music ensembles, dedicated to experimental and improvisational classical music.

Her performance interests as a double bassist move from historically informed period performance through to improvisation, and she is passionate about bringing experimental musical concepts to a broader audience. Her work includes social justice themes and activism; through creating music for protests, to community music direction, and working with diverse members of our community. Basically she takes high-falutin’ artsy concepts and frames them so everyone can appreciate how awesome they are.

Ossicle Duo love playing with Miranda, they have both played in Homophonic several times, and Hamish and Miranda play together in the Bolt Ensemble.

What to expect in this performance?
Double bass, bass trombone, and a big ass bass drum. This performance will explore everything that rumbles, punches and groans in the bass end. Because everyone knows it’s all about that bass.