Inspirational Deborah Cheetham Fraillon - music & love Love & Music


 Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO *
By chance, I had the great pleasure to meet Deborah Cheetham Fraillon - an exceptional, wonderful, spirited Yorta Yorta woman. I think I may have gushed a bit, but she was very gracious. Deborah is an Aboriginal Australian soprano, composer, educator, actor, playwright, leader and advocate for all things Musical, Aboriginal and Queer(ical). We had a brief exchange as we played musical chairs at it were, I had just given an interview at local radio station 3MBS about my novel and she about to give an interview about The Australian Ballet's production of Identity 'The Hum' for which she composed the music. I saw the production a few days later. Deborah's music was extraordinary, in fact I closed my eyes at times just to concentrate on it. I've never heard anything quite like it - dramatic (a thunderous big drum beat to begin), lyrical, forceful, diverse... And, would you believe: fascinatingly, wonderfully, Deborah's wife, Nicolette Cheetham Fraillon was the conductor! They were married only recently on 2 January 2023 having announced their relationship during 2022. Nicolette is another powerhouse of talent - so the two of them together must be a phenomenon to behold: wow!

A proud Yorta Yorta woman, Deborah is a member of the Stolen Generations. She was taken from her mother when only 3 weeks old and raised by a white baptist family. Her uncle is the singer Jimmy Little. Among many of things, she is Artistic Director of  Short Black Opera. See https://www.shortblackopera.org.au/team for more info. On this website it says:

In 2020 Deborah describes herself as a “21st century urban woman who is Yorta Yorta by birth, stolen generation by policy, soprano by diligence, composer by necessity and lesbian by practice.”

You just have to look at the wonderful portraits on the Amplify Queer Faith website showing Deborah and Nicolette together, so happy. This is love.  this   is   love:

https://www.amplifyqueerfaith.com.au/deborahnicolette

The mission statement from the Amplify Queer Faith website says: 

'LGBTIQA+ peoples have always been a part of every faith, religious and spiritual communities. This exhibition with the feature subjects, brings together many faith and cultural backgrounds – including Aboriginal, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim. It is a way of us amplifying the often hidden voices and faces of LGBTIQA+ people of faith and spirituality that are such a crucial part of our total human story.'

This is NAIDOC week: National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which occurs annually in July and celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NB: I am voting YES for The First Nations Voice To Parliament referendum.

* top image from: The Australian  https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/indigenous-opera-hits-a-personal-note/news-story/72e2880cda39d1611c56f5ca444c3061

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