Rowena Russell
Rowena Russell is a singer-songwriter and composer who plays guitar, piano and vocals. Rowena finds her main practice in solo acoustic performances, singing and accompanying herself on guitar. Throughout her Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music Major), Rowena has found an interest in soundtrack writing, with an emphasis on using vocals as a strong feature in these pieces.
“For my CASM380 Major Music work, I created a 3 track EP called ‘Seek’, within the soundtrack genre. The EP tells a story of being lost, seeking and being found, as vocal motifs are explored and developed throughout.
The first track of the EP is an A’Cappella piece ‘A Shout into the Void’, which features many layers of vocal harmony. Within the story-line, this piece introduces the main ‘seeking’ motif, with the vocals calling out into the void, looking for a response. The piece was created by recording multiple vocal layers over the top of each other to create tapestry of consonant and dissonant harmony.
The second track of the EP is called, ‘Echo’ .The piece is an instrumental rather than a vocal piece, featuring Max Williamson on Bass Guitar, Morrisey Powell on percussion and Samantha Fletcher playing the Harp. This piece acts as a musical response to the vocal ‘call’ of song 1. Here, the motif is picked up and developed by the instruments, with some vocal lines seeping through as a continual call.
The final track, ‘Unearthed’ featuring the same composition of instruments, acts as the resolution to the EP. In a grand conclusion, the piece turns from minor to major as the vocal motif and the instruments mix and develop, resolving and being ‘found’.”