A rare art: Voxalis and friends breathe new life into opera and song
This year Voxalis Opera aims to brings rarely performed works to life in an intriguing collaborative program with a talented list of artists.
Mar 31, 2025, updated Mar 31, 2025
Books by Gillian Wills
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Praise
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book hits all the right notes!
Reviewed in Australia on 9 March 2025
With Big Music, Gillian Wills invites the reader to explore the world of performing arts eduction - in particular music - and what a fascinating universe to spend time in!
Welcome to Turalong Music School, where classical music reigns, while rock is tolerated. Where the music is indeed ‘big’, but the egos are often bigger.
And here we meet our protagonist, 32 year-old Beat, short for Beatrice, a gifted pianist whose talent has not reached the heights of concert world acclaim. Instead Beat has turned to teaching…that is, until the school suddenly and unexpectedly appoints her to the role of Dean of Music.
What ensues is a rocky expedition of self-examination that ultimately leads to empowerment for the loveable Beat and I was with her every step of the way.
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Amazon Customer
I really enjoyed this book! It is moving and funny. The characters are quirky and lovable, and the storyline is very relatable for those working in the education or the arts. Highly recommend.
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Heidi
5.0 out of 5 stars As comforting and enjoyable as any women's fiction book and also unlike any I've ever read!
Reviewed in Australia on 16 January 2025
We read in order to inhabit worlds other than our own and BIG MUSIC enabled me to do just that!
What I don't know about classical music could fill a song book thingy (see?) which is what made reading this story so special. We meet our protagonist Beat (short for Beatrice—genius!) as she takes the reins as head of Turalong Music School. She's young and a woman so, naturally, everyone is a jerk about it.
Much like Ginger Rogers tap dancing backwards and in heels, Beat is put through her paces but rises to the challenge in a way that is relatable and endearing. Is she sure of herself? No! But is she giving it a red hot go and throwing her heart and soul into it anyway? Yes! She is all of us. In the mix, to further complicate her life, her dick husband does dickish things and she's not even sure who she can trust at work. There's drama and intrigue and a spot of mystery too.
All this would be ample but what I adored above all else was Gillian Wills' obvious passion for music of all genres. She flits from Rachmaninoff, to Taylor Swift, to Hilltop Hoods with equal reverence, and the way she describes music is nothing short of sublime! Much of the stranger-than-fiction fodder was drawn from Gillian's own life which adds another layer of wonderment to this novel.
This is as comforting and enjoyable as any women's fiction book and also unlike any I've ever read! What doesn't sound great about that?
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Anne Freeman
