Conservatorium of Music Library exhibitions for 2025

Semester 1: Influencers of Vienna – Reconstructing a bel canto scene

Is it possible to re-imagine how late 18th-century singers sounded?

Soprano, Doctor of Musical Arts candidate and research assistant Anna Fraser invites you to immerse yourself in bel canto era Vienna as you explore its central influencers, and how their centuries old creative practices have been brought to life by new research.

Currently, classical singing does not use the range of creative expressive effects that existed during the continuum of practice in the bel canto era (1700–1900). In response to this and inspired by evidence such as early sound recordings and historical annotated scores, researchers have employed practice-led methods of recording emulation (imitation), embodiment and extrapolation to ‘re-discover’ and perform this ‘beautiful singing’ for today’s audiences.

Anna’s exhibition uses objects associated with this research, including a phonograph, scores and images, as well as linked videos and recordings to guide you through the exhibit and bring bel canto to life.

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On Monday 7 April 2025, Anna and Neal Peres Da Costa publicly launched the exhibition with the reconstruction of a live musical scene in a cleverly curated ‘bel canto time capsule’ guided listening experience.

The exhibition was displayed at the front of the Conservatorium of Music library from Monday, 17 March until Saturday, 24 May 2025.

Semester 2: PARADISEC – Opening the Archive for access, engagement
and innovation

This exhibition was proposed by Dr Jodie Kell, an audio engineer who manages PARADISEC’s Sydney Digitisation Laboratory, and Steven Gagau, a Melanesian community leader who provides cultural advice and metadata enrichment at PARADISEC.

Music and language are central to identity in Indigenous communities. The return of legacy recordings – historical audio made by researchers – can be a profound and emotional rediscovery of the past, contributing to the continuation of cultural practices. 
Jodie and Steven will showcase some of ways PARADISEC safeguards valuable recordings for the future and makes them accessible for Indigenous communities.

PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures) is a digital archive of records of some of the many small cultures and languages of the world, with a digitisation laboratory at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

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The exhibition is on display at the front of the Conservatorium of Music library
from Monday 1 September until Saturday 29 November 2025.

On Wednesday, 8 October 2025, Dr Jodie and Steven are hosting a panel discussion on First Nation perspectives on archival practices, focusing on the importance of creating ways to connect and reconnect with heritage materials.