Blending classical with country, all for love of music

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Blending classical with country, all for love of music

A little bit country, a little bit classical.

It’s a novel creative combination singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock says will make beautiful music at upcoming shows with string ensemble Penny Quartet.

“It was an interesting process to work through but the end product is this collaboration between classical and folk country music that I feel like people will be able to really hold onto,” she told AAP.

“I’m singing in this blend of styles, adding in a bit of opera where it’s needed but making sure the lyrics are still really audible and people can hear them.”

Remaining unchanged are her song’s stories and lyrics, which are the most important part of each piece for the Melbourne-based Indigenous artist, whose family is from the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea.

The blending of styles is also something of a full-circle moment for Hitchcock, who started in music as a classical piano player before finding her singing voice in her teens.

“My mum was really diligent about a well-rounded education and music was a big part of that,” she said.

Along with the string quartet concerts, the musical chameleon’s busy schedule includes touring with singer-songwriter Paul Kelly and an Adelaide Cabaret Festival show while working on a new album and an opera show.

Hitchcock’s expansive musical universe is both a lifelong passion and a way of helping others to tread their own creative journeys.

“I’m somebody that finds happiness from doing theatre and opera as well as sitting in a studio writing songs,” she said.

“I really love music and I want to be part of every aspect of it so when I’m old and grey and people come to me for advice, I’ve done it so I can give it to them.”

Jess Hitchcock and the Penny Quartet will begin their tour in Perth on February 26 before heading to Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle and ending in Sutherland Shire, NSW on March 7.

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