Jess sings a concert, with pianist Jacob Abela, alongside live floral arranging by Dr Shoso Shimbo, at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Experience a captivating multisensory journey where nature and humanity converge through ikebana, music, and fragrance. This immersive performance explores how the essence of nature can be distilled and expressed through creative practice.

Rather than replicating nature’s forms, the ikebana creations of Shoso Shimbo reveal its inner spirit through the thoughtful use of materials, balance, space, and movement. Each arrangement becomes a poetic reflection on beauty, impermanence, and the interconnectedness of life.

Complementing the floral artistry, Jessica Aszodi’s musical program draws inspiration from nature’s rhythms and emotional resonance. Through themes of love, memory, transformation, and the changing seasons, the music creates a dialogue between the natural world and human experience.

Together, ikebana, music, and fragrances created by Yen Huynh engage the senses of sight, sound, and smell, creating a contemplative atmosphere that invites reflection, connection, and renewal, while fostering an appreciation of nature’s enduring beauty, presence, and influence in our lives.

Program

Morton Feldman
Only

John Cage
The wonderful widow of eighteen springs

Brian Eno
Ambient 1: Music for Airports

Charles Ives
The Housatonic at Stockbridge

Liza Lim
Cassandra steps into the memory space of Selene from Oresteia

Charles Ives
Thoreau

Giulio Caccini
Amarilli mia bella

Meredith Monk
Railway Song, Window in 7s, and Paris

Keith Humble
Cabaret Songs

Björk
Jóga

Stephen Sondheim
Every Day a little death

Matsumoto & Satomi / Nakashima
Yuki no hana