Xani Kolac's transcendental quadraphonic sound experience, Stamina, has been years, a pandemic and a journey through uncharted creative waters in the making.
While lockdown stifled many artists, acclaimed violinist and composer Xani Kolac was able to transform the pressure of a world on the brink of apocalyptic collapse into much-needed art.
For Xani, this period of uncertainty provided her with the catalyst she needed to create a piece that transcends bodily existence into a soundscape of human connectivity. You know what they say – diamonds are made under pressure.
Xani
- Monday, October 21
- Melbourne Recital Centre
- Tickets here
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It was lockdown and the concentrated focus on monitoring one’s body for symptoms that sparked Xani’s exploration of health anxiety. “[I realised] that I have no idea what’s going on inside my body,” she says.
This experience inspired her to create Stamina, a quadrophonic sound experience delving into the beautifully intricate workings of the human body. Xani will present Stamina at Melbourne Recital Centre’s Primrose Potter Salon on October 21 at part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Starting with the concept of the human body, Xani built a musical skeleton around this idea, gradually fleshing it out. This method, she explains, is how she likes to begin making new music.
“I get to imagine a world, a context, a history, a narrative, and then make sense of that world through music,” she says. “It’s less about translation, and more about creating musical experiences that evoke emotional responses inspired by these concepts.”
In Stamina, Xani experiments with quadraphonic sound, where four speakers are positioned in the corner of a room for an immersive listening experience.
“I can better tell this story by using surround sound and having more control over the experience of a sonic environment,” she says. “When I work with this technology, I often feel like sound and music is created outside of my body, rather than internally, which is how I usually feel performing in stereo. I thought this was an interesting juxtaposition, especially since I am telling a story of what is going on internally. It’s a conflict.”
Bodily sensations through sound
That conflict – between external and internal worlds – brings Stamina to life. It allows audiences the space to explore the ideas and reflect onto the music their own experiences. Xani emphasises that the audience’s engagement with the sound creates a shared sonic atmosphere, bringing everyone together.
“I have moments throughout the work which amplify and give space to the sounds of other bodies in the room,” Xani says. “Their breathing, their movements, their voices. The way we set the stage is that the quad speakers are surrounding all of us together. I hear exactly what the audience hears. I love the democracy of that.” In Stamina, the listener is not just an observer; they’re a participant too.
Xani at Melbourne Recital Centre
This deep connection between artist and audience is perhaps a welcomed shift from the solitary nature of creation for Xani. Her biggest challenge, she says, is that much of the creative process happens alone.
“I am missing the element of collaboration,” she says. “It’s hard because I love bouncing ideas off other people. It’s a challenge, it’s messy and chaotic, but it’s in that state where I think I make my best work.”
For the final stages of Stamina’s creation, Xani collaborated with Glen Nicol, who will be mixing sound and running lights at the Recital Centre performance. Together with Glen, Xani was able to explore light and spatial sound within the work. “I loved that aspect,” she says.
From chaos to creative gold
Even still, it seems like Xani might be able to make her most profound work when she’s caught in life’s endless rips of confusion and fear. “Charting new and untested waters is part of my manifesto, if you like!”
“I like to keep moving, running experiments and pushing what the violin can do,” she says. “Two years ago, I never thought I’d be delving into the [Yamaha] five-string, but here I am. I tend to follow where my instincts take me. My imagination just keeps running wild. I believe in always learning – that is how I evolve.”
“I just have to maintain my stamina”
Xani’s own stamina is clearly relentless. Even when the waves are crashing harder and the rips are growing stronger and the safety of the shoreline seems further and further away, Xani persists.
Despite all the challenges, she says, “My body keeps functioning like a machine.” Like muscle memory, Xani just keeps on swimming. “I called this work Stamina because despite my mind unravelling with health anxiety over the past four years, my body has endured.”
Not only has Xani endured – she’s excelled. Her resilience has paid off; her hard work has been her own lifeboat. “It has been a wonderful couple of years of growth for me,” Xani says.
“Industry recognition opened some doors, but my own confidence in my ability to keep going and to trust my own instincts and judgements has grown. In a way, this work perfectly describes where I’m at musically, artistically and career-wise.”
“I just [have to] maintain my stamina,” she adds. “Mind, body and soul – I’ll be able to keep growing. My journey has always meant leaning hard into the unknown, the unexpected, the unplanned. I love it that way.”
You can get tickets to see Xani play at Melbourne Recital Centre here.
