Music and memory have a deep-rooted, emotive connection. In this kaleidoscopic programme, father and daughter – composer-conductor Brett Dean and mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean – let Aurora in on an intimate collaboration rooted in a lifetime of shared musical moments, marking Brett Dean’s 65th birthday.

This programme weaves fragments of remembrance together like a playlist: elegies, snapshots and echoes across time, each piece a different act of memory. It’s an exploration of Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean’s musical tastes, a glimpse into their lives as collaborators as well as family members. Some pieces are sonically linked, some thematically, and there’s a focus on the timeless nature of music: contemporary writers working in ancient styles, or music that’s hundreds of years old feeling groundbreaking.

‘I am interested in finding that atmosphere that allows you to go into this slightly other realm of memory and of your own life; I think that music can do this in a way nothing else can,’ says Lotte Betts-Dean. We invite you to settle down, switch off, and see where the music takes you.

This event will last approximately 75 minutes, with no interval.

About Lotte Betts-Dean

Australian mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean is passionate about curation and programming, with a broad repertoire that encompasses contemporary, chamber and early music, as well as art song, opera, oratorio and non-classical collaborations. As a specialist in contemporary repertoire, Lotte has premiered many works by contemporary composers, and recorded several composer portrait albums, including Michael Finnissy, Stuart MacRae, Catherine Lamb and Arthur Keegan.

In March of 2024, Lotte won the Young Artist Award at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, who praised her as ‘a visionary performer, initiating one bold collaboration after another.’ She is an Ambassador for Donne, a charitable foundation dedicated to promoting gender equality in the music industry, and in 2022 she was named as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for her contributions to music.

Review for Lotte Betts-Dean

‘Lotte Betts-Dean was utterly compelling. Her performance – vocally virtuosic, physically precise and dramatically sly – carried the whole concept with elegance and wit.’ Vid Simoniti, Classikon

About Brett Dean

Brett Dean was born and studied in Australia before moving to Germany. He was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic for fourteen years, during which time he began composing. His music is championed by many of the leading conductors and orchestras worldwide, including Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Simone Young, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Marin Alsop and Sakari Oramo. Much of Dean’s work draws from literary, political, environmental or visual stimuli, including a number of compositions inspired by artwork by his wife Heather Betts.

Review for Brett Dean

‘…the two works here show Dean to be a formidable and musical player as well as an impressive composer. The Viola Concerto confirms the impression it made at its first performance… It is one of Dean’s most successful orchestral works, an asymmetrical, three-movement structure that pivots about a dark, central scherzo.’ The Guardian

About Aurora Orchestra

Driven by the belief that orchestral music is for everyone, Aurora Orchestra has established itself as an innovative and boundary-breaking ensemble, creating musical experiences beyond the ordinary.

Under its Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon, Aurora Orchestra has grown since its first concert in 2005 into an established name on the UK and international orchestral scene. Aurora is the pioneer for memorised orchestral performance: it is the first orchestra worldwide to break down physical barriers to music by removing sheet music and stands for large-scale works. Over recent years, these memorised performances have developed into cross-genre dramatic and musical explorations that reach deeper under the skin of the music, devised by Aurora’s Creative Director Jane Mitchell. Aurora has collaborated with an exceptional range of artists across different artistic disciplines.

Through an award-winning Creative Learning programme, Aurora regularly offers workshops and storytelling concerts for families, schools and young people, including children with special educational needs and disabilities. In 2022, Aurora launched Aurora Classroom, a pioneering online learning platform for primary schools.

Review for Aurora Orchestra

‘Aurora Orchestra has been pushing boundaries for 20 years, not least through its daring memorised performances’ Rebecca Franks, BBC Music Magazine