Above : William Barton at the State Library of New South Wales
Experiencing a William Barton concert is a calming, therapeutic, spiritual and invigorating life event.
Renowned composer, multi instrumentalist and master yidaki (didgeridoo) player, Barton, as part of his recent NSW regional libraries tour, has created his EARTH FLOW concert to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the State Library of NSW.
This Bicentenary Festival’s EARTH FLOW imagined the Mitchell Library Reading Room as a living forest – nature’s keeper of property, a modern day place of gathering. From the forest, branches of trees are made into paper – paper becomes the books amassed in the State Library.
The program explains: “It is a work honouring the living systems of memory and interconnected knowledge. This collage of music, poetry and song reflects on two centuries of story-keeping at the Library.”
There were 14 performance pieces, including seven compositions by Barton, one composed with Aunty Delmae. The Sydney Street Choir sang three songs so joyfully.
There were heartfelt readings by Uncle Jack Thompson, Uncle Ray Martin, Harry Batty’s ‘bridge’ speech (recorded) and two guest regional tour participants – reading their own works – for each of the three shows at the State Library. At the Saturday, 19th September 6pm show, we heard from two young family members from the Central Coast, Knoa Mirko Casey Fernandez and his much younger sister, Lyra Vega Casey Fernandez, who both wrote and recited fascinating and very different pieces.
There was singing and poetry by Barton’s mother, opera singer and poet, the fabulous Aunty Delmae Barton. Aunty Delmae created a powerful ambience, full of mystery entwined with nature and wisdom.
She spoke of EARTH FLOW on SBS radio and in the performance.
“It’s about bringing people together, a healing of humanity.
Music is harmony’s bridge to the world to open the mind, heart, body, spirit and soul. To take us from past, present to future. I believe that the young people of today are the leaders of today.” “They’ll be the caretakers of the soul, care for Mother Earth.”
When William Barton sings, the world moves. He touches the soul. A Kalkadoon man from Mount Isa country in North-Western Queensland, Barton was taught to play the yidaki as a child by his uncle, Arthur Peterson, an elder. When the old songman passed on, Barton had the rare honour of holding onto his ancient didgeridoo, his yidaki. To hear him play this is heartwarming. Barton had three more yidaki players sitting upstairs around three sides of the vast library reading room, Lewis Burns, Nathan Scott and Isaac Barton.
He has chosen very talented musicians to accompany him. His special guest musicians at the State Library were Hugh Coffey on guitar, Isaiah Brunt on Hawaiian slide guitar and Samoan nose flute.
Joshua Batty plays flute. He did a remarkable solo on the alto flute with Barton on vocals/yidaki for ’Spirit of Mother Country’. His other ensemble members are; Alexandra Osborne on violin, James Armstrong on violin, Beth Condon on viola, Rebecca Herman on cello and Phoebe Russell on double bass. A formidable team.
Lighting Design was by Damien Cooper and Set Design by Jake Nash.
If you get the chance to experience a concert or ballet with the music of William Barton, you must go. I hope you get to see his amazing mother, Aunty Delmai Barton as well. And his talented fellow musicians.
We will be adding some photos of EARTH FLOW at the State Library’s bicentenary celebrations held on Friday 18th September, 2026 and Saturday 19th matinee and evening shows very soon.
