Knitting Unicorns (2017)
Knitting Unicorns was written for the Hush Foundation. When I had the opportunity to visit the Royal Hobart Hospital, there was bright colour on the walls, sunshine outside, and young people playing on their electronic devices or watching bad TV. One young lady, however, spent much of her time studying her high school textbooks, and knitting voraciously. In the bed next to hers was a toddler who was captivated by some unicorns from the hospital’s toy box. Coincidentally, the knitter was also knitting a unicorn. Maybe the magic of this mythical yet beautiful creature transports children of all ages to their happy place.
Instrumentation: string orchestra, minimum 5.5.3.3.1
Duration: 4 1/2 minutes
In June 2017, the Hush Foundation launched its National Composers in Residence Project, bringing together the artistry of six of Australia’s top composers and six emerging composers in an ambitious project that engages with adolescent patients at children’s hospitals around Australia.
In this video Maria Grenfell and Thomas Misson talk about the experience of composing for this challenging and inspiring project.