Why soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon had to commemorate the battles of Eumeralla

The opera star is commemorating a more than 20-year battle between British colonists and Gunditjmara Aboriginal people in what is now called the Western District area of southwest Victoria.

First Nations soprano, musician, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham. Picture: Stefanie Zingsheim/University of Sydney

Music is …in my life in every way it possibly could be. I think if people really thought about it, they would find that music is so much a part of our lives. From the very earliest age, I can recall singing, it was the deepest of experiences for me.

I always knew growing up that … music was going to be my career. I really feel like it was a calling and if you get a call like that and you answer it, you have to do it your entire life in order to find the best possible expression.

As a young student … I would go to see some of the greatest performances at The Sydney Opera House and there were so many instances that I felt I had been changed by the experience of going to a particular performance. I saw Joan Sutherland in her prime in the Merry Widow and it was a moment in which I thought, “Where has this been all my life?” It was the power of storytelling that struck me, it presented a whole new universe of possibility.

I’m eternally grateful to … the music education that I had. When I went through school I had an exceptional music teacher, Jennifer King, who is a friend and mentor to this very day.

Ever soprano needs … a great mezzo to sing with. I certainly have had that partnership in Linda Barcan, not only as a colleague but as a friend.

Being a performer is not just about … the performances, or the career opportunities etc, it’s how you live your life as a performer. My wife, Nicolette Fraillon, who is an amazing conductor, understands this so deeply. To have her understanding of what I do as a composer and the importance of the moment of sharing music with an audience is so very lucky.

I’m the kind of person who … is aware that there are other beings in this world. I know this is going to sound strange but If there is some kind of presence in my house or in a place I will detect it.

The most life-changing experience I’ve had was … when I went to visit Lake Condah. I was head of the Women’s Centre at the University of Melbourne and we were launching a new course, so I went there to launch a course. Not only was it a life changing experience, it was a terrifying experience. I found myself drawn to a line of trees and from that line of trees came this rush of sound, it hit me in my solar plexus, it was that real. It was anguish and there was violence to the feeling. I was shocked but I was also transfixed. It turned out that the line of trees that so terrified me on that day had a very malevolent history — the Eumeralla Wars, which was an over 20 year battle between the British colonists and Gunditjmara Aboriginal people in what is now called the Western District area of southwest Victoria. Some of the people were retreating from the battle lines so they took shelter in those lines of trees because there was a water source. Unfortunately those who were there to dispossess them of their land had poisoned the water, so they died excruciating deaths and no ceremony could be afforded to them. That’s why there was such a strong feeling of unrest. So I decided to write a work that would commemorate those resistance wars and those people, Eumeralla, A War Requiem for Peace.

In my free time … although there doesn’t seem to be much at the moment, my wife and I love to go out and kayak. Being able to switch off entirely and be in nature is such a great thing.

Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Eumeralla, A War Requiem for Peace (A Short Black Opera production) will be performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House on September 11.