Wrong note: Embassy’s latest party with specially-commissioned $44k song

Kevin Rudd celebrated the one-year anniversary of the US Embassy with a 200-guest knees-up — complete with a specially-commissioned song.

The song is performed at the anniversary party. Picture: Facebook.

Sponsors paid a composer almost $44,000 to come up with a “five to six-minute” song for the Australian Embassy in the US, with the musical score unveiled at a one-year anniversary party held by Ambassador Kevin Rudd.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) documents reveal the song – titled “Unbreakable” and which ended up being eight minutes long – drew inspiration from the embassy’s award-winning architecture.

The song – paid for by embassy sponsors and not taxpayers – was on top of about $25,000 spent on the October party, which included $450 for an “emergency tuning” of the embassy grand piano and $700 to move it across the room.

The documents were released to Opposition government waste reduction spokesman James Stevens under freedom of information on Friday.

He said this was the latest in largesse in Washington.

Kevin Rudd and composer Michael Grebla, who created Unbreakable to mark the one-year anniversary of the new Australian Embassy in Washington DC. Picture: Supplied

The documents revealed respected New York-based Australian composer Michael Salvatore Grebla was enlisted to come up with a musical score.

The lengthy DFAT contract requiring Mr Grebla compose a piece “specially designed for DFAT” and one that addressed the “inspired architectural, cultural and representational elements” of the Bates Smart‐designed Australian Embassy, was written to accommodate a performance by at least two musical instruments and to be “approximately of a five to six-minute performance length”.

The song was commissioned under the tenure of former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos.

The song was also required to be accompanied by “other musical works equalling an approximately 28 to 30-minute performance length”, with the works to be performed as part of a 40-minute concert.

The documents revealed the song was to have been performed at the New Embassy Opening Gala Event in Washington DC on November 18, 2023, but instead had its “world premiere” on October 29 last year at the embassy’s one-year anniversary party.

The documents said Mr Grebla wrote the piece to be played by a violin, cello and piano.

“Unbreakable is my proposed working title for this new work, a tribute to the new Embassy and the Australian/United States alliance upon which it is built and serves,” the documents said.

“After visiting the building, I believe the medium of cello and piano would be perfectly suited to the occasion, space and purpose for this Musical Work.”

A separate embassy document published for the one-year bash noted the building’s in-house rooftop apiary, complete with 240,000 resident bees, Tasmanian blackbutt timber panelling and Australian art.

“Through Grebla’s ‘Unbreakable’, we invite you to hear and feel all that the Embassy encapsulates and radiates,” it said.

An invoice made out to Mr Grebla showed he ended up being paid US$28,000, or about $44,000.

As for the party, invoices show Ridgewells Catering – which has catered at presidential inaugurations – was engaged to provide food for about 200 guests.

A DFAT spokesperson said the cost of the song — originally commissioned for former ambassador Mr Sinodinos — was covered by sponsorship funds associated with events celebrating the opening of the new embassy in Washington DC.

“Australian embassies and diplomats regularly host functions that draw attendance from influential stakeholders and showcase Australian creative talent and expertise,” the spokesperson said.

“This is a core part of advancing Australia’s interests overseas.”

Originally published as Wrong note: Embassy’s latest party with specially-commissioned $44k song