Racheal Cogan’s recorder sounds as pure as a new-born babe’s conscience. But all it takes is for her to bend a note and that purity is suddenly rent by a flash of the ancient lusts that afflict us all. (John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald Sun, February 17-18, 2007)
Tony Lewis [is] one of Sydney’s most versatile and accomplished exponents of non-Western percussion (Sydney Morning Herald, Metro, April 23, 1999)
Racheal Cogan (recorders) & Tony Lewis (percussion) perform captivating melodies and rhythms informed and inspired by the music of many cultures. Their unique repertoire includes traditional pieces from Greece, Turkey and Iran, as well as compositions by Racheal Cogan and Ross Daly. Racheal and Tony’s work is drawn from an impressive amount of first hand experience in the study and performance of musical forms across the world, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and the indigenous musics of Australia. Their new CD Transience: Contemporary Modal Music, released by Orpheus Music in January 2007 (OM 602). “is spiritual, the musicians have artistry, creativity, vision and sheer mastery of their instruments. These two cultural beatniks have come up with something very special, the synergy between them has created music that will long graze on your CD player and consciousness.†(Jaslyn Hall, Limelight: March 2007)
Racheal and Tony first performed together in Armidale NSW, in January 2005, and have since been performing Australia wide at the Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre, Townsville Community Music Centre in Qld, the Boite in Melbourne, Eastside Arts in NSW, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. They have also conducted workshops together for the Music Education Unit of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (NSW) and for the Music Centre North Queensland.
Racheal Cogan has worked extensively in modal music forms around the world. In Melbourne in 1993 she co-founded the Greek music group the haBiBis, whose CD Intoxication won an ARIA award in 1999. In 2000 she travelled to Athens to study, perform and record with Ross Daly and his ensemble Labyrinth throughout Greece, Turkey, and Macedonia. Since then she has studied Persian classical music with Hossein Omoumi in France, Karnatic Music with Karaikudi R. Mani in India, and performed with Kurdish musician Fardin Karamkhani in the USA. Racheal recorded her CD Sojourn in Greece, with Ross Daly, Kelly Thomas and Angeliki Xekalaki. Sojourn was released in Australia in 2006 by Orpheus Music. In 2008 and 2009, Racheal is based in Macau, China, working with Cirque du Soleil.
Tony Lewis has performed, studied, and conducted cultural exchange project in various parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and in indigenous communities around Australia. He has worked with many of Australia’s leading music groups, including Waratah (with Sandy Evans & Satsuki Odamura), The Renaissance Players, Riley Lee, and many others. Tony appeared as a soloist at the Commonwealth Drum Festival (Auckland 1990), and was a segment Musical Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. He has composed major works for the Perth Festival, the Festival of the Dreaming, the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre, and Sadari Theatre Company (Seoul). In duo with Racheal, Tony performs on hand drums such as tabla, zarb and udu.
Rachel Cogan & Tony Lewis have many more concerts and projects planned. More information about Racheal Cogan & Tony Lewis can be found at:www.rachealcogan.com