ABOUT THE ARTISTS

RICK FREEMAN

Rick has enjoyed creative writing for as long as he can remember, but hitherto largely as a clandestine hobby before being encouraged largely by John and Tony (his collaborators for this collection) to have them enjoyed more widely. Rick's writing is informed by everyday observations and of course his imagination. It’s only in recent times that he decided to compile and write fresh material for this collection which is largely Melbourne and Australian centric with occasional more universal observations.

"The Aches and Joys of Life" is described in general in the program link. The opening 5 poems comprise a Café Suite with an obvious Melbourne connection.The remaining twenty cover a wide range of relatable characters he assumes as a poet. He has also drawn in part from his own experiences to create stories in rhyme and prose.

Rick is versatile as a pianist and now poet who occasionally performs as a clarinetist and saxophonist and dabbles in composition.
Rick leads his own jazz quartet and a jazz trio that perform regularly at Melbourne and regional venues. He is the accompanist for the Athenaeum Choir, occasionally for the Magellan Singers. He is the accompanist for De La Salle College, where he works part time teaching clarinet, piano and ensembles.

He has made significant contributions to several government school’s music programs including leadership positions at Blackburn and Balwyn High Schools and directing award winning ensembles. And more generally as the Head Region Wide Instrumental Coordinator for government secondary and primary schools in the Southern Metropolitan Region. He also taught music at the International School of Beijing for 5 years where he championed suitable Australian poetry to Primary School students. For the collection's music collaboration the obvious choice for Rick was the eminent pianist-composer Tony Gould, who has combined on similar projects previously with renowned narrator actor and voice artist, John Stanton. Rick's hobbies include table-tennis, tennis, working dogs and observing birds.

TONY GOULD

Pianist/composer/critic/author/academic/educator Tony Gould has been involved in music in Australia for over half a century. He began his university studies as a mature age student, earning three degrees:  BMus from Melbourne University, MA from Monash University, and a doctorate from La Trobe University. He was Head (Dean) of the VCA’s School of Music and is Australia’s first Professor of Jazz. (Monash University.)

He was chief classical music critic for the Melbourne’s Herald Sun for 20 years and during that time chief adjudicator for the prestigious Herald Sun Aria competition.

Tony has performed in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, India, Japan, and other parts of Asia.  He has composed works for, and performed with, Melbourne Symphony, Queensland Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, Monash Symphony, and Orchestra Victoria.

He has released commercially over forty recordings of both jazz and classical music, His book: “Master. Mongrels and Madness: Recollections and observations on Art Music in Australia” was released in 2018. His latest book will be published in 2026 “The Wondrous ART of Musical Improvisation.

He has played with some of the world’s finest jazz musicians, both in Australia and overseas.

He has served on the Australia Council’s Music Board and the Victorian government’s Arts Ministry music panel. Awards and accolades include an Australia  Council for the Arts fellowship, the council’s prestigious Don Banks Award, induction into the Qantas Hall of Fame Jazz Bell Awards, and has numerous Apra/AMC Awards and Aria nominations. He has an Order of Australia (AM) for services to music.

JOHN STANTON

John Stanton played Roy Cohn previously, in the Australian premier production of ANGELS IN AMERICA with the Sydney Theatre Company. For the STC he has played KING LEAR and ANTONY, and was nominated for a Sydney Critics award for FESTEN. He was Joe Keller in ALL MY SONS, for the same company. He has worked with Kate Cherry on CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (QTC and Black Swan), ALL MY SONS and SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (MTC). He was last seen at Black Swan as Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN.

For the MTC he was JULIUS CAESAR, and his performance of Prospero in THE TEMPEST earned him a Helpmann Award nomination. He won the Sydney Critics’ Award for Orson Welles’ MOBY DICK at Sydney’s Marion Street Theatre, a Logie for THE DISMISSAL, and a nomination for the TV series BELLAMY. He was in the American films RENT A COP, and TAI PAN, and his Australian films include VACANT POSSESSION and BENEATH HILL 60, MISS FISHER’S & THE CRYPT OF TEARS, along with many television productions – too many to mention!

His acclaimed one man show AND WHEN HE FALLS was seen at fortyfivedownstairs in Melbourne and at The Castlemaine Festival in the company of TONY GUILD. He was Dracula in a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. John has worked with a number of Australian orchestras as narrator, most notably THE MELBOURNE and SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS.