Reimagining Musical Programming Symposium, Day 1. Casting Our Nets – An Opening Song Session

Casting Our Nets – An Opening Song Session (Jacinta Tobin and Ceane Towers). "Casting Our Nets” is an invitation to sing for Country and hear an aspect of culture from those of Country. This performance piece is a revitalisation of a song, sung by the people of Sydney while fishing at Too-bow-gu-lie where the Sydney Opera House now lays. Jacinta Tobin and Ceane Towers are honoured to learn to sing this song and recreate a time of peace and laughter that once filled the Sydney harbour. Jacinta and Ceane are both Cannemegal women of the Darug dalang (tongue) spoken by those documented singing this song. This is the saltwater dialect of the Darug dalang. Jacinta’s ancestor Maria of the Burubirongal was married to Ben-nil-long’s son Dickie and Ceane’s ancestor Kitty was partnered with Ben-nil-long at the time of colonisation. Both women were at the first Native institute at Parramatta. The performance features a nawee (canoe) shared by Matt Poll from the Maritime Museum here in Sydney and created by Dean Kelly in 2015 through the revitalisation program on nawee (canoe) craftsmanship. This is followed by "Welcome to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music" by Neal Peres Da Costa and Amanda Harris.

Added 14 Oct 2026