Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
by Kirtley Walker-Halstead
My knowing is your knowing. It is also my maker’s knowing. He may not yet know the exact cries I shall produce on my delivery. He has a grin nevertheless. His hands have soothed my body lying dormant within its protective womb. Long enough for me to trust that all is well. My deliverance is imminent.
Description
What stories can a violin carry across three centuries?
Crafted in Vienna – then Tyrolean country where Italy and Austria meet- in 1778 by master luthier Sebastian Dalinger, the Dalinger is a rare violin birthed from even rarer Italian timbers, whose remarkable journey has taken it from European ballrooms to colonial Australia, to war time battlefields, through the hands of generations of musicians, and ultimately to Far North Queensland. Inspired by the instrument’s true history, this new chamber music-theatre work traces the lives, places and turning points woven into its survival – including its connection to Queensland violinist Harold Fleischmann, who played the Dalinger on the Western Front during the First World War before returning home to lead the Ipswich Symphony Orchestra.
At the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, as part of the Community Culture Program, audiences will encounter an intimate work-in-progress showcase of this evolving production. Violinist, playwright and artistic director Kirtley Leigh performs on the historic instrument itself, now flourishing in her safekeeping, joined by composer and pianist Dr Katrina Pring, whose new music for violin and piano gives voice to its extraordinary past.
Featuring live performance excerpts and insight into the creative process, this special presentation offers audiences a first glimpse of a richly imagined work where history, storytelling and chamber music meet – and where a 250-year-old violin becomes the narrator of its own remarkable journey.
Creative Development Showcase and Performance details:
31 July 2026 at 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre (Theatre)
Rhapsody – A Violin’s Journey Through Time, earlier titled The Dalinger – A Violin’s Journey Through Time began its creative development in October 2025 with a week-long residency at JUTE Theatre Company in Cairns. Led by violinist, playwright and artistic director Kirtley Walker-Halstead, the residency explored how the true history of her 1778 Sebastian Dalinger violin could be transformed into a new chamber music-theatre work. With guidance from JUTE Artistic Director Christopher Kohn and dramaturg Kathryn Ash, this initial stage refined the dramatic concept and identified the central narrative themes of the piece.
The project is now entering its first music development phase, with Cairns-based composer and pianist Dr Katrina Pring creating an original score for violin and piano in close collaboration with Kirtley Walker-Halstead. Supported by JUTE Theatre Company and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, this phase will begin shaping the relationship between music, text and historical storytelling.
Kirtley Leigh – Playwright, Violinist and Artistic Director
Dr Katrina Pring – Composer and Pianist
Christopher Kohn – Director, Dramaturgical/Development Support
Rachel Furlong
Creative Producer
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
It is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus.
