Within its first year in Melbourne, The Boîte hosted concerts at the Great Hall at the National Art Gallery. In September, The Boîte presented A History of Greek Music, followed in October by the Music of Migration concert – a partnership with the Boîte in Sydney exploring the music of migration of Greek, Turkish, Italian and Irish traditions.
The Music of Migration concert was accompanied with a detailed, researched booklet providing historical and contextual information not only to inform audiences, but also as a resource for schools. In his introduction to the booklet, Peter Carantinos (Coordinator of the Boîte in Sydney) explains how music contributes to our common understanding of the past:
‘It is perhaps more correct to call it an alternative history of migration as music gives us a sketch of our past, and present, that differs from written history. The song can complement the written work – often it rivals it. The street, the field, the village and the sea have always sung while the palace, the office, the church and the university wrote.’
Listen to The Italian Folk Ensemble performing at the Music of Migration concert, 1979