Sampan began as a beautiful melody written by Andrew DeTeliga from Sirocco and Paul in 2001 for the Centenary of Federations. Eleven years later in 2012 Paul was commissioned by Caulfield Grammar to write a song cycle based on the Eureka Stockade. Paul felt that the Chinese story from time was important to be included and he had always wanted to write this piece with lyrics for choir.
Ballarat, 1858. The peak of the gold rush. Just under 10,000 Chinese had migrated to Ballarat and around a quarter of the men on the goldfield were Chinese, second only to the English in numbers. But looking at Ballarat today, you wouldn’t have a clue there were ever any Chinese at all. Such an enormous human migration is sure to leave a mark on the community it rests in, but what you’ll find in Ballarat is a recreation of what is a missing part of their golden history. It is not widely known that many of the Chinese graves in the Ballarat cemeteries are actually empty. The Chinese miners were sincere in their desire to finally return home to China.
This piece tells their story. Inspired by the writings of the 14th Century Chinese Poets, deeply romantic and full of image and connection to the natural world, Sampan is a very moving inclusion to a concert program.
Paul conducting Junior Gondwana, with Rachael Whealey on Cello & Chang Ning Chai on Dizi.
Sample recording courtesy of the Hillcrest Christian College Choir, directed by Jenny Moon