When Keely Murphy is driving along the Breeza Plains to Gunnedah, she gets a special feeling.
It is this feeling that she poured into a composition titled The Home Stretch, which debuted in Quirindi and Gunnedah on the weekend.
The composition student wrote the work for the Twilight Musical Dialogues’ regional tour, which featured flutist Sally Walker, pianist Gabriella Pusner, and Narrabri girl and Calrossy Anglican School student Zali Kiss.
“It went brilliantly. Sally and Gabriella played The Home Stretch really well,” Keely said.
“I was a bit nervous at the start but then I really felt at home especially since it was in Gunnedah and the piece was about Gunnedah; I felt really settled and relaxed as soon as we got more into the piece.”
Keely said there was some “really positive” feedback on her work, particularly in Gunnedah.
“There was one lady who came up to me and had tears in her eyes because she thought it was so great, which was really nice,” Keely said.
“The Breeza Plains was an influence of my piece and people agree that it sounded like the Breeza Plains.
“You feel like you’re on the home stretch when you’re on the Breeza Plains.”
The 19-year-old said her family were “very proud” of her and it had been a good learning experience.
“I was able to get an idea of what being a composer is like – working with musicians and workshopping your composition with them and knowing what to say and how to say it respectfully and how to get the best out of the performance,” she said.
“I’m getting better at communicating my ideas for my compositions.”
Keely said the opportunity had given her the confidence to continue in her pursuit of composition.
“I’m going to see if I can give composing a shot - see if I can get somewhere with it,” she said.
