In 2013, barrister Julian Burnside AO QC asked Australians to write letters of comfort and encouragement to asylum seekers detained on Nauru. Nearly 2000 of those letters were returned unopened, marked “Return to sender”.

This world premiere performance of Katy Abbott’s “Hidden Thoughts II: Return to Sender” for string quartet, narrator and mezzo-soprano is a musical response to those letters, using incredibly moving text by Australians compelled to connect with people they’d never met.

Live streamed on Melbourne Digital Concert Hall and performed by:

Thibaud Pavlovic-Hobba, violin
Wilma Smith, violin
Helen Ireland, viola
Zoe Knighton, cello
Richard Piper, narrator
Dimity Shepherd, mezzo soprano

Ticket: $20 plus a $4 charge for credit card fees, streaming costs etc

50% of profits from this performance will be donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)