My Endless Journey

My Endless Journey is a memoir about honouring the life of a beloved daughter Jennifer Bates through music. With reflections about grief, loss and happy times shared, the story documents the journey of a concertgoer into a previously unknown world of commissioning a piece of music. In collaboration with Musica Viva, a guitar quintet was composed by Carl Vine, AO. The work is titled Endless, after the Buddhist symbol of the endless knot that reflects the interconnectedness of all things, a symbol strongly associated with Jennifer. As a Musica Viva program the work was premiered in performances across Australia by guitarist Karin Schaupp and the Flinders Quartet in 2023. Including disappointments due to COVID delays, this story follows how the author chose to honour life rather than suffer grief. In so doing the interconnections made while following the musicians on tour became a profoundly moving experience for everyone involved.