The Village Square – Live from Studio A

The Village Square – Live from Studio A

Author: JOY 94.9 - LGBTI, LGBTIQA+, LGBTQIA+, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGB, Gay, Lesbian, Trans, Intersex, Queer Podcasts for all our Rainbow Communities September 26, 2025 Duration: 19:09

Guitarist Robbie Melville, Cello player Zoe Knighton and Actor Richard Piper performed excerpts from Robbie’s latest creation – The Village Square – LIVE from Studio A at JOY 94.9.

Robbie talked about his writing a short story in response to a request from Zoe, but that it became somewhat bigger and more complex than he had originally thought; and the joy that he, Zoe and Richard have experienced themselves and from their audiences to date when performing the work.

The Village Square is a work that combines live music and storytelling – with a story that is set in an imaginary town.  The work presents stories of love and loss, misfortune and mirth, the graceful and grotesque.

Robbie has produced a book and an album of the work, featuring the artwork of David Frazer.

Robbie spoke about the images from the story that have been created by David Frazer in his hand made engravings on end grain wood, hand printed on an antique printing press.

Robbie, Zoe and Richard will be performing The Village Square as part of The Melbourne Fringe Festival.

For more details about Robbie, The Village Square, and to see David Frazer’s artwork for the project, head to the website of Robbie Melville.

Robbie Melville, Zoe Knighton and Richar Piper were guests of Bent Notes on Sunday September 21, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
JOY 94.9 – Out.Loud.Proud – Your Voice – Your Radio Station

Support this podcast, Donate to JOY; Become a member

The post The Village Square – Live from Studio A appeared first on Bent Notes.


Tune into Bent Notes for a vibrant exploration of jazz that stretches across decades and defies easy categorization. This podcast, from the team at JOY 94.9, is more than a simple music show; it’s a curated journey through sound that connects the dots between the foundational rhythms of ragtime and the innovative pulses of contemporary remixes. Each episode serves as both a listening session and a conversation, weaving together tracks with thoughtful commentary and engaging interviews that provide context and highlight the artists-particularly those from LGBTIQA+ and rainbow communities-who have shaped and continue to redefine this ever-evolving genre. You’ll hear stories behind the music, discover new interpretations of classic sounds, and gain a deeper appreciation for jazz’s incredible diversity. Whether you're a lifelong aficionado or simply curious about where the music can go, this podcast offers a fresh and inclusive perspective, celebrating the rich, sometimes unconventional, and always compelling history of jazz in all its forms.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Bent Notes
Podcast Episodes
Award winning composer launches 2nd album for her Jazz Orchestra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:06
Vanessa Perica. Photo: Pia Johnson Award winning composer Vanessa Perica is launching her 2nd Jazz Orchestra album as part of the lineup for this year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival. The 1st album, Love Is A Tem…
Crossing the Cultural Musical boundaries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:16
Australian composer and pianist Paul Grabowksy AO and Chinese-Australian composer, performer and pioneer of modern guzheng music Mindy Meng Wang chatted about the empathy, cultural awareness and conversation necessary to…
Nina’s Greatest songs from Ruth Rogers-Wright [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:45
Ruth Rogers-Wright Ruth Rogers-Wright began her career in London where she was one of the leading artists in the “New British Jazz” movement, before migrating to Australia. Her band in London included two Aussie ex-pats…
The Story of ‘STELLA’ – by Monique diMattina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:22
Monique diMattina Stella Miiles Franklin was an Australian author, activist and feminist, leaving an endowment behind celebrating Australian Literature in the form of the annual Miles Franklin Award. However, Stella was…
Erika’s new Jazz – a tribute to Soul Classics & Jazz Greats [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:14
Ericka Ascenzo visited the Bent Notes Studio to chat about the upcoming release of her latest composition – IN TIME. Erika says that her vocals are a tribute to the Jazz greats, and that her songwriting pays homage to th…
James’ Music is Active – it is the Verb [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:55
Melbourne based guitarist James Sherlock visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about the value of awards to up and coming musicians, how he listens to music, and his brand new Trio album The Verb not the Noun – his first…
Story Telling through music – Luke Howard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:42
When Pianist and Composer Luke Howard was guest on Bent Notes he spoke about working in both the Comtemporary Classical and Jazz worlds as both composer and pianist, and being drawn back into the musical world after star…
Stephen’s +F:rst Sunn+ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:50
Inspiration for Stephen Hornby’s +F:rst Sunn+ project came out of Lockdowns, when Stephen found himself with time to think and work without interruption. The result is the debut album for his +F:rst Sunn+ project. (Yes,…
Harry’s Country Euphoria [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:49
Harry Mitchell is a pianist based in Perth who spoke about growing his love of live music through his enjoyment of live bands at his church when growing up. His enthusiam resulted in his studying his degree and masters a…