Telling stories through music fires the imagination. Composers look to capture the essence of a story and apply the concepts of music to make the tale come alive with a new voice, and sometimes, with a new meaning; listeners are transported to another time and another place, totally immersed in another culture.

The stories of legends, lore and beliefs are passed down orally through Aboriginal communities. Their kinship with the land and society produces strong and well-developed groups that link family and larger language groups. But retelling ancient stories in the language of music opens up those traditions and brings new life to the histories of Aboriginal people.

Yuwaalaraay composer and storyteller Nardi Simpson began her music career as part of the Indigenous folk duo the Stiff Gins. She works with student ensembles and directs the cross-cultural choir Barayagal at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is currently undertaking a PhD with the ANU School of Music. As an author, Simpson has been listed for numerous Australian literary prizes. Her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile, is shortlisted for the 2022 Dublin Literary Award.

Narrative music is not a term that Simpson would employ for her compositions, because there is so much...