Ed Kuepper is an Australian musician that has been successful in the industry for more than 40 years.
During his career, he has been in multiple bands (including The Saints) before striking out on his own.
Now Ed has teamed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra to create a night of music that will allow audiences to see him in a new light. The chance to play with Queensland Symphony Orchestra was one that was a no-brainer to Ed.
When asked why he took this opportunity his reply was short and very clear. "Who wouldn't?” he says.
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“I've played with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra, but this time it'll be more extravagant and have a more elaborate texture. I've used strings on recordings before, but with horns and a full orchestra it's sure to be great and overwhelmingly beautiful I think.”
However, the performance will not be dominated by his greatest hits. “I was very aware of not making it a greatest hits show, which can be hard not to do at this point [of my career]. I wanted to put equal emphasis on the old [songs] and the stuff I do now.
“Falling into doing the obvious crowd favourites is easy, but I have a lot of new stuff that is exciting and also challenging. There are some pivotal songs and lot of the old songs that have been re-imagined with the orchestra.”
Crafting a performance with a full orchestra can have its challenges. Although still in the early stages of rehearsals, Ed is positive about the experience. “To be honest there hasn't been any challenges yet. There was no hesitation or cold feet. It's really exciting to be doing this. There are no negatives that I can see.”
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This performance is an opportunity for a new audience to discover Ed Kuepper. He talks easily about the idea of people finding him and his music for the first time. “It’s great! There are a lot of albums and work to get through, it's even a lot for me to document but it's great [that] people can discover. The more people it reaches the better as far as I'm concerned.
“I guess I want them to have a sense of seeing something great and they don't feel like they have wasted their money. It is kinda of an unusual thing for someone of my very modest stature to be doing.
“If Elton John came and said he was doing a show with an orchestra you'd expect it, but I'm an independent who releases their own records because a lot of labels probably wouldn't. I have that outsider’s perspective and I'm sometimes in awe of what I'm doing.
“I have to laugh at myself sometimes because it's kinda like the bloke that busked on the corner has walked into conducting a top orchestra. There is a real poetic justice in a way.”
Ed Kuepper plays with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra at The Tivoli Theatre (Brisbane) 25 March.
