Interview with Jude Iddison - Sign of Four and So Much More!

Many folk around Freo will know Jude Iddison the instant they see her, possibly as the violinist they spied leading a happy group of Christmas carollers up and down the streets of South Fremantle, or the leader of the wonderful Sign of Four string quartet they saw recently at a Freo house concert, or if they a really lucky, as the fiddler they saw wowing the crowds at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and being announced the winner of the 2024 Golden Fiddle Research, Teacher and Performance Award.

Credit Tamworth Country Music Festival

The truth is Jude Iddison is a multifaceted violinist, composer, musical director and scholar who enjoys performing joyous and accessible music in a range of genres and ensembles. She finds great pleasure in fostering connections through music with band members, community and audiences of all ages and walks of life. Her lifelong fascination and irresistible musical curiosity is highlighted in her sensitive and expansive violin playing and eclectic compositions.

Jude is also in the very final stages of completing a PhD in violin improvisation at WAAPA – the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts – having earlier graduated with a Bachelor of Music in classical violin performance, with first-class honours, in 2021.

Jude regularly performs as a soloist and in small ensembles and orchestras including Perth Symphony Orchestra, Irish band The Rogues and Andrew Clermont’s Supper Club at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. She has also been a casual member of the WA Symphony Orchestra.

On top of all that Jude was co-musical director of Circus WA’s recent Bespoke project alongside violin mentor Shenzo Gregorio, and together, they founded Sign of Four, sometimes Five, who innovatively fuse an eclectic range of genres to create unique compositions and arrangements.

Sign of Four: Jude Iddison, Shenzo Gregorio, Mardae Selepak and Daniel Drieberg. Image by John Reed.

She has showcased her talent at prominent Australian festivals such as Woodford, The National, Cygnet, Tamworth, Fairbridge, and Nannup. Internationally, she has performed at Sweden’s Bingsjö festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Edinburgh Tattoo with Hajltibonhoga (The Shetland Fiddlers).

From 1993 to 2019, Jude made significant contributions to the musical landscape of the Great Southern region, particularly in Denmark and Albany. She was instrumental in music education and community performances, establishing the Lowlands Beach Community Choir and the string program at Golden Hill Steiner School in Denmark. These efforts led to the co-founding of the Denmark Fiddlers and Dig’n the Jig, initiatives aimed at inspiring and providing performance platforms for students. These groups regularly performed at the Denmark Arts Market and Fairbridge Festival. A notable highlight was their participation in Annette Carmichael’s 2015 intergenerational community performance, Creation of Now, where they developed original violin compositions under Jude’s musical direction.

Our Editor, Michael Barker, was pleased to catch up with Jude Iddison in the West End of Fremantle this week and make the podcast that you’ll find below, where we discuss Jude’s musical life and her wonderful community approach to making and sharing music. And yes, that’s Jude playing us into the podcast and taking us out at the end!

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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