Great White Bird imagines the time in Australia before European settlement. It makes reference to Susie’s Ship Song – a song sung by Susie, a Wirangu woman from Yardea on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia – which tells the story of a great white bird that came over the seas and was tethered to the bay so that it couldn’t get away. It is believed that the song was created in response to the tall ships of Mathew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin sailing into and anchoring in Denial Bay. Great White Bird honours and pays tribute to Australia’s first people, their stories and their land.
 
Great White Bird is an evocative piece for string quartet that utilises some extended string techniques - harmonic glissandos, a 'seagull' harmonic gliss, percussive elements and white noise / ocean sounds. The gentle melody is passed between all instruments as the piece unfolds and builds throughout. 
 
Great White Bird was written for and premiered by Zephyr Quartet in 2016.