Sunday Arts Magazine

Rohan is back to give his take on the Arts in Melbourne.

“Late 2018 I set off on my golden goddess gap years, I had lived in Malaysia in 2013&2014 and had some unfinished business , I went to Vietnam, Thailand , Malaysia and Cambodia.

I wrote a weekly blog of my travels

Rubbersolesopenroads.com  and wrote my novel as I went.

I had the desire to volunteer somewhere and the opportunity arose when I visited Julien Poulsen in Kampot Cambodia.  Julien was running the Kampot Readers and writers Festival .

I started volunteering October 2019 , helping the waitresses at Kama café with English, the café and art space Julien and his partner Kek Soon  started a few years before.

Kek Soon had a dream , to create a space for children to come and learn skills such as cooking plus a lot of art.  Soon like most Khmer over 25 had little or no education, Kek was cleaning boats and selling cakes as a 7 year old to help her family survive. She taught herself English while working as a maid in Malaysia in her late teens. Kek Soon has now had a few exhibitions of her art in Cambodia.

The festival came and went and it was time for Kama café to close for the move to Fish Island  to begin the dream of creating a community Arts Centre.

Fish Island or Trey Koh in Khmer is a few kms from Kampot  the island is full of salt farms and small rice farms.

Finally in Feb 2020 they opened the gates to the children of the island , I was helping the small children with English,  my quest to find any sort of English reading books came to nothing , There were Khmer  books available but as with a lot of the residents books are way down on the list , they barely earn enough to exist yet alone buy books.  If they worked in a factory the average wage was 180 Us dollars a month.  Having a basic understanding of English is very important in a place that  tourism  is the main employer.  Of course two months in we went into lockdown and all schools were closed, volunteering was a no go. Over the next few months Kek would call in and visit and a few times I was able to go and visit . My last visit in early Dec 2020 I asked the children if there was anything they wanted that maybe I can get for them on my return to Melbourne.

Books they said , we would love a library.

So with this thought in the back of my mind I settled back in StKilda , but with lockdowns coming and going it wasn’t the time to put this into action that was until after a chain of serendipitous events I ended up volunteering for the StKIlda writers week  where I was asked to take charge of the childrens section.

The festival was to be in August but lockdowns prevailed and it was cancelled , being optimistic we decided to start with chapters and do one in October as we would be free right , wrong!! It turned out the weekend we chose was Halloween, I searched everywhere to find a childrens  Australian  Halloween story , so I wrote one based in StKIlda . While searching for grants that were suitable for our festival I came across the Victorian Education Department Childrens week grant  it just so happened childrens week was Halloween week so with the consent of my SKWW team I applied it was only then that I joined the dots to somehow turn this into a meeting of the children of FICAC and local children and somehow get books donated by the local children to send to the children of  FICAC so their dream of a library would come true and I would honour my promise.

My vision was for the story to be  read  on live stream with children watching together, another never ending  lockdown stormed in. I didn’t even think I would get the grant but early Sept Mick rang and said we have got it.

So now we are creating with the help of creatives at the Alex theatre  a mini movie with the animated story , clips about FICAC  from Kek Soon and some local children . to be shown on line during Childrens week.”

Ali, “pops in” to talk to the Sunday Arts Magazine Team.

Sitting in the dark on the phone, you share a conversation with a stranger. You open a brief window into each other’s lives, and then say goodbye, a little lighter than before. Dark Talk Time is an art project that connects pairs of strangers via the phone for conversations full of depth, wonder and surprise. With half the country in lockdown, it’s the perfect opportunity for people to experience a little island of connection, in the current sea of social distance.Book a time, call the number, and be welcomed by a host, who pairs two people at a time, and offers prompts to assist the conversation. Last season, one person said “I was feeling a little bit anxious initially…And then here I am, two hours and 20 minutes later, after having a wonderful meandering, intellectual and philosophical conversation that went many places.” For another, “Something in our conversation both enabled me to feel more of a sense of possibility for the future and also enabled my partner to feel more of a sense of possibility for her now.”

The Australian Music Prize announces SoundMerch as 2021 major sponsor increasing prize

money to $30K + first nominated albums revealed + judging panel with international judge, Billy

Bragg announced

Australia’s most prestigious music award, The Australian Music Prize (AMP), returns for its 17th installment in 2021

revealing its nominated albums to date up for a huge $30,000 cash prize thanks to major sponsor SoundMerch.

Open to all Australian artists who have released an eligible album during the 2021 calendar year, the SoundMerch

AMP will award one lucky act with the $30K cash prize for the best album of the year as decided by an expert panel

of industry judges. In a SoundMerch AMP first, this year will also feature a special international guest judge,

welcoming renowned artist Billy Bragg to the diverse judging panel. Judges are currently listening to over 300

eligible 2021 albums, with more still to come as albums will continue to be added weekly right up to the end of the

year, estimating to amount to upwards of 415 releases judged for the 16th annual prize.

"The AMP is such a wonderful reflection of the calibre of music that was released in one year and I truly love

that it’s judged on the music itself and the album as a whole, no matter who you are or who you are

‘represented by’. I have always had such a high regard for it and having our album make the shortlist last

year truly was mind blowing. Now to be on the other side and listening to all the incredible works that have

been released so far, it is a heartening sigh that regardless of what’s happening in the world, the quality of

music and art being created is forging ahead."

– Fanny Lumsden, AMP 2020 Shortlisted Artist & AMP 2021 Judge

For the first time in its 17 year history, The SoundMerch AMP has a guest international judge, Billy Bragg. Set to

tour Australia for three unique shows on consecutive nights in five major cities from January 14 to February 10 2022

as a part of his One Step Forward, Two Steps Back tour, Billy Bragg joins an all encompassing lineup of

Australian music industry professionals including artists, radio broadcasters, record store owners, music writers and

editors currently compiling the immense longlist of SoundMerch AMP nominated albums. Bragg says he is

honoured to be included as The SoundMerch AMP’s inaugural international judge, "Australia has given me so

much encouragement and support over the years, I’m pleased to have the opportunity to return some of that

sentiment to up and coming Australian artists"

As for the prize itself, 2021 major sponsor SoundMerch is thrilled to be presenting the winner of the 2021

SoundMerch AMP with an increase in prize money following one of the toughest years the music industry has ever

faced. SoundMerch owner, Tim Everist says he is proud to initiate the change and further support Australian artists

in 2021,​​ "Our partnership with The AMP last year worked exactly as I had hoped – SOUNDMERCH was able to

give back to the artists that we do business with whilst promoting new business, so this year I’m pleased to

be able to increase the cash prize by $10,000 to $30,000."

The nominated artists and albums up for the 2021 Australian Music Prize announced so far can be found at The

SoundMerch AMP website, with more eligible entrants still to be deliberated as new releases come to light, so be

sure to follow The SoundMerch AMP’s socials to stay up to date with any new inclusions. The final 9 nominees will

be announced in early 2022, with the winner revealed Thursday 3 March 2022. The judges are still listening to

albums, so if you know of an eligible album,

Archibald Prize 2021 makes its way to Gippsland Art Gallery – the only Victorian location where you can see the exhibition as part of its regional tour.

The exhibition runs from 8 October to 21 November and has a range of virtual activities for art lovers who can’t make it to the exhibition as well as plenty of in-person experiences if you can make it to Sale for the special event.

Stephen talks to the Sunday Arts Magazine team about films.

Victorian Opera is finally set to stage the Australian premiere of The Who’s Tommy from 22 February – 1 March 2022 at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda.

Victorian Opera’s CEO Elizabeth Hill-Cooper notes: “Hit rock musical The Who’s Tommy finally makes its long-awaited Australian premiere at the iconic Palais Theatre in February 2022. From what we witnessed during our original rehearsal period earlier this year, our production is going to be epic!”

The Who’s 1969 rock opera album, Tommy, was revolutionary and sold over 20 million copies. From it came this one-of-a-kind musical that received five Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, and a Grammy.

This story of hope and triumph over adversity will shake your soul with its unforgettable soundtrack. With music and lyrics by The Who’s guitarist and vocalist Pete Townshend, the timeless score features smash hits such as ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘I’m Free’ and ‘Acid Queen’.

AVÉ – Australian Vocal Ensemble featuring multi-platinum, 5 x ARIA Award winning artist Katie Noonan and renowned artists Mezzo-Soprano, Fiona Campbell; Tenor,  Andrew Goodwin and Bass-Baritone Andrew O’Connor, release their new EP Stars today. 

Stars features 6 World Premiere recordings:

1. STARS ©Stephen Leek (b.1959)/David Malouf (b.1934) 

2. AFTERWORD ©Anne Cawrse (b.1981)/David Malouf (b.1934) 

3. IN THE SEA’S GIVING ©Jessica Wells (b.1974)/David Malouf (b.1934) 

4. SUBURBAN ©Robert Davidson (b.1965)/David Malouf (b.1934) 

5. CHURCH CANTATAS BWV 115 CHORAL ‘Straf’ mich nicht in deinem Zorn’                          ©J.S Bach  (1685-1750)/Gubbi Gubbi translation by Lyndon Davis, Gadigal translation by Joel Davison, Noongar translation by Gina Williams 

6. PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU ©Andrew Goodwin (b.1978)/John 14:27 

Katie Noonan explains, “For years I have been dreaming of singing in an a capella ensemble like AVÉ.  Surrounded by these three truly extraordinary artists is challenging and inspiring, and I believe we’re creating a special and unique sound world that I hope will bring succour and joy. Championing and celebrating Australian sounds and stories continues to be my primary focus as a creator, and I am thrilled that AVÉ is coming to life at a time when we need the panacea of music more than ever.”

The a cappella vocal quartet is yet another group forced to reschedule their live dates due to the continued uncertainty around border closures and ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic.

All previously announced tour dates on their ‘Tumbling Like Stars’ live concert tour will now move to February and March 2022 – see below for all new dates.

Noonan said, “We are disappointed to be joining the long list of Aussie artists having to reschedule work again, but we are focusing on the silver linings of new music and our postponed tour dates for 2022!”

‘Tumbling Like Stars’ live will feature World Premiere performances from AVÉ’s David Malouf 12 piece song cycle showcasing Australia’s finest contemporary composers, alongside new arrangements of Renaissance and Baroque greats Bach, Handel and Tomás Luis de Victoria.  

2022 will also see the roll out of regional performances of ‘Tumbling Like Stars’ thanks to the support of The RISE Fund targeting funding towards the arts and entertainment sector.  This tour will include workshops and performance opportunities for regional vocal students and community choirs whilst offering world-class mentoring and educational opportunities to vocalists who have limited access to artists of this calibre. All dates to be advised.

AVÉ – Australian Vocal Ensemble has also added a new member to the team, announcing the appointment of Alicia Gibbons as General Manager, overseeing all of the group’s activities.

“I am delighted to be joining the AVÉ team at such an exciting time for the organisation. To have secured support from generous donors, Australia Council for the Arts, Arts QLD and now the support of the RISE fund shows the importance of the ensemble’s vision. I’m thrilled to play a part in facilitating the organisation’s ambitions and working alongside Katie Noonan and ensemble members Fiona Campbell, Andrew Goodwin and Andrew O’Connor,” Alicia Gibbons said today.

Katie Noonan concurs, “We are excited at the prospect of our dreams growing alongside Alicia’s journey as a Manager, and we are excited to see her spread her wings – supported and empowered by our belief in her capacity.”

Noonan has recently been nominated in the 2021 Limelight Artists of the Year Awards and is a finalist for the Artistic Excellence Award at the Australian Women In Music Awards, to be announced on May 18, 2022.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Season 2022 program ushers in a bold era of orchestral music with new Chief Conductor Jaime Martín inviting audiences to take their seats for a season packed with exciting Australian composers and musicians, cross-cultural collaborations, and a vibrant program of classical and contemporary masters.

The 2022 season comprises more than 110 performances including six MSO commissions, five world premieres and two Australian premieres. The Season features an unprecedented eight female conductors/play-directors, 15 Australian composers and six First Nations artists. 

The MSO will be joined by 20 international guest artists, among them South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son (pictured below) making her Australian debut.

MSO Managing Director Sophie Galaise heralded an exciting year ahead for the orchestra.

“After a prolonged period away from the concert hall, we are ready for 2022 to begin. We are genuinely excited to reunite with our beloved audiences, welcome our brilliant new Chief Conductor Jaime Martín, and revel in a program of orchestral music as diverse as our wonderful musicians, composers, conductors and international guests,” said Galaise.

Maestro Martín starts his inaugural season with the Season Opening Gala concerts, New Beginnings, featuring the world premiere of Deborah Cheetham’s Baparripna, with didgeridoo player William Barton (pictured above), alongside Haydn’s evocative depiction of a new day dawning, Symphony No.6, and Mahler’s awakening of nature from a long winter sleep, Symphony No.1.

Martín said he is looking forward to reuniting with the MSO for a year of inspiring orchestral music.

“I loved the sound of the MSO from the very first chord at the first rehearsal we shared in 2019,” said Martín. “The people of Melbourne and Victoria have already made me feel at home, and I look forward to many concerts together and to discovering more of this beautiful city.”

In his Mid-Season Gala, Martín introduces Australian audiences to his friend, rising star Sheku Kanneh-Mason (pictured above), the first cellist in history to reach the top 10 of the UK Album charts.

The July concert marks Sheku’s Australian orchestral debut and will be followed up in August with a family affair in which the Kanneh-Mason Family – described by Simon Cowell as the world’s most talented family – perform a program of works by Chopin, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and more.

Throughout the year Martín will conduct the MSO at Hamer Hall through programs spanning beloved works of Bartók, Beethoven, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Ravel and some new Australian and international works. The MSO will be part of a select group of international orchestras presenting the premiere of British composer Thomas Adès’ newest work The Exterminating Angel Symphony.

Martín will conduct a triple bill of Stravinsky’s great ballet works The Firebird, Petruska (1947) andThe Rite of Spring and will be reunited with the MSO Chorus in an epic performance of Verdi’s Requiem.

Rounding out his first year at the helm, Martín transports audiences to the striking landscapes of his Spanish homeland with a Season Finale Gala featuring vivacious and colourful works from two of Spain’s greatest composers, de Falla (El Amore Brujo, Three Cornered Hat) and Ravel (Rapsodie Espagnole, Boléro).

The MSO will continue to engage and celebrate Melbourne’s vibrant Chinese community with a trio of East Meets West concerts, including a Chinese New Year concert featuring the MSO debut of celebrated Opera Australia tenor, Kang Wang and Melbourne favourite, Li-Wei Qin.

Academy Award®-winner and MSO Artistic Ambassador, Tan Dun introduces audiences to his Organic Trilogy,