Welcome Back for Term 1!

I cannot believe we are almost at the end of Week 2. We have had another fantastic start to the teaching year at Gunnedah Conservatorium.

As I sat in the office on Tuesday night I felt so lucky to be listening to the first rehearsal of one of our choirs, The Blenders. It was great to see some new faces arriving for choir and making a connection with others in the our community. That is my experience most days as I have the box seat from which to witness our students during their weekly music lessons. In the case of student studying more contemporary material, it is how I keep up with the Top 40 (is that still a thing?).

It was great to start the performance year at the Gunnedah Day Dinner. Students who had participated in a week-long workshop with Sandy Clark lead the National Anthem and then performed two items for the dinner guests. The students, who ranged in age from 6 to 12- years didn’t just sing but accompanied their performance of on piano, guitar, ukulele and percussion.

This weekend I am very much looking forward to seeing many of our students take to the stage at Katrina Burgoyne on OFFICAL AUSTRALIAN SHOW at the Town Hall. There is still a chance to get online and purchase your tickets. https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=452230&

If you haven’t already done so could you please ensure you complete a 2019 enrolment form. We adopted a new database in Term 4 and it is critical that we have everyone’s up-to-date details. The database has some functions that will allow us to streamline our communication. Thank you for your support.

We hope 2019 will be a great year of music making. If you have any ideas or feedback on our program please get in contact.

Yours in music,

Rebecca Ryan

Director

Events

Thursday 7 March 2019 @ the Creative Arts Centre -The Grigoryan Brothers

Guitarists, Salava and Leonard Grigoryan are counted amongst the finest musicians of their generation having developed a reputation for enthralling audiences with the energy of their performances and the breadth of their repertoire- embracing genres such as classical, jazz and contemporary music from around the world. Between them they have received 4 ARIA awards and an incredible 25 ARIA nominations.

As a duo they have recorded 11 albums with the 12th coming out in 2019. Slava and Leonard Grigoryan’s deep appreciation of a broad spectrum of musical styles has resulted in many collaborations involving music, both written and improvised. Combine this with their classical training and the results is a unique sound incorporating all these influences. For more information about the Grigoryan Brothers visit their website: www.grigoryanbrothers.com

Tickets are now on sale! Please head to Trybooking https://www.trybooking.com/BAOYN to purchase.

Wednesday 28 August, 2019- Kenneth Broberg Recital Tour

A native of Minneapolis, 23-year-old pianist Kenny Broberg was a top prize winner at the Sydney International Piano Competition and most recently won the silver medal at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the US. The first musician in his family, Kenny started piano lessons at age six, when he was first fascinated by his mother’s upright—a wedding gift from her parents. He studied for nine years with Dr. Joseph Zins before entering the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree with Nancy Weems in 2016.

Kenny has previously performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic, Minnesota, Sydney Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Dallas Chamber, Fort Worth Symphony, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestras, among others, working with conductors Ludovic Morlot, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Leonard Slatkin, Nichola Milton, and Nicholas McGegan. His solo, chamber, and concerto performances have been broadcast on NPR and ABC Classic FM radio, and several of his performances at the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition were included on CDs released on the Universal Music Australia label. There will also be a Masterclass held by Kenneth from 4pm on this day!

Sunday March 17, 2019 Harmony Day Concert featuring Kavisha and Andrew Clermont.

Pack your picnic basket for a free community concert in the lead up to Harmony Day! Kavisha Mazzella is an ARIA award winning singer who does not believe in world music. It's just music!!! Music unites us and creating imaginary titles such as world music is silly! She enjoys crossing musical boundaries and create community experiences in her shows. She first came to national attention with her appearance in the Franco Di Chiera documentary " Joys Of The Women" in 1993. Drawing on her rich multicultural heritage she creates contemporary songs with haunting melody and lyrical depth. While her early influences come from the singer songwriter tradition of the likes of Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, over time due to her passion for Italian regional folksong, she has absorbed influence from the East with its modal tones and ecstatic styles of Indian, Arabic, Southern Italian and Gypsy influenced song and links these with western folk music influences. Other influences that have made an impression on Kavisha's music are her interest in meditation and mysticism through the teachings of Osho, Sufi, Tibetan Buddhist Masters and Advaita teachings.

There will also be the opportunity to join us at the markets for free music-making workshops ahead of a community performance for Harmony Day with body percussion and uke with Andrew Clermont of Super Club Fame and Italian folk song and choir workshop with Kavisha.

Monday 20 May, 2019 -

In 2019, Australia’s most iconic female Indigenous entertainer, Christine Anu, will visit Gunnedah with her intimate show Christine Anu: In Conversation & Song. On this very special occasion, Christine will share personal anecdotes on life and her successes in the Australian Entertainment Industry, her advocacy work for diversity and inclusion and the importance of First Nations culture, languages and song lines. Christine will also incorporate the 2019 NAIDOC Week theme. Christine will perform a selection of songs from her acclaimed music career, including songs from the Torres Strait Islands, Sunshine on a Rainy Day and the unofficial national anthem , which was selected by the National Film and Sound Archives to be inducted into the Sounds of Australia Registry alongside and The Wiggles.

A multi-award winning recording artist, Christine has also made revered appearances in major films including Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, The Matrix Reloaded and Dating the Enemy. She has also starred in stage productions, including Hairspray: The Arena Spectacular, South Pacific, The Sapphires, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Rainbow’s End and Parramatta Girls. She has toured nationally and abroad and has performed at momentous events of cultural and national significance including the Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony and being bestowed the honour of flicking the switch to launch National Indigenous Television in Australia. Join Christine as she takes us on a most intimate journey through Conversation and Song.

Creative Kids Vouchers

From 1 January 2019 in NSW, parents can claim a $100 voucher per year for each student aged 4.5 to 18 years old enrolled in school. Vouchers can be used to contribute to activities at Gunnedah Conservatorium. To redeem your voucher please visit the SERVICE NSW website and fill in your child’s details, you can then forward the voucher onto the Conservatorium.