THE LINE-UP 2019 10 GLORIOUS DAYS OF MUSIC IN SEPTEMBER

ALICE SPRINGS • 6-15 SEPTEMBER 2019

Find yourself @ DSF

DESERTSONGCENTRALAUSTRALIA DESERTSONG.COM.AU DESERTSONGFESTIVAL SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR Main Attraction

Friday 13 September 10.00am @ Soweto Gospel Choir Workshop The Marian Centre of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Saturday 14 September 3.30pm & 7.30pm @ Soweto Gospel Choir Freedom Concerts- Araluen Arts Cultural Centre

The Soweto Gospel Choir, winner of the 2019 Grammy for Best World Music Album for their latest album - Freedom - is the Main Attraction at Desert Song Festival this year. In a Central Australian Première and supported by the NIMA Award-winning Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, they present two amazing concerts based on their award winning Album comprising songs that celebrate and commemorate South Africa’s democratic movements struggle for freedom. This three-time Grammy Award-winning Choir has been spreading sheer joy to audiences across the globe for nearly two decades with their powerful blend of African gospel, freedom songs, and international classics.

DESERTSONGCENTRALAUSTRALIA DESERTSONGFESTIVAL THE CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN ASANTE SANA Desert Song Festival’s Choir in Residence

ABORIGINAL WOMEN’S CHOIR Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ Parade of Performers and Aperture Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ Parade of Performers and Aperture Saturday 8 September 5.30pm @ Desert Voice Saturday 7 September 10.30am Soiree & 5.30pm Desert Voice @ Whitegums Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under The Southern Cross Sunday 8 September 5.15pm @ Sacred Song Sunday 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge Thursday 12 September 6.30pm @ Alchera-Jugulba Asante Sana is an Alice Springs community Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under The Southern Cross choir, under the musical direction of Morris Saturday 14 September @ Soweto Gospel Choir Freedom Concerts Stuart. The choir gets together every winter Sunday 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge for an annual season of rehearsals and performances, concluding with the very popular season-ending concert ‘A cappella in the Gorge’. Asante Sana has collaborated with the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, the triple Grammy-Award-Winning Soweto Gospel Choir and with International Tenor Boyd Owen. Since the inception of the Desert Song Festival, Asante Sana has been a regular and popular performer, anchoring ‘Desert Voice’ and featuring in ‘A cappella in the Gorge’, to the delight of audiences. The choir has also regularly contributed to the community through its performances at Civic events, conferences, local institutions (the Alice Springs Hospital, the gaol) and other local events (the Old Timers’ Fete) to mention but a few! Since 2008 the choir has also collaborated with the Australian Youth Choir, the Sydney Street Choir, the Brunswick Women’s Choir, The Australian Boys’ Choir, the Tenor Philip Griffin, and many more. AURORA The National Indigenous Music Award-winning Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir (CAAWC), is awakening audiences with the ancient sounds of sacred songs in the Western Arrarnta Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ The Parade of Performers and Aperture and Pitjantjatjara languages. The Choir has performed across Germany and in 2018 in acclaimed Saturday 7 September 5.30pm @ Desert Voice concerts at the Hammer Hall-Melbourne Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House and at the Serenade Sunday 8 September 2.00pm-4.45pm @ Pentatonic Choral Festival at the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, all in ONE WEEK! Tuesday 10 September 7.30pm @ The Festival Showcase Its story has been celebrated in the award-winning documentary ‘The Song Keepers’, screened Wednesday 11 September 5.30pm-6.30pm @ The Choral workshop before record-breaking and appreciative audiences at the Melbourne, Darwin and New Zealand @ The Soweto Gospel Choir Workshop International Film Festivals and screened nationally on NITV and also in cinemas across Australia Friday 13 September 10.30am-3.00pm and New Zealand. In this UN International Year of Indigenous Languages, Desert Song Festival Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under the Southern Cross honours the work of this remarkable ensemble at their ‘home’ festival. Sunday 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge – Ormiston Gorge AURORA is the senior vocal ensemble of internationally renowned South Australian youth choir Young Adelaide Voices, under the direction of Christie Anderson. A diverse and talented ensemble, Aurora performs a range of repertoire from early music to contemporary pop and they are committed to performing contemporary Australian music. Aurora have sung everywhere from onstage with the Rolling Stones at the Adelaide Oval to the orchestral pit for the Australian Ballet’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

DESERTSONGCENTRALAUSTRALIA DESERTSONGFESTIVAL QUETZAL GUERRERO / QVLN UKE NOMAD Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ Parade of Performers and Aperture Friday 6 September 8.00pm @ Festival Club Watertank Café Saturday 7 September 10.30am Soiree & 5.30pm Desert Voice @ Whitegums Saturday 7 Sept 10.30-3.30pm @ Soiree at Whitegums Sunday 8 September 2.00pm @ Pentatonic Tuesday 11 September 12.00-2.30pm @ The Ukulele Café Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 September @ Midday and Meditation in the Mall Wednesday 12 September 12.00-2.30pm @ The Ukulele Café Monday 9 September 6.00pm @ Fiddlesticks Thursday 13 September 12.00-2.30pm @ The Ukulele Café Tuesday 10 September 7.30pm @ The Festival Showcase Friday 14 September 12.00-2.30pm @ Midday in the Mall Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under The Southern Cross Friday 14 September 5.30pm @ Young Desert Voices Sunday 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge Anu Grace and Laurie Bycroft invoke the troubadours of old with their Q returns to Desert Song Festival for his third successive year. As songs about love, life and people met touring Australasia. Their original our Associate Musical Director for the global musical collaboration and contemporary Jazz Folk features Tenor & Bass Ukuleles in a whole series, Q will collaborate with the celebrated violinist Eric Avery, as new tonal light, looped with soaring harmonic overlays and flute that lands well as with the Arafura Collective. One of the world’s most exciting smack-dab in your heart. electric violinists, originally from Los Angeles and now resident in Brisbane, Quetzal is a prodigious genre-hopping artist whose virtuosity on his trademark electric-blue violin reflects his Mexican/ Brazilian and Native American Indian roots. QVLN (Q-Violin) has ERIC AVERY spent the greater part of his twenty-year career in North and South America, He expresses his passions for love, life, and dance with his Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ Parade of Performers and Aperture voice, violin, guitar, and percussion. Q is ‘on the road’ about 200 days Saturday 7 September 10.30am Soiree & 5.30pm Desert Voice @ Whitegums each year performing at clubs, festivals, cultural centres - and for Sunday 2.00pm 8 September @ Pentatonic people in remote parts of the world that commercial music bypasses. Tuesday 10 September 7.30pm @ The Festival Showcase In 2015, QVLN had the honour of representing the United States as Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under the Southern Cross part of the State Department’s American Music Abroad program, @ A cappella in the Gorge in conjunction with long-time collaborator Oveous and a talented Sunday 15 September 3.45pm group of musicians from Los Angeles. http://www.qviolin.com/ SUNSHINE ZERDA Saturday 7 September 10.30am @ Soiree at Whitegums Monday 9 September @ Midday in the Mall Monday 9 September 8.00pm @ Meditation in the Mall Tuesday 10 September @ Midday in the Mall Sunshine Zerda returns to Desert Song Festival for a second year, again contributing her passion for wellness through her Vibrational Yoga sessions. Sunshine’s fearless and uncompromising approach to wellness is fuelled by her intimate understanding of the demands of a busy lifestyle and the potential detriment of stress to our health. Her mission: to change inertia into action, delivering positive transformation for body and mind, helping us live a higher quality of life, creating a functional human out of us! A former professional athlete, Sunshine joined the US Junior Olympic Desert Song Festival is proud to present Eric Avery team for gymnastics in her teens, before moving into martial arts. She graduated from college with as part of is 2019 program. Eric is a Ngiyampaa, Yuin, a business degree, segueing into the corporate world for a number of years, before ultimately Bandjalang and Gumbangirr artist. He started learning returning to her true passions: health and fitness. classical music by “ear” when he was 11. He is a violinist, a dancer and composer. Working with his family’s custodial songs he seeks to revive and continue on an age old legacy, using his talents to create an experience of his people’s culture. Eric has benefited from mentorship at The Australian Ballet and studied dance at NAISDA Dance college. He performs classical music and also creates new contemporary music expressing his Koori (NSW Aboriginal) heritage. Eric is an experienced and highly sought after performer across Australia This outstanding artist will be collaborating with Quetzal Guerrero/QVLN to present some exceptional musical artistry at Desert Song Festival 2019.

DESERTSONGCENTRALAUSTRALIA DESERTSONGFESTIVAL Quartet, with NT vocalist and actor Yoris Wilson in the main role. Also on the program is the CHIME preview of the Olive Pink Opera by Anne Boyd ‘Alchera-Jugulba’, Arrernte and Warlpiri terms for the Dreamtime/Law for String quartet and Alto flute. Thursday 12 September @ Midday in the mall Thursday 12 September 8.00pm @ “Music that Moves Us”. Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under The Southern Cross 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge

THE ALICE SPRINGS WORLD CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Wednesday 11 September 7.30pm @ Church of The Ascension The Chime Choir is thrilled to be a part of the 2019 Desert Song Festival, presenting a concert The Alice Springs World Chamber Orchestra is back! The core quintet of the 12-strong orchestra program of “Music that Moves Us”: a collection of Music from composers such as Morten will present part of their new program at the 2019 Desert Song Festival. Building on an enthusiastic Lauridsen, Ola Gjeilo and Robert Lau–in addition, we will bring some music from Melbourne local following, the WCO have recently taken their talents to the 2019 Darwin Festival. The based composers, Daniel Brinsmead and Kevin Barrell. A contemporary community choir from ensemble has been praised for its varied styles and genres, as well as depth within a diverse Melbourne, Chime presents an innovative, and eclectic musical program of the highest standard, repertoire. From Händel and Mozart, to Coldplay and Radiohead, the WCO features Alice intended to engage a diverse audience. The Choir endeavours to provide its members and its Springs-based musicians, with an international flavour. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the audiences with an experience of musical artistry, and the beauty and power of choral singing. Their development of crossover chamber music, in Alice Springs. performances will move their audience emotionally: a program full of joy, hope, peace, moments of reflection and excitement. Marten Visser–Principal Artistic Director ARAFURA MUSIC COLLECTIVE Friday 6 September 5.30pm @ Parade of Performers and Aperture Sunday 8 September 2.00pm @ Pentatonic Tuesday 10 September 7.30pm @ The Festival Showcase Thursday 12 September 6.30pm @ Alchera - Jugulba Friday 13 September 6.30pm @ Under The Southern Cross Sunday 15 September 3.45pm @ A cappella in the Gorge Arafura Music Collective is made up of the most prominent and respected musicians in Darwin incorporating early music, classical, jazz, contemporary, intercultural and other genres into performances. “Love and Dreaming” explores the ideas of love and identity through a collaboration between Jason Guwanbal Gurriwiwi and Netanela Mizrahi bringing understanding, respect and appreciation for both Aboriginal and Western musical traditions. The performance includes excerpts from the renowned Juliet Letters as performed by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky

DESERTSONGCENTRALAUSTRALIA DESERTSONGFESTIVAL BARRY SKIPSEY SINGER / SONGWRITER THE FESTIVAL CLUB “Performing Songs from the Heart” Saturday 7 September @ Festival Club – One night only @ Watertank Café Singer-Songwriter Barry Skipsey has a passion for life at the “End of the Bitumen”. A resident of Central Australia for the better part of four decades, the lyrics in many of his songs portray the colour and character of this rich and diverse Island Nation. He is a deft instrumentalist, a powerful singer and KING MARONG AND SAFARA equally engaging as a performer. As a young man, his early songs captured the rough and ready outback spirit, working Friday 6 September @ Festival Club – One night only as a roustabout in the Shearing Industry, a deckhand on a Prawn Trawler and laboring on a 90-pound jackhammer on King Marong and Safara are NT building sites. As a father, his songs of Love and Family a musical ‘Tour de force’, Life are thought provoking. They’ll take you on a nostalgic entertaining on every level! journey and stir your emotions. At the same time, be The crowd just loves them, and prepared for a laugh. they are guaranteed to get you moving. Born in The Gambia West Africa, King has been performing professionally since the age of MALARKEY 12. He developed his skills in Saturday 7 September @ Festival Club – One night only the coastal fishing village where he grew up surrounded by the griots (hereditary musicians) and Malarkey are house band at the Watertank Café. international musicians who were You can find us there on Saturday mornings. Born of his mentors for Senegambian the generosity and support given to the Alice music drumming. In his late teens he scene by owners Chris and Lyn Wilkinson who treat formed his band Kunta Kinteh you like family and ply you with the best coffee. Ross touring The Gambia, Senegal, Muir on bass and acoustic guitars and vocals, Kirryn UK and Europe. He has built an Wilkinson (returning to play the festival gigs) on international reputation as a master of many African drumming styles on the Djembe, Boucarabou, guitar and vocals, Bill Pechey on acoustic, electric Doundoun and Sabar. A sensitive, versatile and dynamic performer, and a respected teacher, he and dobro guitars and vocals, and Anders Pfeiffer. is a favourite in Alice Springs, which he now calls home. It’ll be a pleasure to have King and his Malarkey play songs we know and love, trading lead ensemble perform at the Festival Club again. vocal roles amongst ourselves. We aim to get inside each and every song we play. We love it when people sway with us while drinking their coffee, and young FIDDLESTICKS kids laugh and bop in time. Saturday 7 September @ Festival Club – One night only KATIE HARDER Karen and Jacko (Fiddlesticks), both from musical families, performed as a duo in NZ, for many years, living ‘on the road’ performing for a living. This eventually developed into a 4-piece family & THE ARTFUL DODGERS band, which brought Fiddlesticks to Australia Saturday 14 September @ Festival Club – One night only in 2005 to live in QLD, touring with QLD Arts Council for 5 years before seeking remote Join Katie and her band The Artful adventures in WA and the NT. The move to Alice Dodgers in her only show this year for Springs in 2015 has offered the inspiration of a night to remember! Heartfelt, smooth playing with new combinations and groups in and down to earth, Alice Springs singer/ a town that punches way above its weight in songwriter and mother of four, Katie opportunity. Tonight, Fiddlesticks join forces with Harder embraces you with her music. the legendary local bass player Ross Muir and Her lyrics have a depth that stay with percussionist Paul Box as we relax into bluesy, you long after the final chord. Her folk/ country vocals while also taking you on a journey roots melodies etch into your mind. Her of duelling fiddle music from Scotland, Europe stories carry a warming authenticity and and the America’s. humour.

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Desert Song Festival 2019 - Proudly presented by Central Australian Singing

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