The Sonus Tour Naomi Pigram Mark Atkins Judith Hamann Aviva Endean & guests
A Musical Celebration 21 June – 9 July 2019 Kununurra Wyndham Warmun Halls Creek Ngumpan Fitzroy Crossing Derby Beagle Bay Djarindjin One Arm Point Lombadina Broome Perth
Driving the evolution of new music and the sonic arts.
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Welcome
Tura New Music embarks on our 17th Northern Tour to the Kimberley, bringing international quality art music to regional centres and remote communities. It is a great privilege to be welcomed into these communities to share the unique cultural and musical combinations that these tours enable. We most gratefully thank all of those communities along with our donors, sponsors, funders, presenting partners and an army of individuals for their commitment and generosity – all coming together to make this tour possible. Finally, our hugest thanks to the musicians for sharing their creativity, stories, energy and generosity. We look forward to each day of the tour and meeting you all along the way. Tos Mahoney Artistic Director Tura New Music
Tura acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to their elders past, present and emerging.
Act-Belong-Commit Standing Strong Together with Tura New Music and the 2019 Sonus Tour.
Program
Tura’s 2019 Sonus Tour brings together Aboriginal star and singer songwriter Naomi Pigram with Indigenous musical icon, Mark Atkins, and leading instrumentalists Judith Hamann and Aviva Endean. Guest artists en route include Gabriel Nodea and Danny Marr as well as performances by Waringarri, Gija and Bardi Dancers and Performers. This powerful collaboration of artists creates a program that reaches across cultures, time and place. Travelling to regional centres and remote communities Sonus brings story, new music and celebration across the Kimberley. New songs, new works and new arrangements feature in a program grown out of these creative collaborations, reflecting the Kimberley communities and landscape travelled through. The Program offers opportunities to make a significant contribution to the social, cultural, educational and community lives of people living in regional centres and remote communities of northern Australia. Tura presents this cross-cultural journey bringing the city to remote Australia and remote Australia to the cities. With performances in exotic remote locations, the tour weaves a rich tapestry of uniquely Australian music.
The Tour
Schools and Community Workshops Kununurra Friday 21 – Monday 24 June Wyndham Monday 24 – Wednesday 26 June Warmun Wednesday 26 – Friday 28 June Halls Creek Friday 28 – Sunday 30 June Fitzroy Crossing Sunday 30 – Monday 31 June Derby Tuesday 2 July Beagle Bay Wednesday 3 July Djarindjin & Lombadina Thursday 4 July One Arm Point Friday 5 July
The Kimberley region is a truly unique and awe-inspiring part of Australia. A melting-pot of histories and cultures, the character of this place is not replicated anywhere else on earth. The Kimberley region holds immense cultural value for its Traditional Custodians – the songlines here have remained uninterrupted for thousands of years. There are around 30 distinct Aboriginal language groups in the Kimberley. Sonus is privileged to travel through this country.
Concert Program
All community concerts free entry
Kununurra Sunday 23 June Waringarri Aboriginal Arts
Derby Tuesday 2 July Mowanjum Art Centre
Wyndham Tuesday 25 June Town Oval
Beagle Bay Wednesday 3 July Schoolgrounds
Warmun Thursday 27 June Warmun Art Centre
One Arm Point Friday 5 July Schoolgrounds
Halls Creek Friday 28 June Shire Park
Lombadina Saturday 6 July Festival Grounds
Ngumpan Saturday 29 June Ngumpan Gallery
Broome Sunday 7 July Sounds of the Stars with Greg Quicke
Fitzroy Crossing Monday 1 July Gurama Yani U Fitzroy Valley Mens Shed
Perth Tuesday 9 July Freo.Social
Artists
Naomi Pigram
Mark Atkins
Growing up and through the rich musical world of multi-cultural Broome amidst the renowned Pigram family, Naomi Pigram could not but be full of the rich expression that all that shaping would bring.
Acknowledged as one of Australia’s finest didgeridoo players, Mark Atkins is also recognised internationally for his collaborative projects with some of the world’s leading composers and musicians. A descendant of Western Australia’s Yamitji people, as well as of Irish/Australian heritage, Mark is known not only for his masterly playing, but also as a storyteller, composer, percussionist, visual artist and instrument maker. Mark has incorporated the didgeridoo sound into some unlikely musical environments, adding its primal pulse to orchestral works, theatrical productions and dance presentations.
Vocals/Guitar
She has previously fronted bands such One Strum and St Agnes and her song writing incorporates a characteristically soulful and finely wrought sound and heartfelt lyrics. She released her first solo album Other Side of Town in 2009 with the Naomi Pigram Band. Naomi won the Too Solid Female Vocalist of the Year award in Perth in 2009, and was also nominated for Deadly Award, Most Promising Artist and Female Artist of the Year on the strength of Other Side of Town. She has toured nationally with the Jimmy Chi theatre production Corrugation Road. Naomi has performed as guest artist with Tura New Music’s Narli Ensemble (including her father Stephen Pigram) in 2017 and 2018, in Broome and at the Perth Concert Hall. She is currently the Resident Director for the Opera Conference production of Jimmy Chi’s Bran Nu Dae.
Didgeridoo/Vocals/Guitar
As a regular collaborator with Philip Glass, Mark co-wrote Voices for didgeridoo and organ with Philip Glass for the inauguration of the newly refurbished Melbourne Town Hall organ, performed for the Sydney and Melbourne seasons of Naqoyqatsi and toured with Glass’ Orion. Mark is a prolific instrument maker, creating and painting didgeridoos from logs that he collects in the bush near his home in Tamworth, New South Wales. mark-atkins.com
Judith Hamann
Aviva Endean
Judith Hamann is a cellist and performer/ composer from Birraranga (Melbourne), Australia. She has “long been recognised as one of Australia’s foremost contemporarymusic cellists” (RealTime Arts). Judith’s performance practice stretches across various genres encompassing elements of improvised, contemporary classical, experimental, and popular music.
Aviva Endean is a clarinet player, improviser, composer and performance-maker. Her work with sound spans a wide variety of performance contexts including experimental and improvised music, creating immersive sonic environments, new chamber music, band projects, and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Her debut solo album ‘cinder : ember : ashes’ was released on acclaimed Norwegian label SOFA in 2018 and offers a selection of both composed and improvised work.
Cello
Judith is a champion of new and rarely performed music, immersive approaches to sound, and engages with a range of interdisciplinary and experimental projects including collaborative work with visual artists Keith Deverell, Sabina Maselli, and film makers Joshua Bonnetta and Benedetta De Alessi. Judith has performed around the world with many ensembles including Australian Art Orchestra, ELISION ensemble, Toshimaru Nakamura and The Necks. Judith holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from UC San Diego, majoring in contemporary cello performance. judith-hamann.com
Clarinets/Electronics
As a performance maker, Aviva often explores expanding the audience experience of sound by creating unusual, spatially engaged, and participatory contexts for listening. Aviva is the recipient of numerous Awards and grants including the prestigious Freedman Music Fellowship, JUMP mentorship program, the Keith and Elizabeth Murdoch Travelling scholarship, the Willem Van Otterloo memorial award, the Atheneum prize for chamber music and the Lionel Gell Merit award. She has been described as “Australia’s most versatile clarinettist” in Real Time 2014. Her collaborative projects have included work with Australia’s most exciting arts organisations and festivals. avivaendean.com
Guest artists
Waringarri Dancers 1 Waringarri Dancers regularly perform at festivals and art fairs. Their performances feature theatrical beauty of the large cross-thread coloured objects the performers carry while stamping their feet in time to powerful singing and the beats of the clapping sticks. This corroboree or dance style has been performed in the Kimberley for thousands of years although the story and song can be current, existing in today. The dance boards are called balmarra and they represent specific characters in the performance, based on real life events. Gija Dancers 2 “Everything from Ngarraggarni (Dreaming) to real life events are kept alive in our traditional archives, and that archive is our Joonba. Within that we always have our wirnan systems, of sharing and caring, accompanying us on our journeys.” Gabriel Nodea Gabriel Nodea 2 Didgeridoo/vocals
Warmun artist, musician, cultural leader. ‘I paint what I dream. I do contemporary painting about the Dreaming and what I dream, in accordance with the Dreamtime connection and history of my Mother’s people, Gija people.’ Danny Marr 3 Vocals
Famed Fitzroy Express founder and leader, Danny’s song writing and guitar work formed the basis of the band. The lyrics are about his and the Kimberley lifestyle. Bardi Dancers 5 Originating from the Ardiyooloon Community (One Arm Point) the Bardi Dancers are a traditional male dance troupe comprised of elders and future leaders of the Bardi nation.
1 Kununurra 2 Warmun 3 Fitzroy Crossing 4 Derby 5 Lombadina 6 Broome 7 Perth
Annika Moses 1–7 Voice and electronics
Annika Moses is an emerging sound artist based in Perth, Western Australia. Working under various monikers and collectives, her practice involves folk, experimental and pop composition, vocal improvisation, installation, community radio and live electronics. Annika is Tura's 2019 Curatorial Intern. Tos Mahoney 1–7 Flute
As well as being Tura’s Artistic Director, Tos Mahoney has a special passion for the Northern WA Tours that he initiated and has curated over the past 19 years. He has a parallel passion for playing, creating and improvising. Lucky Oceans 7 Pedal Steel Guitar
Illustrious Fremantle based and globally renowned musician, broadcaster and curator Lucky Oceans has been called ‘the most influential steel guitarist of his generation’ and was featured in Hugh Gregory’s book, ‘1000 Great Guitarists.’ Lucky gets truly interested when the boundaries come down and pure music is being made in the moment. He is a proponent of true improvisation and is overjoyed to be collaborating with Sonus for the Perth concert. Taj Jamieson 7 Vocals
Broome based singer/guitarist Taj Jamieson sings original songs inspired by Broome culture and his heritage. Currently studying at AbMusic Taj is one of the new generation of Broome musicians. Tristen Parr 7 Cello
Tristen Parr is a classically trained and highly versatile acoustic and electric cellist specialising in new music performance and performer integrated sound design for theatre and dance. Featuring in Tura’s Kimberley Echoes program Tristen’s guest appearance at the Sonus Perth concert will make for cello delight.
Tura
Now in our 32nd year as a producer and advocate of new music and sonic art, Tura New Music is a multi award-winning Australian organisation, paving the way for exceptional and curious encounters with unique sound worlds. Parallel to our city-based programs, since 2001 Tura has been spearheading projects in regional and remote northern Australia. With a focus on the active involvement of Indigenous Australian artists and communities, our aim is to establish contemporary Australian music and sound art as in and of the place where it is created. With Tura’s regional residencies and regional tours, we do this with the creation of unique works – both physical and sonic – brought about through community engagement, embracing local cultures and exploring bold and experimental music and sound art experiences. Through our regional program, new Australian works and collaborations are created which otherwise, would never come into being. As a result of long-lasting relationships built over time, Tura’s regional program enables, engages, inspires and connects communities through Australian sound and the cultural exploration of it. The unique works we create are our collective story. Patron Wayne Martin AC QC (Regional Program) Board Gavin Ryan | Chair Rod Campbell Simon Dawkins Robyn Johnston Dominique Monteleone Helen Symon
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Personnel Tos Mahoney: Founder and Artistic Director Annalisa Oxenburgh: Executive Director Tristen Parr: Program Manager Anna Sparkes: Marketing and Development Liesbeth Goedhart: Development Annika Moses: Curatorial Intern Rachel Davison Management: Social Media TR PR Tracy Routledge: Media Tour Personnel Rodney Aravena: Production Manager Chil3: Project branding and design Contact Tura New Music Ltd Subiaco Arts Centre 180 Hamersley Road Subiaco Western Australia 6008 info@tura.com.au +61 8 9228 3711
Thanks
Tura New Music thanks the following organisations and individuals for their support of the 2019 Sonus Tour. Kununurra Waringarri Aboriginal Arts Centre Cathy Cummins Kununurra Senior High School Shanine Farley Susie Williams
Derby Mowanjum Art and Cultural Centre Ella Doonan Peter Croll Derby District High School Fionna Greig
Wyndham Wyndham District High School Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley
Beagle Bay Beagle Bay Community Inc Sacred Heart School Lyla Forte
Warmun Warmun Arts Centre Stephanie Rajalingam Gabriel Nodea Ngalangangpum School Halls Creek Shire of Halls Creek Halls Creek District High School Jungarni-Jutiya Indigenous Corporation Halls Creek Visitor Centre Margaret Glass Jake Hay Rachel Stamatovic Ngumpan Kurungal Council Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre Jen Sharman Fitzroy Crossing Gurama Yani U Fitzroy Valley Mens Shed Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency Belinda Cook Fitzroy Crossing District High School Jane Barker Patrick Davies
Djarindjin and Lombadina Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation Lombadina Aboriginal Corporation One Arm Point Ardyaloon School Ardyaloon Inc Broome Nyamba Buru Yawuru Ltd Astro Tours Greg Quicke Perth Freo.Social
Tura Donors
“Australia has to learn the value of culture. It is about the quality of our experience of lives lived through dreams dreamed. Tura makes this available for all Australians, particularly those most in need of it. This brave organisation represents an investment of infinite returns.” Paul Grabowsky AO
Tura Embedded The Tura Embedded program offers high level Tura Donors the opportunity to experience the wonders of our annual Touring Program embedded with the touring artists and crew. Seeing the country, meeting the people and hearing the music is a once in a lifetime experience. The next Tura Travellers opportunity is October 11–28 with the Bambula Tour. Contact Liesbeth Goedhart development@tura.com.au
Tura thanks the following for their generous philanthropic support: Trusts and Foundations Rowley Foundation Ian Potter Foundation Bux Foundation Feilman Foundation Annual Giving Patrons Leadership Circle Irene Lawson and Brendan Kissane Helen Symon and Ian Lulham Visionaries Katrina Chisholm Debra Knight Joan Spiller and Philip Yetton Champions John and Elizabeth Barnier Carl Erbrich
Pioneers Zelinda Bafile Rod and Kay Campbell Elizabeth Fong Warwick Hemsley Dominique Monteleone Mark and Rose Okeby Melissa Parke Stuart Reid Gavin and Kate Ryan Helen Taylor and Darryl Mack Innovators Robyn Johnston Bridget Parker Lynda McKilligan Liesbeth Goedhart
To support Tura’s programs go to tura.com.au
Tura Partners
Tura’s annual programs are supported by the Government of Western Australia through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in association with Lotterywest and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
The 2019 Sonus Tour is curated and produced by Tura New Music. Tura New Music gratefully acknowledges: Government Project Funding Partner The 2019 Sonus Tour is supported by the Government of Western Australia’s Creative Regions program.
Major Partners
Supporting Partners
GURAMA YANI U
FITZROY VALLEY MENS SHED
For All Men
Media Partners
Presenting Partners Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, Warmun Arts Centre, Fitzroy Valley Men's Shed, Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency, Mowanjum Arts Centre, Lombadina Aboriginal Corporation.
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