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GORGEOUS VOICES FESTIVAL
Fri 15 - Sun 17 October 2010
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The full list of performers for 2010 has not been finalised yet. However, we can tell you that our headline choirs and artists will include:
Cafe at the Gates of Salvation (led by Dynes Austin)www.cafeofthegateofsalvation.com
Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir (led by Phil Heuzenroeder)www.myspace.com/melbournemassgospelchoir
Melbourne Singers of Gospel (led by Darren Wicks)www.msgchoir.com
Geoffrey Williamswww.myspace.com/geoffreywilliams
Kavisha Mazzella www.myspace.com/kavishamazzella
Carl Pannuzzo www.myspace.com/carlpannuzzo
Heidi McDermott (and her new, and as yet unnamed, gospel quartet) www.myspace.com/heidimcdermott
Heidi Everett www.myspace.com/heidieverett
Below are some the Gorgeous performers from the 2009 festival:
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ARIA award winning singer songwriter, choir leader and folklorist, Kavisha Mazzella is unafraid to cross 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 Mediterranian 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 more influence from the East with its modal tones and ecstatic singing styles of Indian, Arabic, Southern Italian and Gypsy influenced song. |
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Kelly has sung since she can remember. Born in Mooroopna near Shepparton, she grew up on the Ord river in the Kimberleys, also lived in Darwin, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. Kelly first heard singing from the voices of Paul Robeson, Miriam Makeba, Odetta, Bessie Smith, Eartha Kitt, and a myriad of finely tuned, well honed voices rich with living, poetry and authenticity. Folk songs, field hollers, blues, classics, amazing choirs, gypsy music... Great food for a fertile mind! |
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Enchanting internationally acclaimed soprano -- "it's a funny thing music, it brings us together, defines us, makes us feel things we have buried deep within ... it can break our hearts over and over again, it can wake us out of the deep and mundane sleep of life ... most of all it can help us experience sensations so intimate, so indescribable, that without it, we would only be half the people we really are..." Annalisa Kerrigan |
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Fay White sings as often as possible and writes songs when she gets half a chance. She’s more likely to write a song if you give her a commission or a deadline (and preferably some money too). She's also a facilitator and teacher, arts worker and community music catalyst. She’s performing less often these days as a concert singer but enjoying it more and delighted to be performing Joni Mitchell songs with Flight Tonight – a five-piece band of fabulous musicians, sharing vocals with cabaret singer Rebecca Morton, and accompanied by Wendy Rowlands on piano, Anthony Leonard on guitar and Elisabeth Anderson on cello. Fay leads singing workshops that are fully energizing. She has pioneered a new form of Community Singing (with food) known as “Vocal Nosh” and in connection with Community Music Victoria, trains singing leaders and encourages community music-making especially in North-West Victoria. She’s recorded 12 albums of songs, about half of them for children. The most recent include Alive in Grampians-Gariwerd, an album of 8 original songs written for the Grampians community after the 2006 bushfires; and a double CD/songbook of 62 small songs for community singing called Victoria Sings SHORT STUFF. |
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Has spent her entire life honing and preparing her natural vocal ability for a career in Opera. Now is her time to put years of dedication, study and hard work into practice. Entering many of this year's vocal competitions including 'Operalia' and 'The Queen Sonja Vocal Competition’ in Europe are to be Gabriel's opportunity to make her natural gift of voice heard by the world's most influential decision makers in Opera today. This is not a dream. This is a journey... |
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James Rigby & Jane Thompson are performers and community group singing leaders who run a variety of singing s with a focus on building stronger communities. They work in community houses, at festivals, at conferences, in their own town and in schools. They create unique s for each of these situations and have a huge repertoire of music and methods gathered over eight years of full time teaching all over Australia. James & Jane are also the founding parents of one of our Gorgeous Choirs - The Rainmakers... |
Janette was born in Sydney, NSW, and has traveled all over Australia and the UK. She taught herself to play the guitar and piano as a child, and has developed substantial skills as a recording artist and audio engineer. Since moving to Melbourne in 1983, she has developed a solid independent solo career including national and UK tours, television appearances, countless performances and feature concerts at many prestigious venues, folk clubs & festivals across Australia and overseas. She has recorded and independently released 5 albums to date, and is working on her next one. Intelligent, sensual and honest, her lyrics have won her high praise for their freshness and steadfast absence of cliché. Her songs speak of life, loss, experience and love in a way that is candid, wry, without apology, but with grace, tenderness and great beauty. “With a remarkable voice … tender, beautiful, adept and evocative … this powerful performer consistently captivates and enchants her audiences here and overseas. Exquisitely expressive, generous and warm, her music is diverse, timeless, contemporary and genuinely original; weaving together rich strands of melody with earthy grooves, eclectic rhythms, jazz structures, a touch of blues, and strong world sensibilities.” “Her gift is obvious from the opening notes of any of her songs, but what she brings to her performances is an all encompassing enthusiasm for Music that she conveyed to the audience the moment she walks on stage. It is an instant Love Affair. She takes no prisoners. This is the kind of stage presence you have to be born with. Whether it's her fresh take on traditional songs or her own extraordinary compositions, Janette's music stops people in their tracks instantly. She is, as they say, the whole package.” Tim Quinn….Quill Publications / Mighty Quinn Management UK |
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Jessica Paige is a multi award-winning singer/songwriter from Melbourne, who is performing at the festival with with her talented younger brother, Josh Romig. Jessica has released 2 Ep's both of which have won many awards and accolades for the songs, including an APRA Songwriter Award and a JB Seed Award from John Butler! Jessica is currently in Los Angeles following her music star but will return for the festival. The Music Network magazine advises "Jessica Paige has the most heavenly voice we have heard...and gorgeous lyrics to match! Don't miss her." Separately they are both divine and together they are just sublime.They were recently hailed as "absolutely magnificent, so engaging and just so brilliantly talented" (Organiser, Regional Womens'Gala). www.jessicapaige.net www.myspace.com/joshromigmusic |
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Jo Jo Smith “Mistress of Groove” reaches the Top ‘40’ Mansfield based singer Jo Jo Smith plays to hundreds around Australia. On a recent trip to Germany she was playing before crowds of 500,000. Such is the life of this prodigiously talented, but under recognized singer musician celebrating her 40th year in the ‘business’. As a celebration, Jo Jo and her Brothers of Love (David Jones, Steve Hadley, Andrew Ogburn and Tony Buchanan) will be displaying their chops at Spencerslive on July 26th to mark an extraordinary career which began in her teens in New Zealand where she discovered a talent and passion for singing and drums! Leaving school prematurely (at 15), the diminutive Jo Jo hit the long and winding NZ music road fronting her first band in 1967 as a singer and drummer. Her first ‘real’ band was Fantasy which she joined in 1969 and which became NZ’s #1 band and also became well known on the Australian club scene in between constant touring in NZ. Jo Jo moved to Queensland in 1975 and was crowned Queensland female entertainer of the year in the same year! The next ten years saw her do solo gigs, session work, front The Ride Band and tour with Marcia Hines and Renee Geyer. In 1985 Jo Jo moved to NSW north coast fronting the funk/soul/R&B band ‘Hip Pocket’. She recorded three albums before moving to Victoria where she has since recorded two more albums including Jo Jo Smith Live at the Blue Birdy. Happily ensconced at Goughs Bay (near Mansfield) Jo Jo teaches singing and drums to Year 9 Lauriston students at their Howqua campus as well as running ‘Bracket and Jam’ a monthly session for aspiring musos in Mansfield. In between she gigs around the country. Recently Jo Jo performed to a packed out concert with the 90 voice Melbourne Mass gospel choir at the Collins Street Baptist Church. The choir joined Jo Jo on her hauntingly beautiful “I send you all my loving’ and the classic “Hallelujah” Jo Jo’s CD’s Jo Jo SmithLive at the Blue Birdy and Million Dollar View are distributed through Vitamin records www.jojosmith.com |
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(Ron Murray & Sarah James) When Ron Murray plays his didgeridoo, he wears a wreath of cockatoo feathers in his hair. At his side, Sarah James’ hair flows wild and free as she plays fiddle and sings Celtic and Australian folk songs. Sarah and Ron are from different worlds. She’s a city girl, of Scottish ancestry. He’s a descendent of the Wamba Wamba people, whose traditional area was around Victoria’s Swan Hill. However, both worked in Aboriginal Affairs, and a commitment to social justice and equity for Indigenous people brought them together. Now married, their haunting partnership of violin and didgeridoo transcends cultural differences. They perform under the name of ‘Kinja’: “Kinja means ‘my home’ in Wamba Wamba; it’s about homelands and heritage,” Sarah says. |
Andy Rigby has been playing the folk harp for over twenty-five years, and is regarded as one of Australia's leading players, teachers and makers of this noble instrument. His main influences are the Celtic harp traditions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the Latin American styles which he learned from Alfirio Cristaldo in Melbourne. He has worked with Blackwood, Moving Harps, Riley Lee, Haravicu, Bob Ballantine, Martin Tucker, Gillian Alcock, and many others. |
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Carl is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist (voice, piano, drums, guitar, bass, ukelele, tuned-/percussion and harp), with twenty years performance experience in a plethora of guises and styles. Conversant with many forms of music, he also tutors in singing, piano, drums, songwriting and improvisation. Most known from the unique A Cappella trio, 'Acapelicans' and as the Singing Drummer from roots-based improvisation band, 'Checkerboard Lounge' (whose famed 7 year residency inspired the development of many great musicians and bands), Carl has recorded and toured nationally and overseas, in many musical and theatrical capacities. Carl has performed with some of the great names in music including Patti la Belle and Jean Paul Waboti, winning competitions and acclaim from a wide variety of creators and audiences.
Together Carl and Penny are Pot'n'Kettle -- Coming to the conclusion that they were exactly that after playing a beautifully intimate gig for an audience of 20, in an impeccable sushi bar in Castlemaine. The audience were as taken by the out-takes as the in, and as engaged by the energetic musings between these two, as they were soothed and excited by their musical marriage. |
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Rebecca Morton has worked in Theatre and Musical Theatre for more than fifteen years, singing works from opera to cabaret, Noel Coward to Sondheim. She has worked in capital cities around Australia, as well as Hong Kong and several times around rural Victoria. Her repertoire includes jazz standards and Broadway favourites; swing to dance to, blues to cry with, ballads to dream over and some Edith Piaf in immaculate French to elevate the soul. |
CABARET POLITICOA witty, irreverent and hilarious look at the stories and characters that made 2009 the year it is. Shortis and Simpson are Canberra’s leading satirists. Using a mix of original songs, parodies of well-known ditties, and comedy monologues, they go straight to the foibles and the follies of our political leaders and the havoc they wrought. In Cabaret Politico they look back at some of the memorable debacles of 2010. And what a year it’s been! When Rudd and Swan weren’t searching the back of utes for missing emails, they seemed to be permanently gloating over the latest economic figures. Turnbull, in an OzCar-winning performance, has found himself flushed with new-found confidence as Costello and Nelson bid farewell. Babies have been ejected from the Senate, where emissions trading schemes are under the eye of born-again climate change sceptics. Swine Flu has caused a face-mask-led economic recovery, Peter Garrett’s creds are burning, and lots more. John Shortis’s clever and inventive songwriting combined with Moya Simpson’s ability to leap octaves and switch characters adds up to a night of side-splitting laughter, and an insightful summing-up of the characters and events of contemporary times. ‘John Shortis’s biting satirical songwriting….Moya Simpson, the chameleon chanteuse… humour, wit and satirical savagery…’ Peter Wilkins, Canberra Times 2/3/09 Shortis and Simpson have presented a series of six sell-out one-off political satire shows throughout the year. This is the best of the series so far. |
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Zerafina is making a totally independent mark on the Australian music scene. Her single, "Summer Love Song" seduced audiences following national and local radio play. Her earthy rock sound has proved popular with festival audiences both here and on her East Coast tours. Some people are born to sing; when you hear Zerafina's voice it's easy to understand why audiences are so mesmerised. The new album has just been released, and already there is a buzz about the music, and Zerafina's captivating live performances. |
