Braidwood will be humming with a variety of music and musicians over the Two Fires Festival this weekend. In keeping with the nature of the Festival as a national and local event, musicians who will be performing at Two Fires are both nationally and locally known. Musical genres involved vary from medieval European madrigals, to contemporary compositions, didjeridu, traditional and contemporary folk and hip hop.
Music events kick off on Friday afternoon at 4pm with open stage performances by Braidwood Folk Club musicians in The Serrated Tussock café and restaurant. At 7.30pm there will be a free community concert in St Bede's Catholic Church encompassing 65 Braidwood performers. The concert features Mary Appleby, conductor of the Braidwood Cantors, who will lead the choir in performing her new composition based on Judith Wright's poem, Two Dreamtimes. Noted didjeridu player, Duncan Smith, from Queanbeyan, will provide the didgeridu accompaniment for this piece. Two Dreamtimes was written for Judith's friend, Kath Walker (Oogeroo Noonucccal) and embodies the work of the two women as activists for the environment and Aboriginal rights.
Other offerings in the concert are madrigals by Madrigala (of course), Braidwood Central High School Vocal Ensemble, Suzuki violin students, the voices of Acapalerang, poetry by St Bede's school students, songs by Maddie Anderson, as well as the stunning guitar work of Richard Steele and acoustic music by hip hop and experimental musician, Karuna Bajracharya. Supper will be provided by St Bede's Social Justice Group and the Braidwood Suzuki Mums to support Jacinta Conroy's work with Kenyan orphans.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, festival visitors will be able to warm up their spirits with community singing sessions held in Ryrie Park led by Mary Appleby and Merrilyn Simmons.
Two Fires Festival is a celebration of creativity, and on Saturday afternoon festival musicians Johnny Huckle, Dave Steel and Karuna Bajracharya will lead song writing workshops for kids 4 -12 -112 years. These workshops will take place from 1.30 in Ryrie Park, the Braidwood Central School old school hall and the Anglican Church Hall in Wilson St. They will focus on creating song and dance routines for kids, and learning how to lay down songs in a hands-on writing and recording session.
There will also be an opportunity to hear performances by nationally known musicians in the Festival concert at 7.45pm on Saturday night in the National Theatre. The concert will be opened by Two Fires music organiser and award-winning singer-songwriter, Merrilyn Simmons. Merrilyn will perform songs based on Judith Wright's lyrics, accompanied by master slide guitarist, Richard Steele, who will also perform solo.
Major acts in the Festival concert are veteran of the Australian music scene, Dave Steel, and Wiradjuri singer songwriter, Johnny Huckle. Dave spent four years as the guitarist for Weddings, Parties, Anything, seven years as Archie Roach's instrumentalist, and has been nominated for several Aria Awards. His songs are from the folk, blues roots tradition and he is a master guitarist and mandolin player. Johnny, who has toured extensively in Australia and overseas and produced four solo albums, will sing his heartfelt compositions traversing the themes of love, identity, oppression, spirituality and place.
For those who cannot attend the festival due to other commitments, tickets for the Saturday night concert can be purchased for $20 from McLeod Gallery.
Sunday April 1st includes a full programme of musical events, beginning at 9am with community singing in Ryrie Park. From 11am - noon, The Chorus of Women will lead festival attendees in an active session of reflection on the Festival theme of Environment and Identity. They will perform their own musical compositions and dialogue with the audience. From noon till 12.30, Judith Clingan will lead Wayfarers choir in performing her compositions of Judith Wright poems set to music, as well as a longer composition, 'Spiritus Sanctus Australis'.
Musical activities for the festival will wind down with 'Music to Chill Out By' in the Anglican Church Hall at 2pm, where Dave Steel will perform acoustic pieces. Finally, songs created in the song writing workshops (along with poems created during the festival and reports back from other festival streams) will be performed in the final festival event at 3.30pm, 'Bringing the Streams Together' in St Bede's School Hall, before Uncle Max Harrison performs the closing ceremony in Ryrie Park at 4.30pm.
Festival programme and information: www.twofiresfestival.com
Festival facilitator: Christine Watson 4842 1922; 0420 805 301
Festival Office opening hours: Mon - Thurs: 9.30 - 6pm; Friday - Sun: 8am - 6pm
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