The Lyrebird Festival in Megalong Valley
Coming to you in the wonderful Megalong Valley of the Blue Mountains, NSW, the Lyrebird Festival returns in 2024 from Thursday the 14th to Sunday the 17th of November. Visitors to the four-day festival will be able to join in celebrating the spectacular Megalong Valley with music, art, food & wine, talks & nature walks. A full program of these events across the four days is found on the link above. It kicks off on Thursday evening with a performance of ‘Earth Emotions’ and concludes late afternoon on Sunday 17th with a film screening of the Message of the Lyrebird and a performance of ‘Eyes of the Earth’.
An iconic Australian species, and an evolutionary marvel, the lyrebird represents all that is sacred in the bush. They can be heard in the Megalong Valley imitating the calls of hundreds of other species, as well as producing their own thrilling sounds.
This unique Festival combines art, science and conservation, and includes local culinary delights, intimate, world-class performances and an immersive installation experience by artist, Janet Lawrence, https://www.janetlaurence.com/. Her work occupies the liminal zones or meeting places of art, science, imagination and memory. Profoundly aware of the interconnection of all life forms, Laurence often produces work in response to specific sites or environments using a diverse range of materials. Alchemical transformation, history and perception are underlying themes in her exhibition work.
The Bowerbird Collective
The Bowerbird Collective produces new multimedia work that tells conservation stories, with the aim of strengthening emotional connections to the natural world. Their work is an integral part of the strengthening paradigm shift from the unravelling rationalist-consumer driven ethos of modernity to the eco-spirituality of relationality. Their work is supported by their Patron for Conservation: Dr. Jane Goodall and Patron for Country: Professor Anne Poelina
Co-founded by Simone Slattery and Anthony Albrecht, the Bowerbird Collective has created a uniquely powerful medium by which we can all regain the timeless wisdom of feeling intimately part of the natural world as our close family members.
A violinist and composer, and acting as the Collective’s overall curator of their works, Simone Slattery is one of Australia’s most versatile musicians and creators. She performs across Australia and internationally as both soloist and ensemble member, holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, and was a 2019 Churchill Fellow. Her compositions have been performed across the world, and her artistic creations described as “stunning”.
Cellist, Anthony Albrecht is the Collective’s producer, bringing his passion for making classical music accessible and relevant in the 21st century to form a compelling partnership between music and the world of nature. He began producing concerts shortly after graduating from The Juilliard School in 2014. With an international performance career, he has developed a reputation as an impresario of world-class events characterised by generosity, outreach and connection to issues of social justice, conservation and sustainability.
The Bowerbird Collective’s work includes live performance, with a focus on performing in regional areas, digital engagement, and educational outreach. They have produced over 250 concerts in Australia, the UK and North America, showcasing their outstanding Core and Associate Artists. With this powerful collection of creatives, they have released multiple ARIA chart-topping albums for threatened species. In addition, they produce soundscapes for major gallery exhibitions and apps, and work with major conservation and environmental partners to explore nature through the arts.
The Artists performing at the Lyrebird Festival 2024
James Crabb – virtuoso classical accordion
Eric Avery – First Nations violinist
Alice Morgan – soprano saxophone
Hannah Lane – baroque harp
Anna Fraser – soprano
Simone Slattery – director/violin
Natalia Harvey – violin
Nicole Forsyth – viola
Katie Yap – viola
Anthony Albrecht – director/cello
Other Works by the Bowerbird Collective
—Kaurna Yarta – The Seasons
This work is a spectacular new performance inspired by connection to country and the cycle of the seasons. This 80-minute cinematic concert features stunning visuals, immersive soundscapes, song, dance and ceremony, as well as new music for string quintet and traditional instruments. This is an unmissable, sacred celebration of culture in harmony with nature, and a festival showpiece.
Kaurna Yarta – The Seasons features 24 new works by Australian composer David John Lang, commissioned by the Bowerbird Collective, and directly inspired by two years of knowledge sharing with Kaurna elders and culture bearers, including Aunty Lynette Crocker, Jamie Goldsmith and Taikurtinna Dance. The work received its World Premiere on October 14, 2023, at the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, SA, supported by Creative Australia and Arts South Australia
—A Season on the Wind
‘A Season on the Wind’ is a cinematic concert based on author, ornithologist and conservationist Kenn Kaufman’s book of the same name. This event is an inspiring ode to migratory birds, and an unforgettable night of musical storytelling. Created by the Bowerbird Collective, an award-winning Australian-based organization making art for nature, at the invitation of the Biggest Week in American Birding festival and Kenn Kaufman himself, the work features a new score by Bowerbird and the Brothers Balliett (NYC), whose music is praised by the New York Times as “vivid, emotive, with contemporary twists”. The work was premiered in the USA in May 2024, including performances at the Toledo and Cleveland Museums of Art and presented by the Carmel Bach Festival.
—Life on Land’s Edge
This new performance work by the Bowerbird Collective will take you on an epic journey alongside migratory shorebirds as they connect continents and cultures. A cinematic concert experience, Life on Land’s Edge draws on art, science, and music from across the ages. Spectacular footage and soundscapes set the scene for two of Australia’s most adventurous musicians. Be immersed in one of nature’s greatest stories.
Life on Land’s Edge features eight new works by Australian composers Anne Cawrse, Chris Williams, Corrina Bonshek, Gambirra Illume and Simone Slattery, co-commissioned by the Bowerbird Collective and BirdLife Australia, as well as works by Philip Glass and Antonio Vivaldi. Winner – Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation – 2022.
Artists working with the Bowerbird Collective
For a more complete understanding of the many artists who are joining with the Bowerbird Collective to create powerful works that help us intimately reconnect with our sense of being embedded in the nature world, visit: https://bowerbirdcollective.org/
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