Performers
Aviva Endean
Sunny Kim
Simon Barker
Peter Knight
Chris Hale
Daniel Wilfred
David Wilfred
Where: Barunga (70kms south-east of Katherine, Northern Territory)
When: Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2019
In June 2019, the Australian Art Orchestra will travel to the Northern Territory for its first ever performance at the iconic Barunga Festival. On this tour, the ensemble will feature six performers, including long-time collaborators Daniel Wilfred (vocals, bilma) and David Wilfred (yidaki).
A major event on the national festival calendar since 1985, Barunga Festival boasts a long and proud tradition of celebrating the best of remote Indigenous Australia. This much-loved Northern Territory festival attracts a 4000-strong audience of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from all over the world to take part in a program of music, sport, traditional arts and cultural activities over the 3-day long weekend.
The line-up for the Barunga festival showcases new and old friendships, formed mainly through AAO’s annual Creative Music Intensive in Tasmania, where Daniel and David have worked together with Sunny Kim (vocals), Korean music specialists Simon Barker (drums) and Chris Hale (bass), AAO Artistic Director Peter Knight (trumpet) and Associate Artist Aviva Endean (clarinets). Their music seamlessly draws new sounds from traditional Korean music and improvisational practice into the rich manikay song tradition, telling the stories of Djuwalpada in a completely new way.
In addition to the concert performances, the musicians will conduct daily workshops, amongst others about making music that brings together rhythms from Korean and Indigenous music.