merrepen arts festival | the festival

concert | art sale and auction | fi weaving tours | bush tucker

concert

The concert will begin at sunset on Saturday May 31st with traditional dancing performed by the
Palumpa Dancers and a traditional water
ceremony welcome to country.

Photo: Todd Condie, Courtesy of the NLC

Bush Tucker Picnic Baskets, prepared by Darwin’s famous ‘Walk About Chef’ Steve Sunk will be available for purchase at the concert. The baskets are for two people to share and cost $15.00.

	ad hoc string collective The Ad Hoc String Collective are a group of acclaimed classically trained string performers who have demonstrated their musicianship and versatility and are now one of Australia’s most eclectic string quartets. Individually and as a group they have played with Orchestra Victoria, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt), Ensemble musikFabrik (Dusseldorf) and Chamber Made Opera.
Contemporary forays have seen them perform and record with many great Australian and International Artists such as Missy Higgins, Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter, Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil, Renee Geyer, Nick Cave Mark Seymour, and the John Butler Trio and Kanye West, Led Zeppelin, José Carreras and Stevie Wonder.
Some members of the quartet found fame with the bands like Not Drowning, Waving, the gypsy/tango band Cosmo Cosmolino, and as the founding members of My Friend the Chocolate Cake as well as touring the world with Circus OZ. The Ad Hoc String Collective are fresh from a national tour with the The Black Arm Band’s show Marunduk which has received rave reviews and sold out at the Sydney Festival, the Perth International Festival of the Arts and WOMADelaide.
The members of the Ad Hoc String Collective are Sue Simpson, Andrea Keeble, Erkki Veltheim and Helen Mountford.

geoffrey gurrumul yunupingu	Photo: Anne Brandt
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu needs no introduction to Top Enders!
His recent solo album released nationally in February to critical acclaim has cemented him as one of Australia’s best singer/songwriter/musicians. Gurrumul is a left handed guitarist, singer, songwriter. Blind from birth, he is a powerhouse of musical creativity.
A Yolngu speaker from Elcho Island in NE Arnhemland he has performed in Europe and America as a member of Yothu Yindi and is a founding member of Saltwater Band.
Gurrumul’s solo excursions highlight his amazing talent and his beautiful voice. Singing the songs of his Gumatj country his magical voice will never leave you.