Tasmanian Composers Festival

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1 Tasmanian Composers Festival 27th & 28th February 2015 The Barn, Rosny Park proudly supported by APRA/AMCOS The Green Room Studio - RACT Rosny Branch - Arelmusic Clarence City Council - Arelmedia Management

2 The aim of the Tasmanian Composers Festival is to celebrate and showcase Tasmanian compositions and Tasmanian composers. When I first floated the idea of this festival the first questions generated challenged the definition of Tasmanian; what does it mean? There are many interpretations, including the main one I have used - composers living in Tasmania. However, Jo Quail composed her piece while sitting in my backyard so Tu Florentine is a Tasmanian composition although not by a Tasmanian! The focus is on the quality of the songs and compositions. The festival aims to encourage creativity by offering a festival outlet for their best work. Our intention is to make selection of a song or songs for the festival a highlight in the career of the composer and a springboard to national and international exposure for their works introduces the Song of the Year awards; we welcome the Green Room Studio and RACT Rosny Branch as our inaugural sponsors. APRA/AMCOS have supported the festival with a small grant. Talks are in progress with publishers and there are plans to obtain more support to reward and acknowledge our composers. Note-Aurius - ensemble formed to play Tasmanian compositions If you are interested in working on the next festival, please make contact with us. cover photo created by Lyn Joseph 2015 Arelmedia Management PO Box 78, Lindisfarne

3 Song of the Year Program Dominic Francis Afterthoughts of a Grief Ensemble Anthony Aylward Simpson and his Donkey Joe Richards The Wicker Man John Sawyer Carry you Around in my Heart The Frog Song Oil Addiction Sandy Pollard Interval Generation Another Life Rory Cambell Reservoir Song Larry Three Days David Beniuk It never Rains AFD Bipartisan Ship Jason Walker-Pearce (ARC) Heaviest Burden One for the Road The Web

4 Dominic Francis Anthony Aylward Rogue Folk artist Dominic Francis is regarded for providing beautiful music with intense lyrics, as he captures the soul of stories, guiding audiences through a traverse of deep personal relationships, leaving them with an internal sigh. Residing in the hills above Margate, with his wife and three children, he has independently released 2 full length albums, and performs solo or as The Dominic Francis Grief Ensemble. Afterthoughts of a Grief Ensemble Tony Aylward was born in Liverpool England in 1960 and grew up in an extended working class family where there was always music being played in the house. He has always had a love of folk music and has found playing his guitar to be a wonderful creative way to relax and enjoy the company of others. He enjoys creating songs that tell a story about people he has known as well as his own experience of the path less travelled. Tony has found inspiration for his songs from the remarkable lives of otherwise ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. He describes his life as having been very fortunate to have drawn inspiration from friendships and a beautiful place to call home. Simpson and his Donkey Joe Richards Joseph Richards is a Tasmanian composer who currently lives in Cradoc. He has studied composition with Don Kay, Russell Gilmour and electronic composition with Stuart Favilla at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. He has a keen interest in early jazz, electronica and traditional composition. He has performed with Hobart jazz bands The Cakewalking Babies, The Salamanca Jazz Band and Saucy Jack and his Ripper Band. Joseph has composed music for several short films and has been commissioned for various organisations including The Australian Medical Symposium and the William Russ Pugh Sesquicentenary Board. He currently performs with progressive rock band Celestial Circus and Catweazle as well as performing solo.

5 John Sawyer It may be important that John Sawyer grew up in a caravan park in America, or that as a boy he spent his Saturday nights listening to his Dad and friends play hillbilly music. But more important is how his fans describe his songs. Powerful, hard hitting, wonderful stories that you can follow, and relate to. Add to that a warm, all male, rootsy, voice and you end up with an artist who must be seen and heard. A child of the 60s John travelled with his family throughout America living in the deep south, the Kansas tornado belt, Iowa farm country and even a Mexican border town. Exposure to extreme racial prejudice within a nation being transformed by a moral awakening brought about partly by the war in Vietnam and partly by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Dion and Barry McGuire, his heart was being shaped. Mix in the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Gorka, and you end up with a songwriter who wants to change the world with his songs; wants to make you laugh or cry, or maybe just sing along. 1 Carry You Around In My Heart 2 Oil Addiction 3 The Frog Song Sandy Pollard Originally from Brisbane, award-winning singer-songwritercomposer Sandy Pollard moved to Franklin, Tasmania in 2014, after spending a few decades playing solo and in bands, producing CDs, lecturing in music technology and writing music for film and video. Sandy returned to live performance in 2011, bringing with him new songs, new instruments and an incisive lyrical vision. In performance, Sandy s solo show is an eclectic mix of folk/roots style originals, performed on a variety of acoustic guitars, Appalachian dulcimer and stick dulcimer. 1 Another Life 2 Generation Rory Campbell Rory Campbell is a Hobart-based singer/songwriter. Born in Franklin and raised amid the rich folk & world music sounds of many a Cygnet Folk Festival, his songs are about moving and standing still; the joy and sorrow, celebration and desolation of contemporary Australian life. Rory has performed in the US with Hobart s Southern Gospel Choir, as well as singing backing vocals for Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorilaz) at

6 both The Sydney Opera House and Melbourne s Palais theatre. You would be a fool to yourself and burden to others should you miss his set! 1 Reservoir Song 2 Larry 3 Three Days David Beniuk With a huge reputation as a songwriters songwriter, his works have been covered by, among others, Paul Greene, Raoul Graf and Chloe and Jason Roweth, who made his song Like Limerick a folk circuit favourite. David taught songwriting at TAFE NSW s Contemporary Music Centre for seven years and now conducts a workshop on the craft at festivals. He moved to Tasmania with his family in 2011 to continue his work as a journalist and has just released his new album The New Normal, co-produced with folk legend Lindsay Martin. David won the 2015 Tasmanian Folk Federation song of the year award for his tune Never Rains. 1 Never Rains 2 AFD 3 Bipartisan Ship Jason Walker-Pearce (ARC) I have been writing rock songs for about 25 years in various degrees of beauty and distortion. I try and capture the emotions from significant life events that we all share; break ups, death, birth, betrayal and of course, love. In ARC I have found a group of musicians who understand how I try and tie the music and lyric content together without overly emphasizing any particular part, rather allowing each element to shine as it needs to. In these songs you will hear of loss, realization, strength and weakness, confusion and clarity. I know light needs dark to exist. I know from pain grows appreciation and from love grows the potential to be hurt. I love the counter balance in life and I love expressing our highs and lows through dynamis music and clever lyric, 1 Heaviest Burden 2 One for the Road 3 The Web

7 The 2015 festival is the second incarnation of the Tasmanian Composers Festival. In November 2013, at the Richmond Hall, inclement weather and other factors combined to deter any form of audience from attending. The quality of the concerts was absolutely amazing and served to inspire me to try again, in a more central venue. November 2013 brought me into contact with Note-Aurius, an ensemble formed specifically to play Tasmanian music. Angus Davison and Michael Young have been a tower of strength to me as I put together the concept and wrote grant applications as the clock struck one. In the morning. For this festival the only successful grant was that from APRA/AMCOS for which I am really grateful. Sponsorship is difficult to attract - particularly for a new concept that doesn t import big names from overseas and may not attract thousands of patrons. That s why the Green Room Recording Studio and RACT Rosny Branch are to be congratulated for coming on board with cash and services for two of the awards in the Song of the Year concert. We have ideas for awards for the classical composers but they will take a little time to come to fruition. In the meantime you may know supporters of live music and original composition who might turn a passion into sponsorship. My business names, Arelmedia Management and Arelmusic, have picked up two parts of the awards to make sure they happened. I must thank Peter Hicks who judged the awards - two other potential judges withdrew with just weeks to go. Double thanks to Peter. Clarence City Council is a wonderful supporter of live music and they have supported this concept from the very beginning. And last, but not least, the volunteers who help on the door, ferry artists around, do sound or other jobs - THANK YOU. Elaine, Lyn, Bill, Julia, Helen, Christine... hope I haven t forgotten anyone. The concept stems from a Summer Festival in the Faroe Islands where anyone can play - if they are playing a Faroe Islands composition. Kristian Blak, leading Faroese composer, started the festival some years ago. I copied the concept from Kristian!

8 The Green Room Recording Studio RACT Rosny Branch A relmusic