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April 21st, 2019
WHERE SONG BEGAN – NSW EAST COAST TOUR
Two of Australia’s most adventurous classical musicians, Simone Slattery (violin) and Anthony Albrecht (cello), are touring NSW performing their beautiful multimedia show, Where Song Began. Based on Tim Low’s bestselling book, this performance tells the story of the evolution of song, featuring music spanning 300 years, stunning visual projections and an immersive soundscape. The experience has been described as “like being sung to by the country”.
Performances from April 28 – May 7 on the east coast, including Wauchope, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Armidale, Maitland, Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Central Coast.
‘Where Song Began’ is a musical celebration of Australia’s birds and how they shaped the world.
Inspired by leading ornithologist Tim Low’s award-winning book, this 50-minute performance explores the Australian origins of song, ‘the birds that can sing’. Such is their evolutionary significance, ‘one may ask whether human music would have reached the heights it has, had the first songbird not sung in an Australian rainforest.’
Accessible for all ages, this work encourages the audience to contemplate the origin of song and the importance of Australia’s rich and colourful bird history. The program includes music spanning 300 years, from Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and J.S. Bach to Arvo Pärt and new Australian works, enhanced by a film of evocative visual projections, and an immersive soundscape.
About the performers: Simone Slattery was recently awarded a PhD in Music Performance from the University of Adelaide and performs regularly with Australia’s finest ensembles. Anthony Albrecht is an Australian graduate of The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program and is now based in London.
Tickets and info visit www.wheresongbegan.com
Performance length: 60 minutes without interval, including a Q&A
WAUCHOPE – Sunday, 28th of April, 2:00pm
Wauchope Community Arts Hall, Oxley Lane, Wauchope
COFFS HARBOUR – Monday 29th of April, 7:30pm
St John’s Anglican Church, 2 McLean St, Coffs Harbour
BELLINGEN – Tuesday 30th of April, 7:30pm
St Margaret’s Church Hall, 100 Hyde St, Bellingen
ARMIDALE – Wednesday, 1st of May, 7:30pm
New England Regional Art Museum, 106-114 Kentucky St, South Hill
MAITLAND – Thursday, 2nd of May, 7:30pm
Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 230 High St, Maitland
NEWCASTLE – Friday, 3rd of May, 7:30pm
Adamstown Uniting Church, 228 Brunker Rd, Newcastle
PORT STEPHENS – Sunday, 5th of May, 7:00pm
Port Stephens Sailing and Yacht Club, Seaview Cres, Soldiers Point
CENTRAL COAST – Tuesday 7th of May, 7:00pm
Greenway Chapel, 460 Avoca Dr, Green Point
Program:
Arvo Pärt – Fratres for solo violin, 1977
Sarah Hopkins – Reclaiming the Spirit, 1993
Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending, 1917
Chris Williams – bird, songs, seas, 2017
Ross Edwards – Ecstatic Dance No.2, 1990
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer – Cucu Sonata, 1664
J.S. Bach – Prelude from Cello Suite No.1, c.1720
David Lang – Anthochaera carunculate (Red Wattle Bird), New Commission, 2017
Ngarra Burra Ferra – Traditional Indigenous hymn
ABC Radio National Feature: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/where-song-began/9811914
Music Australia article:
https://musicaustralia.org.au/2018/07/music-meets-birdcall-the-australian-way-where-song-began/
Live audio sample:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cKWbQoCtWrYsG7mf05s2GydayUXWEr0q
Promo video:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1n4lxn9VCAcDSj2ysDafG2zn19piZ6muv
These performances are supported by Birdlife Australia. $1 from every ticket sold will be donated to Birdlife or a related conservation cause.
November 29th, 2018
Birding NSW Office of Conservation writes against the raising of the wall of Warragamba dam
Full details here or on the Conservation letters page.
November 7th, 2018
2018 Photo Competition awards
Wow!
Those of you, who were at the meeting this week were afforded a real treat. 96 truly wonderful photographs of Australian birds. If you were not there then you can console yourself with a view of the eleven best pictures knowing that the judges had a really tough time making this selection from such a wonderful batch of entries.
Congratulations to the prizewinners and indeed to all who submitted entries.
Overall winner: Maria Mazo with a photograph of Crested Terns in flight
Runner up: Michael Hanvey with a photograph of a Great Crested Grebe and chick
Best Single bird Prize went to Anne Brophy for a photograph of an Eastern Ground Parrot (also ranked third)
4th place Machael Hanvey’s White-winged Black Tern in flight
5th Place Michael Hanvey’s Gang-Gang Cockatoo (f)
6th place Michael Hanvey’s Victoria’s Riflebird
7th place and the prize for best In-Flight photo Roksana Boreli’s Shy Albatross
8th place Maria Mazo’s Crested Tern
9th place Richard Murray’s Australian Raven
10th place Maria Mazo’s Australian Kestrel
Best photo of a group of birds prize went to Geoff Ball for Wandering Whistling-ducks
Treat yourself to this short view:
April 21st, 2018
Share your bird pictures
Lots of wonderful photos were taken on the Grenfell Survey weekend but that is not the only weekend in the year when beautiful/curious birds are captured in wonderful poses.
Why not share your wonderful bird pictures? Just send them to info@birdingnsw.org.au and we will put them up in the gallery. Medium sized pictures are preferred. High resolution is better but we will take all pix.
Your picture is likely to pique interest so why not add a couple of words about where it was taken?
Puffin – Iceland 2016 Photo by Leigh Hall
A Crowned Crane in Olakira, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, in July 2016.