Song to the Ocean + Living Sculptures: How the Birds Got their Colours

Presented by HOTA - Home of the Arts, Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators, DeepBlue Orchestra.

Join us for an euphoric music and performing arts experience under the night sky.

Take a walk through an ocean of musicians in Song to the Ocean, illuminated by awe-inspiring light installations, and accompanied by extraordinary marine sounds. Hear original contemporary classical music by award-winning composer Dr Corrina Bonshek performed by acclaimed Australian string ensemble DeepBlue, master percussionist & south-east Asian gong expert Michael Askill, soloist Greta Kelly on Persian violin, and vocal powerhouse & multi-instrumentalist WHAIA, Maori sonic weaver. They will be joined by 30 talented young local musicians, primordial whalesong, accompanied by marine-inspired visual art by local artists exhibited in the light sculptures.

Experience the beauty and majesty of Living Sculptures, a collaboration between local Indigenous dance company, The Yugambeh Dancers, and featuring world-class performers from Arc Circus Company. The work is an interpretation of the First Nations dreamtime story, How The Birds Got Their Colours. The Yugambeh Dancers are led by Luther Cora, who comes from the Bungarre family of the Yugambeh language group of the Bundjalung nation. Cora’s interpretation of this story suggests that we may all look, talk and think differently, but at the end of the day, our commonalities outweigh these differences.

Share a picnic and be inspired by the stunning biodiversity along the Queensland Coast.

Acknowledgements

We firstly acknowledge the peoples of the Yugambeh nations, custodians of the land, waters and culture, where we bring our creative dreams alive.

Song to the Ocean Credits

Music Composition & Artistic Direction: Dr Corrina Bonshek

Performers: DeepBlue, Dr Michael Askill, Whaia, and Greta Kelly leading a team of remarkable young local musicians

Vocal/instrumental improvisation & creative cultural consultant: Whaia.

Large-scale light sculptures: Mimi Dennett

Wearable & small scale light installations: Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner

Prototyping and facilitation for silhouette art: Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner

Collaborating installation artists: TBC

Welcome to Country: Lann Levinge

Sound design: Dr Corrina Bonshek, marine recordings by The Oceania Project

Production manager and lighting design: Blake Howson

Live sound: Marco Foxlee

Choreography: DeepBlue 

This performance of Song to the Ocean is supported by Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund - an Australian Government Initiative.

Song to the Ocean was co-commissioned by Fraser Coast Tourism & Events and Fraser Coast Regional Council, with assistance of the Australian Government through the Festivals Australia program and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), a partnership between the Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

The work is an adaptation of Song to the Earth which was co-commissioned by City of Gold Coast, Bleach*Festival and the Queensland Government through the Regional Arts Development Fund and the Office of the Commonwealth Games and other funding sources, and premiered at Bleach* at Festival 2018.