Children's Drum Circle Workshops

Today I did 2 workshops at Thirning Villa for the School Holidays through Children's Services. It is great to work with children and their parents. Drum circles offer a wonderful way for children and parents to share in an enjoyable activity for both of them. There will be weekly workshops leading to percussion making and playing workshops and a performance at the Carnival of Cultures on the 20th of March. There will be ways for people of all experience to participate. If you are involved in the Rhythm Arts and would like to be involved. Send me a message and we can see what we can dream up : )

I have just been updating my drumming blog. It has some information on the nature of my Rhythm and Drumming Program. Here is a snippet.

Rhythm and Drumming : An introduction to World Drum Circles
A rhythm and drumming program which uses rhythm, movement, percussion, vocals and drums to explore the wonder of playing music in a group.

An engaging and fun introduction to World Beat Drumming. The program explores how to communicate through rhythm using drums, bodies and voices. Inspired by the world drum traditions including from the Middle East, Africa, India and Latin America this program taps into a cross cultural meeting point fantastic for the diversity of contemporary Australia.

Click here for more details on this program and a small video snippet of the Primary School Troupe.

New Release and progress....

I have just released my second album -betwixt- It is a compilation of works created for theatre, dance, film and installation 2000-2010. It is a trance inducing, evocative, ambient, sound based collection with bowed piano, piano, sounds, voice and digital explorations. It is a digital only release. I am currently working on a limited edition hard copy version. Let me know what you think : )

Light Portal

I have just posted some thoughts on the nature of being an artist. I am in the process of refining my ideas on collaboration,improvisation, performative context. I am interested in contributing to the emergence of a new/old model of being an artist. A framework Karl Cronin has referred to via Wassily Kandinsky and others as 'Total Art'. I am partly working on these themes as I wil be hosting a series of forums- improvised cross artform jams as part of my residency. You can have a read of where I am up to with it on my blog here. I will post details here when I have teased it out a little more : )

OLDER an Ashfield Youth Theatre Production at Thirning Villa

By a wonderful convergence, the local Youth Theatre in Ashfield which I had identified as a possible site of collaboration, happened to stage a production at Thirning Villa in my first month. After making contact with the Artist Director, James Winter I then had a chat with the Director of the current production, Aimee Falzon and embarked on a creative process to supply music and sound design for the production. It was a really beautiful and evocative piece and I am looking forward to exploring further collaborative possibilities. Here are some samples. Enjoy!


Cue 7 by audio.narcissist

Drift excerpt by audio.narcissist

Drumming at Thirning Villa

Egyptian Style Drumming
Frame Drums
Vocal Percussion
Finding your innate 
embodied Rhythm
Relaxing
Sharing cultural traditions
Improving your rhythm & musicality
Learning how to improvise



VENUE | THIRNING VILLA 
40 Arthur Street Ashfield
WEDNESDAYS | December 1st- 22nd
January 12th- March 2nd
4.30-5.30 Children aged 5-15 accompanied by an adult
5.45- 7pm Adults (young people 15+ welcome)
For total beginnings and those interested in sharing their rhythm skills in a group.
There may be performance opportunities emerging in March 2011.
FREE Everyone welcome!
Bookings Essential
Contact Anthia Hart (02) 9716 1866anthiah@ashfield.nsw.gov.au 
SPONSORED BY ASHFIELD COUNCIL'S ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Join me on Facebook and check out the event page here: )

Week One

Thirning Villa is filled with gorgeous light. High ceilings, big windows, ornate ceilings, huge doorways and doors which make you feel a little like Alice. I feel very lucky and humbled  to be granted Artist in Residence until the end of March.

Time has been busy -Rushing towards the end of the year -Planning for the residency -Making a start with some drumming sessions - Making contact with the local Youth Theatre, Children's  Services, Disability Services - Setting up the studio space with mirrors so I can use it for dance. It will be small for dance but big enough for me and 5 others to be cosy : )

It is amazing how much being in a different space inspires new ideas and ways of seeing things. Doors and windows have become a fascination. The light is stark and dramatic here. So much of my work is inspired by ideas associated with blurry boundaries between things. Something about being from a diverse cultural background, something about being an artist and seeing endless possibilities in all things, something about being inspired by pantheist philosophy which sees an inherent wisdom and divinity in life itself, in nature, in ourselves. Many of the lyrics in my album ri-solv are inspired by these ideas. 
Here are some photos on my Flikr site of Thirning Villa.