Tura New Music presents Crossing Roper Bar Tour 08

THE ARTISTS

australian art orchestra

paul grabowsky artistic director

paul grabowsky is a pianist, composer and conductor, and is one of australia’s most distinguished artists. he was artistic director of the queensland music festival
2007. he is founder and director of the australian art orchestra, which he established in 1994. he was commissioning editor, arts and entertainment for abc television
from 1996-98 and a commissioner of the australian film commission from 2003-07.

in 2007 paul was awarded the melbourne prize for music – the most valuable prize of its kind in australia – in recognition of his outstanding contribution to australian
music and to cultural and public life. earlier this year he was appointed artistic director for the 2010 adelaide bank festival of arts.

chris bekker bass

since arriving in australia from south africa in 1989, chris has worked with many fine musicians and artists including richard clapton, kate ceberano, the black
sorrows, noiseworks ii, kids in the kitchen, and yoyo.

tony hicks saxophones, flutes, clarinets

tony hicks enjoys a high profile reputation as one of australia’s most versatile woodwind artists and teachers, being equally adept on saxophones, flutes and clarinets across a broad spectrum of music genres. since the early 1980s he has been involved in numerous jazz groups, classical and avant-garde music ensembles, and commercial music projects including over 35 professional theatre productions, recordings for film, television and major events, including afl grand finals and the sydney 2000 olympic games and live performances with international artists including frank sinatra, stevie wonder, billy cobham and randy brecker. he has performed throughout australia, and across europe, the united states,japan and china with a number of leading australian ensembles.

rajiv jayaweera drums, percussion

rajiv jayaweera is an active member of melbourne’s creative music scene and regularly performs, tours and records with the country’s finest improvising musicians. he has toured europe regularly since 2001 with the hoodangers, archaeopteryx, julie o’hara and jakob dinesen. in 2006, rajiv received funding from the ian potter foundation and australia council to undertake private studywith clarence penn in new york and attend dave douglas’ jazz workshop in banff, canada.

stephen magnusson guitars

winner of national jazz award 2000
stephen has lived in switzerland for seven years, performing with his bands snag and face lifter at major festivals and clubs throughout europe. during his time in europe, he was awarded the swiss diagonal arts grant and the pop kredit award with snag, as well as consistently receiving rave reviews for his performances.
stephen performs regularly in melbourne with many ensembles as well as recording and performing his original material with his two bands face lifter and trio.

ngukurr artists

roy wilfred songman

skin group wamut
language wagilak
born roper river

roy is an elder of the wagilak clan. in music and ceremony he is a leader.
he sings, plays clapping sticks and didgeridoo and performs traditional dances.

david wilfred didgeridoo man

skin group bulan
language rytharngu
born numbulwar

david is an elder of the marbarrpa clan. david has played didgeridoo since
he was very young.

benjamin wilfred songman

skin group wamut
language wagilak
born katherine

benjamin is a leader of the wagilak clan - songman in ceremony.
benjamin sings and plays didgeridoo and clapping sticks.

johnston hall didgeridoo man

skin group bulan
language rytharngu
born ngukurr

balance ... two wagilak / two bulan.

david, johnston, benjamin and roy have all grown up learning the lore, the stories,
dance and song from the elders and can interchange their roles.

ruby hunter singer, songwriter

ruby hunter is one of australia’s best-loved indigenous artists and her performances have touched the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere.

ruby is a ngarrindjerri/kukatha/pitjantjatjara woman from south australia. she is often cited by other musicians as a source of inspiration and is firmly established
as a unique and powerful voice in australian music. in 1994 ruby was the first indigenous woman to release a solo album, thoughts within. feeling good, her second album was released in 2000, winning many awards including female performer of the year at the 6th deadly sounds national aboriginal and torres strait islander music awards. in 2003, ruby and archie roach began a collaboration with the australian art orchestra and have so far created two hugely successful shows: ruby’s story and kura tungar: river songs and stories.

for broome concert

stephen pigram

stephen pigram is a singer and musician who plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, requinto, vahlia, ukulele and dulcimer. he is one seventh of the country folk/rock
band the pigram brothers, whose album saltwater country was voted best debut album at the national indigenous music awards in sydney in 1998. stephen has been a member of legendary broome bands kuckles and scrap metal and he was musical director for the original production of the musical, bran nue dae.