Returning for its 15th year running.
Woodend Winter Arts Festival is bringing an assortment of artists, performers, thinkers and audiences to the regional Victorian town this June. This year’s program encompasses a range of events, including pottery workshops, art exhibitions, live music performances and talks.
If classical music is your jam, Ensemble Gombert Accademia Arcadia’s choral renditions of Mozart and Haydn’s sacred works at St Ambrose Church on Saturday June 8 will have you in awe. Spanning a wider range of influences, Soprano Cristina Russo and pianist Konrad Olszewski will explore the nature of longing and sorrow with How to Disappear Completely: Songs of Love & Loss. The show will draw upon the works of Alessandro Scarlatti, Luciano Berio, Stefano Landi, Nina Simone, Henry Purcell, Michelangelo, Jeff Buckley and Nick Cave in a bid to answer love and life’s big questions.
Presenting sounds from beyond the Western bubble, Sketches of Mesopotamia by The Alwan Trio highlights the music of the Mesopotamian region on Saturday June 8. The ensemble is made up of a Ney, quartertone accordion, Oud, vocals and percussion. Meanwhile, The Art of the Oud will bring four time ARIA Award-winning Oud player Joseph Tawadros to the stage, melding Arabic jazz with classical music in a stunning showcase of the Middle Eastern instrument on Sunday June 9.
In addition to an eclectic program of music spanning continents and genres, Woodend Winter Arts Festival will also host an array of visual arts showcases. These include WILD, an exhibition focusing on natural and exotic wildlife, and Artists at Work, where you can meet local artists and have them walk you through their process.
That’s just a slice of the diverse program on offer at this year’s Woodend Winter Arts Festival, which will also play host to fireworks, Japanese drummers and an Italian-themed dining experience. Proving that Melbourne isn’t Victoria’s only creative hub, this is the perfect excuse to get out of the city for the weekend.
Woodend Winter Arts Festival is running between Friday June 7 and Monday June 10. For more info and tickets, head to the festival website.
