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The Black Arm Band
dirtsong
Featuring Text by Alexis Wright
Following celebrated world premiere performances at Melbourne Festival with murundak in 2006 and Hidden Republic in 2008, The Black Arm Band returns with a musical journey to stir the soul in collaboration with Miles Franklin Award winner Alexis Wright
dirtsong is a music performance from Aboriginal Australia mixing traditional and contemporary songs, existing repertoire with newly commissioned music and sung in many Australian languages.
A narrative about country, dirtsong evokes a sense of geographical place and country as a series of encounters, memories, occurrences, obligations and nature.
With words from Miles Franklin Award-winning author Alexis Wright (Carpentaria), these songs evoke a new conceptual and emotional map of Australia’s heartland while gently awakening some of Australia’s sleeping languages.
The Black Arm Band is a collection of many of Australia’s premiere Aboriginal musicians. The ensemble performs, promotes and celebrates contemporary Australian Indigenous music. Its members come from across Australia and embody diverse musical, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Performed in Australian Aboriginal languages against a backdrop of lyrical film imagery.
WARNING:
Haze effects
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that text and audio material included in this concert has been gathered from a range of sources and may contain images and voices of Indigenous people who have passed away, and images of places that could cause sorrow.
DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE HOUSE PROGRAM
dirtsong.pdf ( pdf file, 624kb)
Quotes
“More than just a concert, it was a summoning of hope and possibility, a mourning and expiation, a gift of huge spiritual generosity, a Damn Good Time.” Theatrenotes (Hidden Republic)
“To smile, to laugh, to shed a tear, to dream, to be challenged, to hope, to be inspired. What more could one want from a night out!” Arts Hub (Hidden Republic)
Credits
Artists Mark Atkins, Lou Bennett, Deline Briscoe, Emma Donovan, Kutcha Edwards, Dewayne Everettsmith, Leah Flanagan, Shane Howard, Ruby Hunter, Bunna Lawrie, Djolpa McKenzie, Lee Morgan, Shellie Morris, Archie Roach & Bart Willoughby
With Special Guest Jimmy Barnes & Paul Kelly
Original Text Alexis Wright
Patron of The Black Arm Band & Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy
Conception & Direction Steven Richardson
Producer Jude Gun
Associate Stage Director Marilyn Miller
Repertoire & Vocals Supervisor Lou Bennett
Musical Supervisor Iain Grandage
Cultural Consultant Sarah Jane Bond
Arrangements & Orchestrations Eugene Ball, Iain Grandage, Kate Neal, Jocelyn Pook (UK), Julien Wilson with artists of The Black Arm Band
Additional Repertoire Research Sian Prior, Paul Kelly & Urszula Dawkins
Linguistics Consultant Dr Julie Reid
Production Management & Sound John O’Donnell
Stage Management Brock Brocklesby & PJ Rosas
Design Consultant Paula Levis
Lighting Designer Jenny Hector
Screen Visuals Natasha Gadd & Rhys Graham
Alexis Wright's words written in recognition of the recorded voices of elders in the book Take Power and Story About Feeling by Bill Neidjie. Alexis Wright is supported by The Writing and Society Research Group, College of Arts, University of Western Sydney and we acknowledge the generous support of Central Land Council.dirtsong was developed with the support of City of Melbourne, the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, VicHealth, Arts Victoria and AndyInc.
Developed and Produced by Arts House, a City of Melbourne contemporary arts initiative.
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