The Melbourne Didjeridu Festival

Saturday 20th of February 2010

A big thank you to everyone that came down to Mia Mia Gallery on Saturday 20th February for the first Melbourne Didjeridu Festival. The festival was a huge success with an estimated 2000 attendees joining in on the fun throughout the day.

All of the artists and performers put on a great show with Ganga Giri getting pretty much everyone there to dance and Bruce Rogers captivating the entire audience with his tales and remarkable didgeridoo skills.

If you would like to check out some photos from the day please go to the gallery. The majority of the photos were taken by Peter McConchie, an internationally renowned professional photographer who has a series of publications that focus on the environment and the reconciliation process. You can learn more about Peter here – www.petermcconchie.com.au

Click on the images above to see the full-sized versions of the flier. For more information please visit the Melbourne Didjeridu Festival’s official website – www.didgefestival.com.

Mia Mia Gallery, The Didge Circle, The Pines Learning and Manningham City Council are coming together for the first annual Melbourne Didjeridu Festival. The festival will be a day long celebration and showcase of one of the world’s oldest wind instruments, the didgeridoo. It will be a day of entertainment for the whole family with stalls, workshops, activities and a concert featuring world-class performers and musicians.

The Didge Circle is a group of keen didgeridoo players from all over Australia and the world who have been meeting at Mia Mia Gallery for the last 18 months, sharing and swapping techniques of this iconic instrument. The festival will be a showcase of their last 18 months of workshops where the custodians of the didgeridoo frequently tutor all whom express interest in learning from the very best of the best.

The festival will be a celebration that will recognise, acknowledge and respect the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners of the land on which the festival is being held. It will also recognise, acknowledge and respect the Yolngu people of NE Arnhem Land as the traditional owners and custodians of the didgeridoo.

Festival Programme

The event will run from midday to 8:30pm at Mia Mia Gallery located in Westerfolds Park, Templestowe.

• Workshops will run from 12:30pm to 4:30pm. They will give festival attendees the opportunity to learn about the techniques involved in playing the didgeridoo.
• Stalls will run from 12:00pm to 6:30pm. From food and drinks to art and crafts there will be much on offer at the festival. If you would like information on setting up your own stall (limited amount of spots available) please contact us.
• Cultural entertainment and activities for the kids will run from 12:00pm to 6:30pm. Activities will include basket weaving, boomerang throwing, story telling, and face painting. There will also be times in the day where Indigenous artists will be given the opportunity to do some painting.
• The concert event will be from 5:00pm to 8:30pm. It will be opened with a traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ and will feature performances by regarded acts such as Ganga Giri, Bruce Rogers, Kinja and more.

Patrons are encouraged to make a gold coin donation upon entry.

Concert Programme

The concert will start at 5:00pm and will conclude at 8:30pm. It will be opened with a traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ and will include performances by:

Ganga Giri is an unparalleled didjeridu virtuoso and percussionist who has gained the respect of Aboriginal didjeridu players for his unique approach to didgeridu playing. The Ganga Giri show blends an array of tribal percussion that includes Ganga’s unique percussive-style didjeridu playing, congas, djembe, bougarabou, Nigerian talking drum, mbira and more. Percussive multi-layered world music at its best combined with authentic Indigenous dancers and tribal singing.

Ganga Giri’s music has been widely & wildly appreciated by music lovers in many countries across the globe including Australia, Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and New Zealand, igniting audiences in clubs, world music festivals and outdoor dance events. Ganga has collaborated with many famous artists including Peter Gabriel and Shuba Magdal. He has also contributed music to the Australian feature films Yolngu Boy and Rabbit Proof Fence.

www.gangagiri.com

Bruce Rogers is a didgeridoo maker, performer and teacher. He is regarded as one of the best in Australia. Bruce began playing didgeridoo in 1985 and has performed throughout Australia, including Melbourne’s National Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. He has also made numerous tours of Europe, performing in concert and conducting workshops.

Bruce began teaching Didgeridoo in 1990; known for his concise and entertaining method, he has been a featured presenter at many music festivals. His performance work covers a broad range of styles, including folk, ambient, pop, jazz, classical, and world music. Bruce’s aim is to bridge the gap between past and present, by promoting the Didgeridoo as an instrument for all ages, cultures and people.

www.didgesbybruce.com.au

Ron Murray and Sarah James celebrate the cultural heritage of their ancestors in a blend of Australian and Celtic music. Ron, a descendant of the Wamba Wamba tribe (Swan Hill) and Sarah, whose roots are Scottish, perform under the name Kinja, a Wamba Wamba word meaning ‘my home’.

With Ron on Didgeridoo and Sarah playing the fiddle and singing, the sounds of Aboriginal Australia uniquely combine with the jigs, reels and ballads of Scotland and Ireland. In many ways, Ron and Sarah feel that playing together is their special contribution to reconciliation between indigenous and non indigenous people in this country.

www.kinja.com.au

Sorteria Bell is a three-piece world/contemporary music ensemble that specialises in ambient, atmospheric pieces. Soteria Bell perform music that is inspired by ancient and modern cultures, featuring shamanic style vocals, creative improvisations, and original songs that have been described as ‘haunting and evocative’.

The group features on the Aria Award winning soundtrack to Australian feature film ‘Jindabyne” in a collaboration with Australian music icon Paul Kelly as well as Dan Luscombe (The Drones).

www.myspace.com/soteriabell

One Fire Dance Troupe was formed as part of the Mia Mia Gallery in 1994. As a vehicle name, One Fire was the name given so that all dancers could come together as one, creating that magic, that One Fire. The dance company and name was given to Jeff and John Tye as a gesture to recognise their commitment to culture and the Mia Mia Gallery.

One Fire Dance Troupe has performed nationally and internationally. They have performed welcoming ceremonies with the Wurundjeri people of Melbourne and have performed at a number of notable events including the Moomba Festival (City of Melbourne), the President’s Cup Golfing Tournament and the AFL Grand Final just to name a few.

A regular feature at Mia Mia, Gnarnayarrahe is a born entertainer. Whether he is performing traditional and original songs, telling stories and using his didgeridoo for sound effects or doing a few Elvis covers with his trusty acoustic guitar it is not often that Gnarnayarrahe isn’t surrounded by smiles.

Getting Here

Mia Mia Gallery is located in Westerfolds Park, Templestowe.

If you are driving from the city, take the Eastern Freeway. Exit at Doncaster Road. Turn left onto Manningham Road followed by a right onto Williamson Road. Follow the signs to Westerfolds Park & Mia Mia Gallery. Please click here and use our Google Maps widget to find directions from anywhere!

There is ample parking inside Westerfolds Park. On the day there will be clear signage as well as a free shuttle bus that will routinely take people up the hill to where the gallery is situated.

If you are intending to catch public transport there are a number of buses that will take you to Westerfolds Park:

• The Route 301 bus towards The Pines SC, getting off at stop Williamsons Rd/Porter St
• The Route 293 bus towards Box Hill, getting off at stop Templestowe Village Home/Fitzsimons Lane
• The Route 293 bus towards Greensborough, getting off at stop Parkwood Pl/Fitzsimons Lane
• The Route 281 bus towards Eltham, getting off at stop Parkwood Pl/Fitzsimons Lane

The gallery is a short walk from all of these stops and there will be clear signage on the day guiding you to the festival.

Westerfolds Park

Please click here for a map of Westerfolds Park that can be printed off for your convinience.

If you would like more information about the park as well the heritage of The Manor building which houses Mia Mia Gallery please click here.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the festival or have any other general enquiries please contact us here.

The Melbourne Didjeridu Festival is proudly sponsored by Manningham City Council and The Pines Learning. The festival is funded through the Community Development Grant Program.