By Bronwen Beechey
MELBOURNE — The Brunswick Music Festival celebrates its 10th birthday this year with an impressive array of international and Australian artists.
The line-up reflects the cultural diversity of Brunswick and surrounding suburbs, and the reputation the festival has gained among devotees of indigenous, world and roots music.
The festival begins on March 11 with a women's choir from Italy, the Capella Ars Musicalis, which will open a special series of concerts celebrating the huge contribution of women artists to the festival over the last decade. The series will feature, among others, Blue House, Vika and Linda Bull, Sally Dastey (Tiddas) and 82-year-old American activist and folk singer Faith Petric.
Other international guests include the UK's radical troubadour Rory McLeod, Andy White and Sean Keene from Ireland, US singer-songwriter Katy Moffat, Scotland's Alasdair Fraser and British folk legend Dave Swarbrick, who will team up with radical Scottish Australian performer Alistair Hulett. Australian artists include Kev Carmody, Judy Small, Michael Thomas (Weddings Parties Anything), Eric Bogle and Shane Howard.
An addition this year is Musica Chitarro, the first Brunswick Guitar Festival. Concerts, workshops and competitions will celebrate the most influential instrument in the last 60 years of music, presenting a range of guitar styles from classical to contemporary jazz.
Highlights will include performances by Hawaiian slack key guitarist Cyril Pahanui; England's Mike Cooper, who performs traditional and contemporary songs, many addressing environmental issues in the Pacific region; African-American blues artist Guy Davis; Celtic guitarist Tony McManus; and some of Australia's most respected blues and roots music artists, including Alex Burns, Andy Baylor and Phil Manning.
For more information, programs and bookings, telephone (03) 9388 1460.