A new cross-cultural music production featuring Queensland artists Tenzin Choegyal (Tibetan musician/vocalist), Kacey Patrick (vocals), Jarred Fogarty (didgeridoo/dance), Andrew Veivers (guitar), Rafael Karlen (saxophone), Rebecca Karlen (violin/vocals) and John Reeves (piano/piano accordian).
Drawing on their personal cultures and unique artforms "Kooralbyn" features artists from across the globe including First Nation, Tibetan, Celtic and Northern European musicians. Artists shared compositions/songs from each of their homelands (Tibet, Sweden, Holland, Britain, Australia) and their musical traditions (flamenco, jazz, First Nation, Tibetan, African, classical) as a starting point for this unique collaboration. The resulting work is an exploration of the interconnectedness of their individual cultural backgrounds expressed through the textual possibilities and traditions of their instruments. Kooralbyn embraces a celebration and deconstruction of genre related technical and structural forms..... with the resulting new work bearing little sonic resemblance to the original traditional tune but maintaining it's integrity as a shared expression of collective cultural authenticity.
Tenzi Choegyal (Tibetan Musician / Vocals)
Tenzin Choegyal is a Tibetan artist, composer, activist, musical director and cultural ambassador. Born to a family of Tibetan nomads, Tenzin Choegyal was forced into exile in India as his family fled the repression in Tibet. As a child, Tenzin would listen to his mother singing in the nomadic style and he attributes much of his passion for that genre to her early influence. Tenzin channels the wisdom and traditions of his ancestors through his songs.
Tenzin has a successful international career as a musician, playing at prestigious events including WOMAD, Carnegie Hall (New York), Sydney Opera House and Federation Square.
In addition to his much-loved solo performances of soaring vocals and circling rhythms, Tenzin is an avid collaborator with musicians from diverse cultures, traditions and genres. From classical western (with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra), contemporary (with Philip Glass) to ancient traditional (with didgeridoo master William Barton), Tenzin embraces opportunities to take his music to uncharted territory both in the studio and on stage. Tenzin has six independent album releases and recently collaborated with Philip Glass on the breathtaking score for the film ‘The Last Dalai Lama?’. With Laurie Anderson, Tenzin is now working on an interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead which is due for release by the Smithsonian Institution in the coming months.
In 2008 Tenzin founded the annual Festival of Tibet (Brisbane, Australia) which showcases Tibetan culture through music, film, art and discussion. He was musical director for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2011 and 2013 and is artistic director of the Brisbane Himalayan Film Festival. In 2015, in his role as ambassador for the Australian Himalayan Foundation, Tenzin travelled to the border of Tibet on the Nepalese side, the closest he has ever come to his ancestral homeland.
Kacey Patrick (Vocals)
Kacey Patrick is a unique and wondrous vocalist who has evolved her enigmatic sound over a variety of styles, including jazz, folk and world music. Presently based on the Gold Coast (Australia), her professional career has seen her performing at festivals and venues both internationally and throughout Australia. After a five year hiatus to raise her family, Kacey returned to the stage in 2012, performing in the return season of Brisbane Cabaret institution Women In Voice and Women In Voice On Tour. She contributed her remarkable vocal skill to the world premiere of Linsey Pollak’s new work “The Dream of Zedkat Nabu” for the 2012/13 Woodford Folk Festival and has continued to feature as a guest vocalist for the annual Woodford Folk Festival Fire Event.
Kacey’s three-octave vocal range is a rare instrument. A conduit for the voice and sound, Kacey uses her vocal range and abilities to their full, combining sublime vocal intuition and beauty, with instinctive risk taking and vocal soundscapes. Her voice is not merely a communicator of words and lyrics. It is an instrument, both melodic and percussive, with which she creates an evocative and unique musical experience. Her passionate expression, captivating performance, vocal intuition and profound understanding of her instrument, often leads her audience on a deeply connected and bewitching journey where the boundaries between sound and emotion became blurred and indeterminate.
Kacey is best known for her work with guitarist Aaron Hopper in the guitar/vocal duo stringmansassy. From their beginning in 1996, stringmansassy evolved into one of the foremost independent performance duos in the country. Their repertoire, an evocative fusion of jazz and folk, expanded the expected realm of guitar and voice. As stringmansassy, Kacey and Aaron toured extensively throughout Australia, also touring to Germany, Austria, China, Japan, Singapore and New Caledonia. Highlights of their 12 year career included participation as members of the Australian Arts delegation to three World Expos (Hannover 2000, Aichi 2005, Shanghai 2010). After 12 years in the spotlight, stringmansassy ceased performing in 2008, but regrouped in 2010 for World EXPO 2010 in Shanghai and the 25th Anniversary of the Woodford Folk Festival. They also graced the stage in 2012 for the National Folk Festival in Canberra. stringmansassy released four recordings – ‘Persuasion’ 2000, ‘Beautiful Day’ 2002, ‘Dragonfly’ 2004 and ‘The Live Experience’ 2008.
In recent years, Kacey has pursued her passion for world music with acclaimed ensembles The Saruzu Quartet, FIJ (Flamenco Indo Jazz) and Dva (Linsey Pollak and Tunji Beier).
In 2011, Kacey was invited to perform a specially commissioned work for the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music. Composer Ann Carr Boyd wrote the work ‘Tyalgum Dawn’ for Kacey and the Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Kacey’s lyrics and text were also used for the composition.
Jarred Fogarty (Didgeridoo / Dance)
Mununjali traditional custodian, Jarred Fogarty has danced and played didgeridoo from an early age. In 2018, Jarred made the Welcome Ceremony for all 71 Commonwealth countries and territories for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Along with his uncle and a representative from Cook Islands, Jarred represented Australia in Auckland where he danced and was welcomed by the local tribe of Maori to retrieve the Commonwealth Games baton. In 2017, Jarred also collaborated with Goat Track Theatre on the theatre production of “The Bunyip Story”. He has worked in cultural tourism and has performed for royalty all over the world.
Jarred has taught Aboriginal art, language, history and dance at pre-, primary and high schools across the Yugambeh region (Logan to Tweed). He is active in his community, a member of the Mununjali Men’s Group, and annually teaches dance to jarjum (children).
Andrew Veivers (Guitar)
From the beginning, Andrew Veivers has combined the traditional study of flamenco with the formal training of the classical guitar. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1993 from the University of Queensland, Veivers spent many years studying, teaching and performing in London, Madrid and Amsterdam.
Building on his understanding and experiences within the flamenco idiom, Andrew has developed a very personal and clearly identifiable compositional style. His passion for both the classical and flamenco worlds of music, song, and dance have resulted in compositions that stylistically draw inspiration from greats as diverse as Manolo Sanlucar, Steve Reich, and Manuel de Falla while retaining a clearly individual lilt. Deeply rhythmical, harmonically adventurous, and unashamedly lyrical, the architecture of Veivers' compositions reflects his ability to seamlessly join the rigorous research of a topic with the emotive goal and direction of a lyric or melody.
Andrew’s recent commissioned compositional credits include – a major community orchestral work for 2018 Fires on Top of Mountains (Scenic Rim Regional Council), a new translation of Garcia Lorca's 'Blood Wedding' (Sydney Theatre Company 2011), major community orchestral works for the Woodford Folk Festival (2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20), an orchestral work commissioned by Sunshine Coast Council celebrating life on the Sunshine Coast (2015), community orchestra works for Cygnet Folk Festival, The Festival of Voices and Festuri Multicultural Celebration, Cairns Festival (2014), 'Al-Andaluz' (Flamenco Fire 2010), Gypsy Pathways' (Flamenco Fire 2012), Viva Sevilla (Flamenco Fire 2016), Viente Años (Flamenco Fire 2019) and the Floating Land Festival (2013).
Rafael Karlen (Saxophone)
Rafael Karlen is an award-winning saxophonist, composer and arranger and enjoys creating music for a variety of ensembles across a broad range of styles. Since releasing his debut album in 2008, Rafael has continued to build a reputation as one of the most creative, exciting and surprising musicians on the Australian music scene. Rafael’s music has been performed by small jazz groups, rock and pop ensembles, big bands through to chamber orchestras and string quartets. He has performed throughout Australia and New Zealand, and in Canada, England, Scotland and Sweden.
Following the release of Rafael’s first album which boasted his music for 10-piece jazz ensemble, Rafael’s subsequent albums consist of his music for string quartet with improvising pianist and saxophonist, intimate jazz trio and his new Quintet featuring acclaimed musicians Kristin Berardi, Matt McMahon, Brett Hirst and Simon Barker. He is part of the Berardi/Foran/Karlen Trio with Kristin Berardi and Sean Foran who released their second album in 2019 with special guest vibraphone player Pascal Schumacher from Luxembourg.
Rafael has received many awards and accolades and in 2015 he was awarded a renowned Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel to USA, England, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Holland to visit many of the world’s leading contemporary composers/arrangers, performers and ensembles. He was recently awarded the prestigious Prelude Residency and was the 2018 Composer in Residence at the Peggy Glanville-Hicks House in Sydney which allowed him to focus on producing new work over the course of 12 months.
In addition to leading his own groups, as a performer, Rafael has worked with Soul, Jazz, Pop, Folk and Classical artists including Renee Geyer, Ed Kuepper, James Morrison, Megan Washington, Archie Roach, Tenzin Choegyal, Zac Brown (USA), Pascal Schumacher (Luxembourg), The Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Expressions Dance Company and the Brisbane-based trio Trichotomy.
Rafael is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and from the University of York in England after receiving the Lord Mayor's Fellowship for Young and Emerging Artists. Rafael was the Director of the Queensland Youth Orchestra Big Band and has lectured at The Queensland Conservatorium of Music, The Jazz Music Institute and the JMC Academy. He is currently involved with The Queensland Music Festival where he spends time in remote communities in Far North Queensland as part of their Cape York Music Program.
Rebecca Karlen (Violin / Vocals)
Rebecca Karlen is a graduate of the University of Queensland and has also studied both Western Classical as well as Swedish traditional music in her hometown, Stockholm, Sweden. Rebecca has worked with ensembles and orchestras in Stockholm, and now regularly performs in different chamber groups in Brisbane and the Queensland Pops Orchestra. Rebecca is the lead vocalist and violinist for world folk jazz band Estampa.
John Reeves (Piano / Piano Accordion)
John Reeves is a jazz accordionist, piano player and Alexander Technique teacher. As band leader, sideman, composer and teacher John has enjoyed a rich and varied career in music. Journeying from classical piano training at The Royal College of Music to playing jazz in London, moving to Australia in 2003 where he dived into the local jazz scene.
He later joined Aria Award nominee Mark Scholtez’s touring band performing throughout Australia including Sydney Opera House, Melbourne’s Hamer Hall and Bennett’s Lane.
African music then captured John’s interest leading to a Queensland Sector Development grant to study drumming singing and dancing in Ghana, West Africa. On his return he began a collaboration with local African musicians from Ghana and Kenya leading to tours in Japan and Taiwan.
John now performs music from all over the world on piano accordion, he is a member of ‘Estampa’ a world/folk/jazz group based in Brisbane and various other French/Gypsy Jazz groups and Brazilian groups as well as a continuing engagements as a jazz pianist in a variety of ensembles with visiting touring artists.
Image: Trevor Worden