Saruzu Quartet (The)
Saruzu meld a love for the esoteric with an ability to absorb and distil what they experience, and then reinvent it with a flamboyance that is both highly original and widely accessible. Wearing the influences of flamenco, improvised music, jazz harmony, and several hundred years of traditional western classical music proudly on their sleeves, Saruzu are fresh, innovative and energetic. Music that works the voodoo of simultaneously making you want to quietly reflect on life - whilst whirling like a Dervish, eating a healthy salad - with a couple of glasses of wine, yelling out like a teenager - and then going home to write poetry. Music that makes you smile, think, and then smile a little bit more...
Simone Pope
Guided by some of Spain's finest dancers including Andres Peña, Mercedes Ruiz, La Truco, Maria Juncal and Belen Fernandez, Simone's contemporary choreographies transfix the audience with their energy and passion. Simone constantly returns to Spain to immerse herself in the latest technical and artistic directions of flamenco. In Brisbane, she runs The Flamenco Studio where she teaches and hosts workshops by visiting national and international flamenco professionals. Simone's extensive performance experience has taken her throughout the country, appearing at many World Music and Folk Festivals as well as concert halls and theatres in Australia.
Sue Bond
Influenced by musical greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sue Bond is a jazz singer who has worked alongside some of Australia’s biggest stars including Kate Ceberano, James Morrison and Don Burrows. Sue is regularly invited to many festivals throughout Australia. Sue works as a quartet or quintet with a line-up of fine jazz musicians backing her on piano, double bass and drums sometimes adding alto sax when requested.
Sunshine Coast Guitar Orchestra
The SCGO draws its repertoire from musical traditions from around the world: Spanish, Appalachian, Irish, Africa, Australian and more. Directed by Andrew Veivers, the SCGO is a People’s Orchestra project, a community orchestra model created by Andrew Veivers and performing arts company Red Chair. The SCGO is supported by The Events Centre (Caloundra).
Susanna O'Leary
Weaving her soul into song, Susanna O’Leary is an award winning songstress who wears her heart on her sleeve and draws her audience in with her commanding world vocal style and powerful melodies. Introspective by nature Susanna writes music reflective of her own life experiences and perspective on love, loss, hurt, passion and everything in between. Unable to be boxed into one genre, her musical style reflects her contemporary training, Colombian heritage and exploration into Persian, Flamenco and Irish vocal styles.
The View From Madeleine's Couch
The View From Madeleine's Couch is one of the finest Brazilian music ensembles in the country, and heading into their 17th year of making beautiful Brazilian music together. With the unmistakably lush voice of Anje West, (singing in Portuguese), and the gorgeous sounds of band-leader Kym Ambrose's vibraphone in the mix, Madcouch's music has taken them from some of the biggest jazz and world-music festivals in Australia, to concert stages in Brazil, where they performed with one of bossa nova's most legendary rhythm sections; Marcio Bahia (drums) and Mazinho Ventura (bass). With a repertoire that features bossa nova, samba, Brazilan jazz and award-winning original compostitions, the band presents an intimate and joyous evening, showcasing their unique take on the music they love.
Anje West: voice/percussion, Kym Ambrose: vibraphone, Andrew Shaw: double bass, Paul Hudson: drums, Bruce Woodward: guitar
Tibet2Timbuk2
World music group Tibet2Timbuk2 takes you on a journey from the meditative to the joyous with Tenzin (Tibet), Shen (tabla), and Marcello (African guitar & further west), with special guests. Afro-Asian galloping tunes! Tibet2Timbuk2 has an eclectic repertoire including group arrangements of Tenzin’s Tibetan songs, Marcello’s English songs, collaborative songs and instrumentals and even classical tabla solo. The overall sound is full and organic, with all three musicians sharing bass, percussion, harmony and melody roles to create a solid yet easy groove.
Tim O'Brien
Tim's performance 'Gypsy In My Soul' has spanish instrumental guitar tunes to swingn' gypsy tunes, for acoustic guitar and voice. Including music from Albeniz, Bach, Sor, Stanley Myers, Tarrega, Tommy Emmanuel, Pat Donahue, Guy Van Duser, Robert Johnson, Alexander Vinisky, Segovia, and Django Reinhart. Instrumental guitar music from the classical, fingerstyle, and gypsy jazz repertoire. Tim is often joined by the HooHa Band a trio of performers the Vocalist Mia, along with Double Bass and a percussionist for that extra zest.
Van Larkins
He started out experimenting on an egg-slicer at just ten, and now, at 32, Van Larkins is at the forefront of the fingerstyle guitar revolution in Australia. Inventing ground-breaking techniques and highly complex compositions, Van Larkins is hailed world-wide as a leading composer and guitarist in fingerstyle earning him magazine covers, a coveted spot on the CandyRat Records roster, endorsements and praise from the world’s leading artists in the genre, including Andrew White, Phil Emmanuel and Strictly Ballroom’s Antonio Vargas.
Zhiva Voda
It has been said that to hear Bulgarian singing is to drink from magic waters, which can quench our thirst for beauty. Renowned for their performance of Bulgarian traditional music and song, Zhiva Voda (‘Water of Life’) offers a unique and vibrant musical experience. Inspired by the beauty of their home land’s traditions, Reni Pavlova-Bojilov and George Gaydov join with Australian born Ann Bermingham to create soaring solos, spine- tingling harmonies and virtuosic instrumentals, underpinned by exciting rhythms, and universal stories of love, longing and everyday life.