Part Three of this year’s reimagined/rescheduled/reconstructed Woodend Winter Arts Festival is planned for August 7 and 8, pending outcomes of lockdown of course!
A successful July event weekend has spurred the committee on in their determination to bring the arts to the region, and support artists.
The back-up plan if that weekend can’t go ahead will be a reschedule to another August weekend (fingers crossed)!
Share in a very special experience on Saturday August 7 as John O’Donnell gives the first performance of his edition of the original version of Bach’s Art of Fugue. Published in December 2020 by the new European imprint Lyrebird Music, this is the first-ever publication of the first version of this work, of which Bach made a fair copy in 1742.
There will be a free lecture by John before his première performance of the original version of The Art of Fugue. This will be a demonstration of the working methods of a musical sleuth and a fascinating insight into Bach’s compositional processes.
On Sunday August 8 there will be two more musical events.
Vocal ensemble, Melbourne Octet, will present an afternoon of close harmony jazz arrangements, of repertoire written in historically turbulent (eerily familiar) times. Eight of Melbourne’s finest singers will bring you arrangements of Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, and others.
MCM Winds – a collaboration of talented students and teachers from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music – will perform a program of Beethoven’s Octet in E-flat Major and Raff’s Sinfonietta for 10 wind instruments featuring the dulcet tones of horn, flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon.
For film buffs, we’ll be featuring Woodend’s world-renowned filmmaker Michael Dillon’s A Little Bit Mongolian, a multi-international award-winning film about Angus Paradice, a 12-year-old Australian horse rider who dares to race with local Mongolian children in their dangerous long-distance horse races.
After the movie, known for the wonderful music score, Australia’s world-class virtuouso in throat and hormonic singing Dean Frenkel – who is the holder of the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest continuous vocal note. He will provide a first (covid-safe!) lesson in this ancient art form to warm up for a full performance where everyone will be invited to join in. A perfect opportunity for the whole family to try something new together.
Author Beth Wilson will discuss her new (and first) novel with Dr Sally Cockburn (known to many radio listeners as Dr Feelgood). Beth’s book looks at where the line between revenge and justice might be drawn – and in this session she’ll also discuss what it’s like to be a first-time author in her 70s.
Over the August weekend, three local arts organisations will fling open their exhibitions to round off your cultural experience – all located around the now much looked-forward to Scouts Log Cabin café. The Macedon Ranges Art Trail members present their 10th Anniversary exhibition Crescendo at Woodend Tennis Club, the Gallery Mt Macedon present Make your mark, at the Woodend Neighbourhood House, and Macedon Ranges Potters will exhibit their latest works at the Cobaw Community Health Service.
Covid-safe and flexible, part two of the (reimagined /reconstructed / rescheduled) 2021 Woodend Winter Arts Festival is certainly brimming with fantastic options for everyone.
For more information and to support the return of festivals and live performance in our region, or to book tickets for these events go to www.woodendwinterartsfestival.org.au
