KING Island will be celebrated as “one of the most spectacular places on earth” through music, art, food and wine in next month’s Moonbird Fesitival. Founded and directed by the Bowerbird Collective, the event brings together some of Australia’s finest musicians for a series of spellbinding on-island concerts.
The Moonbird, or the Short-tailed Shearwater, a type of muttonbird, is an iconic species of great cultural and ecological significance to the islands of the Bass Strait. The birds which mate for life, produce a single egg, and both parents take turns incubating and caring for the chick until it’s ready to fledge and begin its own long-distance migration.
They depart colonies on King Island to begin an annual 30,000km migration at the end of April. Due to the incredible endurance and determination displayed by these birds, early sailors in the Pacific Ocean started referring to them as “Moonbirds.” The name is a nod to the idea that these birds are so tireless that they seem to be able to fly to the moon and back.
The festival, from April 17-23 brings together art, science and conservation, and will include guided nature walks, local culinary delights and a series of intimate, world-class performances.
The Bowerbird Collective, founded by classical musicians and producers Anthony Albrecht and Simone Slattery, makes art for nature, and tours extensively throughout regional Australia with award-winning, nature-themed performances.
Violinist Simone Slattery was a 2019 Churchill Fellow, received a PhD in Music Performance from the University of Adelaide and performs regularly with Australia’s finest ensembles. Cellist Anthony Albrecht is an Australian graduate of The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program and enjoys an international career. Featuredd musicians include Simone Slattery and Emily Sheppard – violin, Katie Yap – viola, Anthony Albrecht – cello, Andrew Blanch – guitar, and Yyan Ng – multi-instrumentalist.
“While connecting audiences with the finest musicians of our time, a core aim of our production, touring and management services is to give partner artists a sense of connection with people, place and the environment,” Albrecht said.
The festival also presents the Australian Geographic’s 2022 Nature Photographer of the Year Exhibition opening at the King Island Cultural Centre on Sunday, April 16.
The Bowerbird Collective’s Future 2021 and 2022 albums Songs of Disappearance released in partnership with BirdLife Australia and the Australian Museum, reached No.2 and No.3 on the ARIA album charts respectively ahead of Adele and Ed Sheeran.
Their work has featured in BBC Global, NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the ABC, The Guardian, 2GB Radio, the Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes and more. They won a 2020 Ruby Award for their work Where Song Began, and the 2022 Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation for their work Life on Land’s Edge.
The Bowerbird Collective created the musical soundtrack to Our Country, a 2022 production and immersive experience by Australian Geographic, Northern Pictures and Tourism Australia which has been showing at the Sydney Convention Centre until earlier this month.
Reviewers say:
“Spectacular… There isn’t enough space to provide adequate praise.” – Limelight Magazine
“It moved me to tears… I left feeling I had been sung to by the country.” – Audience member.
“…a work of art… a transfixing soundscape.” – Sounds Like Sydney
They have close relationships with major conservation organisations to communicate conservation objectives through performance, both live and digital and have produced more than 200 concerts on tours throughout regional Australia, UK and North America in the last five years.
The King Island events are ticketed and prices vary according to venue and catering. For bookings go to Facebook King Island Cultural Centre and follow the links or for more information and tickets go to bowerbirdcollective.org/moonbird
SUNDAY, APRIL 16 3pm, Festival & Exhibition Opening – King Island Cultural Centre. THURSDAY, APRIL 20 7:00pm, Life on Land’s Edge – Currie Town Hall. FRIDAY, APRIL 21 7:30pm, Andrew Blanch – solo guitar, King Island Brewhouse.
SATURDAY, APRIL 22 11:00am, Australian classical & folk concert, Red Hut 5:30pm, String quartet concert, Waterwings Studio.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23 9:30am, Kelp violin jam, King Island Cultural Centre 11:00am, Cello and Guitar concert, Yellow Rock, ‘Whale Tail House’ 5:30pm, Final Concert, featuring ‘Where Song Began’, Currie Town Hall
The Moonbird Festival on King Island is in conjunction with the King Island Arts and Cultural Centre and King Island Landcare and sponsored by Rex Airlines, Australian Geographic and the Australia Council of the Arts.