Festival events in greater detail
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Festival Quilt:
A quilt compiled of squares submitted by groups and/or individuals based on
the theme of our place in Belconnen will be a feature of the Holy Covenant
Festival of Arts. The squares will be accompanied by stories from the
contributors of their place in the Belconnen community.
The quilt will be unveiled at the launch of the Festival of Arts and will
be a lively depiction of the kaleidoscope of activity in the Belconnen
area.
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Sunday 20 July, 3.00 - 5.00 pm:
Songwriting Workshop 1 -
How to Write a Song
Ever thought about writing a poem?
Ever thought about writing music?
Ever thought about writing a song?
Songs are an important way people define themselves
- almost all cultures and religions have their own songs.
Unfortunately, many lack the confidence to write and sing their own songs.
The medieval abbess and composer, Hildegard, claimed that by wedding together
words (that which comes from our body) and music (that which comes from the
spirit), we bring together the divine and the human in a unique partnership.
These workshops are aimed at young people from 10 years and up who are
interested in writing words, or music or both.
The first workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of writing words and setting
them to music. The second workshop will be an opportunity for people to bring
songs that they are working on and perform them with assistance from trained
musicians.
If there are some people who are only interested in writing words we will try
to match them up with those who are interested in writing music. While some
musical literacy would be advantage, this is not essential. Assistance will be
given to those who have ideas, but are not sure how to write them down.
Please bring any musical instruments, or songs you have written, paper, pencil
and manuscript.
Workshop Leaders:
Michael Faragher and Fiona Fraser.
Revd Michael Faragher is Holy Covenant's Honorary Deacon. He
anticipates completing his theological studies and being priested at the end of
2008. He is a former teacher, lecturer and musician, and coordinates the Holy
Covenant Jazz and Taizé services.
Revd Michael Faragher
Michael's particular interests include Cursillo and liturgical music. He is
married to Rhonda; they have three children - Luke, Paul and Ruth.
Since her teenage years, Fiona Fraser has been writing songs
across a range of genres including hymns, folk songs, art songs and music
theatre. She initially trained as a social worker, but returned to university
in 2005 to study composition and is currently an Honours student in her final
year of a Bachelor of Music program at the ANU School of Music. In addition to
songwriting, Fiona has written a range of chamber and orchestral works that
have been performed by local ensembles including the Gryffin Ensemble,
Dominant 7 and the ANU Symphony Orchestra. She has also written for theatre
and electronic media.
Fiona Fraser
Fiona is very involved with the music program at Holy Covenant Anglican Church,
but has also studied and performed music from other faith traditions.
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Who: Especially for teenagers, but all welcome!
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Cost: Gold coin donation
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More Information: Contact Fiona Fraser
Phone (02) 6251 3927 or email
fionaf@bigpond.net.au
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Closing Date: 14 July 2008
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Friday 25 July, 7.30 pm:
Where Words Take Us
Acclaimed Melbourne poet Peter Bakowski shares an evening with local
Macquarie storyteller/poet Dennis Wild. Two contemporary wordsmiths unfold,
spin and sow stories and images - taking their audience to places where words,
memory and imagination reign.
Poetry is the vapour trail of lived experience - John Freeman
When stories nestle in the body, soul comes forth - Deena Metzger
Peter Bakowski
Peter Bakowski's aim as a poet is to write clear and
accessible poems, to use ordinary words to say extraordinary things. He has
been writer-in-residence at:
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the B.R.Whiting Library in Rome;
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the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris;
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the University of Macau;
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the Katherine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre in Greenmount,
Western Australia;
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the Hobart Writer’s Cottage in Battery Point, Tasmania.
Peter’s aim as a poet is to write clear and accessible poems, to use ordinary
words to say extraordinary things.
Dennis Wild has represented South Australia three times at
National Story Telling conferences held across the last few years in Perth,
Canberra and Adelaide. He is recent winner of the 2008 ACT Writer’s Festival
slam poetry competition. His spoken word CD “Both Sides Yesterday” has been
well received by spoken word enthusiasts and his current interest is in
exploring the meeting place between story, song and poetry.
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Saturday 26 July, 1.30 - 4.30 pm:
Exploring the Divine in Art
An opportunity to think about the working of the Holy Spirit through the art
of the Western world (especially during the past century), to discuss the
implications for today and to express our own insights and spirituality in a
hands-on way.
Rt Revd Ian George has been a professional art critic for almost fifty
years. He has been an art gallery trustee, festival chair, served two terms
on the Community Arts Board of the Australia Council,lectured and conducted
workshops at three state galleries and written widely, especially on the
Church and the Arts. Last year he wrote a monograph on leading SA painter,
David Dridan. He is completing the first major book on WA's best-known painter
Guy Grey-Smith, and also a book called "Conversations with artists",
interviewing 15 of Australia's leading male and female artists.
In 1981 Ian George was Rector St John's Canberra and was a member of
numerous Diocesan committees. In 1989 he became Assistant Bishop of the diocese
of Canberra & Goulburn and in 1991 he was elected Archbishop of Adelaide.
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Cost: $10 adults or $20 family
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Sunday 27 July, 10.00 am:
Birthday Service and Lunch
Revd Sarah McNeil will preach with Rt Revd Ian George presiding.
Launch of Festival and unveiling of the Festival Quilt.
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Sunday 27 July, 3.00 - 5.00 pm:
Songwriting Workshop 2 -
Singing our Songs
For more details see the matching entry for
Sunday 20 July
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Friday 1 August, 7.30 pm:
Multimedia Event -
Wings of Desire
"Wings of Desire" is the title of a special Short Film
Festival being hosted by Holy Covenant Anglican Church on the occasion of its
40th anniversary celebrations. The title is based on Wim Wenders' account of an
angel's longing to connect with the emotions of the human condition. The world
renowned German film director beautifully captures the longings, the sadness,
the joys of the human body and soul.
The short film festival is open to all.
There will be two categories:
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An open category, attracting $1,000 prize money;
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A 'schools' category, with $500 on offer.
The top five films selected will be screened on opening presentation night.
All entries will be judged by an experienced panel representative of a
cross-section of ages, male and female.
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Final deadline for submissions: Friday 11 July 2008
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Length: 7 - 10 minutes (including credits) produced in DVD format
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The theme: The film must engage with spirituality and the
longings of the human spirit
The competition is inclusive by nature welcoming entries from all faith
traditions and all philosophical persuasions conditional on their adherence
to the Festival's criteria. It is the Festival's hope that the competition
will not only inspire young and developing talents, but will also create a
spirit of understanding and reconciliation in the midst of our diverse,
multi-cultural community.
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Presentation night: Friday 1 August, 7.30 pm
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Contact: Nikolai Blaskow phone 0418 637 469
Films should be sent to PO Box 98, Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 or delivered to
Holy Covenant Anglican Church, Dexter Street Cook by the date specified above.
Katie de Veau will be performing for us at the Multimedia Event.
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Katie is a singer songwriter who has been writing
and performing her own works for over fifteen years. Trained in classical
music and drama from the age of three, she spent much of her childhood on
the stage.
Katie de Veau
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Performing and speaking at festivals, schools, universities, churches,
cafes and community events, Katie finds herself at home connecting with
people through music and story.
In 2002 she was awarded an Australian Gospel Songwriting Award for Best
Music for her song "Sail on". Original lyric and music are the basis for
her albums, with worship music becoming her latest passion with her
appointment as worship pastor at Belconnen Baptist Church in Canberra from
2005 - 2007.
Her latest album,
The Turning,
features fresh acoustic rock and laid-back ballads. "The Turning" is a
compilation of her reflections of what it means to turn to God and turn to
others during the journey of life.
"Katie is an up-and-coming Australian artist whose music is genuinely
cross-generational, artistic, thought-provoking and dynamic."
Revd Tim Costello
Director of World Vision
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Cost: $5 adults, $10 family
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Saturday 2 August, 2.30 pm - 4.30 pm:
Musica da Camera Concert conducted by
Rowan Harvey-Martin.
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Program:
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Margaret Sutherland: Concerto for Strings;
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Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings Op 48;
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John Ireland: Concertino Pastorale ("for Boyd Neal, Canterbury, 1939");
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Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings Op 11.
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Cost: $20 adults, $15 concession, children under 12 free
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Saturday 9 August, 1.30 - 3.30 pm:
Inside and Outside of Me
A Creative Workshop for Children with Jo Krabman
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Sunday 10 August, 8.00 am:
Holy Communion
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Preacher: Revd Jane Foulcher
The "Variables" formed in 1997 as a small (a maximum of 12) SATB vocal ensemble
committed to performing unaccompanied choral works being written at that time
by three of its members (David Cassat, Liam Waterford and Judith Clingan).
While this has remained a feature of Variables performances, they have also
presented concerts of 20th / 21st century music by other Australian composers,
as well as 20th century English and German music - and of course frequently
dipping into past centuries.
Initially direction of the group was shared by Judith Clingan AM and Peter
Campbell; since 2000 Judith Clingan has been the principal director, with
David and Liam usually conducting their own works.
Membership has varied across the years but a strong core of
four original members has been retained.
The "Variables" first CD, The Floor of Heaven, was released December
2007. The CD contains sacred and secular music by Liam, David, Judith et al,
including Liam's Missa Brevis which will be sung at Holy Covenant.
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Sunday 10 August, 3.00 pm:
Creative Voices
Canberra poets Geoff Page, Mark O'Connor, John Foulcher and
Suzanne Edgar demonstrate their creative voices reading
from their poetry with musical interludes.
Come and hear some of Canberra's best known poets.
Geoff Page
Geoff Page comments on creativity:
"I suspect almost everyone has the potential for creativity (though not
necessarily in the arts). The necessary linguistic talent for writing poetry
is not uncommon but the determination to do it well over a long period is.
As Keats surmised with his idea of Negative Capability, it is not something
that can be forced - and yet it must be worked at. There are many enjoyable
- and frustrating - paradoxes here. And, of course, small amounts of money
play their part."
Mark O'Connor is a poet and prose-writer whose poems about
nature have been politically important in conserving natural areas in Australia,
and elsewhere. He has worked closely with Judith Wright in the environmental
group Sustainable Population Australia. He was keynote speaker at the 1999
Breath of Fresh Air conference in London on the preservation of
environments; and is a co-editor of the 400-page Oxford volume Protected
Area Management (2001) - an encyclopedia of methods for rangers and park
managers. He has given a series of talks on the ABC's Science Show on
environments and writing about environments.
Mark O'Connor
Mark O'Connor’s 15 books of poetry cover most of the main regions of Australia,
including rainforest (The Great Forest), coral reefs, mountains and
deserts. His poems are often published with evocative color photos that help
reach a wider audience. His prose book about Australia's environmental problems
(This Tired Brown Land) was described by the former Premier of New South
Wales Bob Carr in the Sydney Morning Herald as "the most important
Australian book of recent times". He is also the editor of Oxford University
Press's anthology Two Centuries of Australian Poetry (1996).
His poetry is included in many well-known anthologies, including the 5th
edition of Oxford University Press's massive international chronological
anthology Seven Centuries of Poetry in English (edited by J. Leonard,
ISBN 0 19 551420 3) in which he is allocated more space than any poet under the
age of Seamus Heaney. Mark O'Connor's website is
australianpoet.com.
His environmental play Planting the Dunk Botanic Gardens is currently
showing in Port Macquarie.
Suzanne Edgar worked as a research editor on the Australian
Dictionary of Biography and publishes poetry, fiction and journalism. Her short
stories are in many anthologies and she belongs to the group Seven Writers,
whose "Canberra Tales" (Penguin, 1988) was re-issued as "The Division of Love"
(1996). Her collection of short stories, "Counting Backwards" (UQP) was
short-listed for the Steele Rudd award in 1992. She is completing a novel for
children but her main focus now is on poetry. Many of her poems have appeared in
The Australian, Canberra Times, Quadrant, Adelaide Review, Antipodes and other
anthologies and magazines. A practised performer of her work, particularly in
art galleries, she has twice won the CJ Dennis literary award for poetry (2002
and 2003). Her poem "The Loneliness of Salt" is in Les Murray ed. "Best
Australian Poems 2004" and "Enid on the Sofa, 1957" is in Les Murray ed.
"Best Australian Poems 2005".
Suzanne Edgar
In 2002 she received a $10,000 grant from artsACT to prepare "The Painted Lady",
a collection of poetry. Launched by Murray at the ACT Writers' Centre in 2006,
"The Painted Lady" sold out in six months, was re-published in 2007 and was short
listed for both the ACT Government's Book of the Year and the ACT Writing and
Publishing awards in 2007.
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Saturday 16 August:
Theatre Restaurant
A night of outrageous skits, music and drama put on by the
young and not-so-young people of Holy Covenant. Come along
to be served some great food in good company with amusing
- if not quality - entertainment.
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Sunday 17 August, 2.00 - 5.00 pm:
ArtPlay InterPlay -
Exploring the Artist Within
This workshop will explore the creative process that underlies all art making,
whether it's cooking, gardening, performance or visual arts. Explore you own
habits of thinking and creating, get around the habits of procrastination,
learning to explore chaos for the benefit of creation. This workshop will use
simple methods in movement, drawing and telling stories in an affirming
environment that honours our creative spirits. Everyone welcome - no genius
required!
Led by Revd Rod Pattenden, artist, performer, and educational
consultant. Rod is a recognised speaker and writer in the area of spirituality
and the arts. He is Chair of the Blake Prize of Religious Art and Co-Director of
InterPlay Australia.
Revd Rod Pattenden
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Cost: $15 adults or $20 family
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Friday 22 August, 6.00 pm:
Composers' Concert
"A concert of new and innovative music by leading students from
the ANU School of Music."
According to the Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, composers project the
"infinite into the finite".
Composers throughout the ages, from Hildergard to Messiaen have described the
process of creating music in spiritual terms. Is this still the case?
Hear what some of Australia's emerging composers have to say in a concert of
imaginative and innovative music from leading students at the Australian
National University's School of Music.
This concert will showcase works performed at the highly successful SoundProof
concert series held once a semester at ANU.
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Cost: Gold coin donation
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More Information: Contact Fiona Fraser
Phone (02) 6251 3927 or email
fionaf@bigpond.net.au
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Sunday 31 August, 8.00 am:
Holy Communion
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Music: Oriana Chorale (12 to 14 voices)
Founded thirty years ago, the Oriana Chorale is one of Canberra's
leading a cappella choirs. It has won particular acclaim for its
innovative programming, including the Australian première performances
of such works as Schnittke's Requiem, Pärt's Miserere
and Rachmaninov's The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom.
Under its new Music Director, Tobias Cole, its three most recent concerts
have been:
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Rautavaara's Vigilia;
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a celebration in the sung and spoken word of
An Australian Summer;
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and The Romantics - some brilliant shorter
works for the church by the musical giants of the nineteenth century.
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Sunday 31 August, 3.00 pm:
High Tea followed by a panel discussion on the creative process.
Speakers: Jim Cotter (composer), Ella Whately (visual artist)
and John Smith (God Squad).
About the discussion panel:
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Jim Cotter has established himself as one of Australia's
leading composers for theatre. Cramphorn, Angela Punch McGregor, John Bell,
Geoffrey Rush, Scott Hicks, Warren Mitchell, Noni Hazelhurst,
Ruth Cracknell, Robert Menzies, John Howard and many others. He has worked
in dance, theatre, film and multimedia.
Jim Cotter
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A large amount of his work has been in an electronic medium due to the
demands of performance budgets but whilst embracing this medium in all of
its possible manifestations, he has still maintained a commitment to
acoustic music-making throughout his career, finding time to write works
for specific musicians and ensembles. His duo for bassoon and digderidoo,
A Goldberg Variation, was performed by request at the ceremony for Nelson
Mandela's honorary doctorate at the ANU. He has created scores for every
major theatre company in Australia, toured internationally with works
especially commissioned, and created a solid body of work with the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation. One of these works was Rita's Lullaby,
earning him the prestigious international award, the Prix Italia. He has
been resident composer at the Australian National Playwrights Conference
for ten years and has also created a number of music-theatre works -
including Pentagram: Pantomime or Parable? Written for five actors,
woodwind trio and electronics, Variations on Themes of Adrian Mitchell,
for 12 performers, wind quintet, electric trumpet, soprano saxophone and
electronics and Whale Nation, for actors and electronics - that have
brought together elements from both disciplines in a new and exciting
manner.
In addition to his compositional work, he has published extensively in newspapers, journals and monographs, combining scholarly research with a commitment to providing general readers with an understanding of contemporary music. He is currently editing a series of interviews with composer Larry Sitsky for publication by the National Library of Australia.
Jim Cotter has been teaching in the Composition and Musicology departments
of the School of Music since 1992 and when asked to describe his approach
to teaching provided the following: "I am deeply committed to encouraging
students to find their own voice and to understand and develop the skills
necessary to suvive in an increasingly difficult profession. Like Larry
Sitsky, I do not push a particular style, genre or methodology of
composition but try to open students’ awareness to all that has come before
so that they are better equipped to make informed decisions on their own
artistic and professional development."
School of Music faculty member since 1992.
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Ella Whately is currently doing a Masters of Philosophy at the Australian
National University in the Painting Department having been painting full time
since arriving in Canberra five years ago. Her practical post-graduate work is
currently concerned with material enquiry into the ascension of Christ through
abstraction. Her theoretical work is concerned with the work of artists who
have embarked on an enquiry into the divine through the language of time and
the eternal.
In October 2007 she won the inaugural Instituto Di Cultura Premio Italia Prize
and in 2005 was a finalist in the Canberra Art Prize. She has had two sell out
solo shows, the first ‘Lipstick’ in Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Manuka in
2005 and the second "Raising Lazarus’ in 2006 at ANCA Gallery in Dickson. Over
the last five years she ahs taken part in numerous group shows.
From 1997-2002 Ella lived in Wellington, New Zealand where she lectured at
Massey University School of Art in Graphic Design department whilst undertaking
numerous freelance design jobs in the publishing world. She also maintained her
own art practice.
From 1991-1997 Ella worked as an Art Director at Vogue Magazines, Conde Nase
Publications in North Sydney. Prior to this she worked as a designer and art
director for various publishing houses in London.
Ella has a post-graduate diploma in Illustration (specialising in printmaking)
from St Martin’s School of Art, London and an honours degree in Visual
Communications from Bath Academy of Art, Bath.
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John Smith: Speaker, Social Anthropologist, Author,
Advocate, Biker and Evangelist.
John Smith
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Dr John Smith is the founder and Executive Director of
Concern Australia
and the founding President of
God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club
of 35 years.
He is an author, a social anthropologist, a business speaker, a teacher and
lecturer, a biker, a defender of the poor and marginalised, a lover of blues
music, a gifted evangelist, an elder of the radical Discipleship Movement,
and a prominent social commentator.
He is as much at home talking to business leaders, academics, church
leaders, politicians and the media, as he is with school children,
university students, the poor and marginalised, and outlaw motorcycle
club members.
John has spoken in Australia and around the world at music and arts
festivals (Greenbelt in the UK, the European Christian Arts and Music
Festival, the Australian Gospel Music Festival/EasterFest in Toowoomba,
and Black Stump Music Festival in Sydney to name a few). He has shared the
stage with former President Jimmy Carter and has addressed the United
Nations Human Rights Commission. He is a regular guest speaker at churches
around Australia and at corporate and service club events such as business
roundtable dinners, corporate keynote addresses and Rotary Club Annual
Conferences.
God’s Squad’s CMC which John founded in Melbourne over 35 years ago is a
recognisable identity within the "outlaw" bike scene where it provides an
important chaplaincy role, responding to personal needs as well as
performing the more traditional functions of marriages, baptisms and
funerals. It now has a presence throughout eastern Australia in Queensland,
New South Wales and Victoria as well as overseas in New Zealand, United
Kingdom, United States, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine,
Ireland.
Concern Australia is a well established Christian mission and welfare
organisation helping change lives by responding to physical, relational
and spiritual needs of marginalised and disadvantaged people (especially
youth) through love, justice, mercy and compassion.
John is Superintendent of St Martin’s Community Church in the inner city
Melbourne suburb of Collingwood which seeks to meaningfully communicate
and contextualise the message of the Gospel and a Christian worldview to
the holistic needs of all, especially those who feel alienated or outside the influence of other churches.
John Smith has written five books and has another in the final stages of
editing. His first book "On the Side of the Angels" which sold over 80,000
copies at its first printing was extensively revised and republished in 2006.
Another of his books "Advance Australia Where - A lack of meaning in a land
of plenty" was awarded religious book of the year in 1989. He is currently
revising and updating another of his earlier books "Cutting Edge" for
re-publication in November this year and his doctoral dissertation on the
"Jesus Movement" is currently being edited for publication in the USA.
He has been married to Glena (also a passionate worker with the
disadvantaged) for over 40 years. They have three adult children and
15 grandchildren.
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The Festival of Arts coordinating committee can be contacted
by email at
outsidethesquare@holycovenant.org.au
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Welcome
Festival of Arts
