Media release – Van Diemen’s Band, 13 March 2024
SONGS OF THE SEA
TASMANIAN CHOIRS JOIN MIKELANGELO FOR A MARITIME MUSICAL ODYSSEY
Shipwrecked sailors, bewitching mermaids, wily fishermen, and dark mysterious oceans are all evoked in Songs of the Sea, a nautical journey in story and song that will circumnavigate our island state in a five-stop tour this March.
Songs of the Sea brings together the talents of raconteur, bittersweet bard and sepulchral baritone Mikelangelo (Michael Simic of the folk quintet Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen) with the all-female trio Van Diemen’s Fiddles and guest instrumentalists Luke Plumb (mandolin) and Dave McNamara (accordion). Together, they mix maritime folk music styles with classical composition to uncover the ocean’s secrets.
Joining these musical voyagers will be an ever-changing chorus of shanty-singers drawn from landfalls along the way: The Stranded Wailers (nipaluna/Hobart), Maria Voices (Triabunna), Choir in the Pub (Launceston), Crescendo Choirs (pataway/Burnie) and The Queenie Quior (Queenstown). The varied sounds of each group, ranging from ethereal children’s voices down to growling basses, will ensure that each of the concerts is a unique sonic experience.
“They’ll all be different because of their locality,” says VDB Artistic Director (and one of the Fiddles) Julia Fredersdorff. “And they have the opportunity to work at a fully professional level while bellowing some out-there sea shanties, possibly stealing the show!”
Songs of the Sea’s presiding presence, however, is Mikelangelo himself, a multi-talented captain of the ship: salt-encrusted storyteller, singer, composer and arranger. Working with one of the most vivid indie music personalities in the country is an exciting new development in the Fiddles’ own musical journey across all genres from the Middle Ages to now.
“We first played for Michael in a concert on board the tall ship James Craig for the 2023 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart,” says Fredersdorff. “It was clear to all of us that the musical combination was perfect, and the subject of the sea had so much more to offer as an expanded show.”
Having Songs of the Sea travel itself is an essential part of the concept, Fredersdorff adds. “We love the idea of turning each concert into a showcase of regionality. Wherever our ship reaches landfall, we’ll hear the singing of those who come to greet us. Every point of our odyssey will be like a homecoming.”
Oceans connect us, and they keep us apart. Floating on the swell of an ocean’s turbulent seas are grand, lyrical narratives that are forever evolving through stories, myth and song. They’re all in Songs of the Sea, sung and spoken by Mikelangelo and a coast-to-coast motley choral crew, accompanied by bowed and plucked strings along with the sailor’s shanty instrument of choice, the accordion. Your timbers will shiver, your land ahoyed, and the smell of seawater will follow you home.
SONGS OF THE SEA lutruwita/Tasmania Statewide Tour dates & locations
Performances dates/venues
Hobart (The Hedberg) Saturday 23 March, 3pm & 7pm
Triabunna (Spring Bay Mill) Sunday 24 March, 3pm
Launceston (The Princess Theatre) Monday 25 March, 6pm
Burnie (Burnie Arts Centre) Tuesday 26 March, 7.30pm
Queenstown (The Paragon) Wednesday 27 March, 6pm
Tickets: $25-$55 including $30 under 30 tickets
For more info please visit: www.vandiemensband.com.au/whats-on.
