QPAC reboots with a Queensland Day concert

QPAC may not be open to the public yet but performers have been on stage all this week recording segments for a concert to celebrate Queensland Day this Saturday night.

WHEN Brisbane-based musical theatre star Shubshri Kandiah took to the stage this week at QPAC she had the perfect song for the occasion.

Kandiah, 25, belted out A Whole New World from the musical Aladdin with a little help from fellow local performer Alex Woodward.

And it was a whole new world for the performers because it was their first time on stage in months recording segments for QPAC’s True North concert for Queensland Day which will screen on YouTube from 7pm Saturday night.

Queensland Ballet presents a whole month of romantic ballet online

Qld Ballet offers free online dance lessons for disabled kids

Bran Nue Dae Brisbane: July shows cancelled at QPAC

Kandiah, a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, recently played Princess Jasmine in Aladdin.

She’s from Perth originally but has made Brisbane her home and says she hasn’t minded being stuck here at all during lockdown.

“In fact I love being stuck here,” Kandiah says.

“I moved here for uni, I love Queensland and it’s wonderful to be back on stage at QPAC and nice to have been asked. My last performance here was in a new year’s eve concert with the Queensland Pops Orchestra.”

Shubshri Kandiah

QPAC chief executive John Kotzas says he’s excited about Saturday night’s special Queensland Day show which is being recorded throughout the week. And he’s been lucky enough to sit in on some performances.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a significant performance in the Concert Hall at QPAC for three months,” Kotzas says.

“You can feel the heart of the building coming alive again. And we are lucky to have so much talent stranded here to draw on. We’ve called it True North because it’s a show that brings us back to our values and orienting point and we wanted to make it diverse and inclusive. Culture helps glue a society together and this acknowledges that.”

QPAC chief executive is excited to have performers on stage again

Kotzas said he was honouring the contribution of performers with “a small wage” but we get to enjoy it for free.

The line-up features musical theatre star Amy Lehpamer who starred in School of Rock, Shubshri Kandiah, singer Katie Noonan accompanied by Zac Hurren on saxophone, the Queensland Ballet with an introduction by artistic director Li Cunxin, Opera Queensland stars Rosario La Spin and Rebecca Cassidy accompanied by local piano sensation Alex Raineri, Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and, among others, beatboxer Tom Thum who will be performing his usual vocal gymnastics and giving us all a world premiere of a new work.

Thum, 35, says he usually does a fair bit of isolating working in his home studio.

Beatboxer Tom Thum likes to imagine his audience naked

“So I’ve been doing what I normally do minus the touring and the income,” Thum says. “My last public gig was in Mumbai in India where I played with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra for TEDx.

“Now I’m back performing again without an audience. So instead of doing what I normally do, which is imagine the audience naked, I’m just imagining an audience. It’s hard for me because a lot of my energy comes from that audience. So recording my piece this week has been a different process. I was super excited when I got the call about the gig though. And it has been fun.”

The True North concert will stream on YouTube at 7pm Saturday 6 June. Details via qpac.com.au