Festival of Voices 2022: Excitement builds for Big Sing Bonfire

A bumper crowd is expected in Hobart this weekend as excitement builds for the Festival of Voices’ signature event. Find out more>>

Ed Bourke

@edbourke6

3 min read

July 2, 2022 - 10:15AM

Tasmania

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THE Festival of Voices will rise to a crescendo this weekend with a bumper crowd expected for its signature event, the Big Sing Bonfire.

It is anticipated more than 2000 people will pack into Macquarie Point on Saturday evening for the feel-good singalong, which this year will be a mass rendition of Ike and Tina Turner’s 1996 hit River Deep – Mountain High.

Among the featured performances for the evening will be singer and guitarist Michael Simic, from Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentleman.

The crooner from southern New South Wales said he was “thrilled” to be involved in the Festival of Voices, with the group performing their show at the Theatre Royal on July 9.

“I’ve always been aware of Festival of Voices but this is my first one and I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” Mr Simic said.

Festival of Voices performer Michael Simic from Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentleman. Picture: Linda Higginson

Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentleman’s album “After the Flood”, which includes hits “At the Bocce Club”, “Caravan of Love” and “Dreams Left Behind”, was inspired by the experiences of post-war European migrants who worked on the Australian Hydro schemes.

The group would adapt their show to explore the legacy of those who worked on the construction of Hydro Tasmania, Mr Simic said.

“We did a project about seven years ago about the Snowy Hydro up in New South Wales,” he said.

“My dad came out from Croatia and worked on that in the 60s, as did thousands of other men coming out from Europe.

“We’ve been doing a bit of research and it’s a similar story in some ways in Tasmania.”

Mr Simic said he would love to hear from locals on Saturday about their experiences to influence the group’s performance next week.

The Big Sing Bonfire warms the hearts of Tasmania during the 2018 Festival of Voices. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

“I’m putting it out to people – if you’ve got a relative or you see this and you have a great hydro story, I’m writing some extra songs for the show – so if you want your story to be in the show, let’s catch up and have a coffee and we’ll weave it into the show,” he said.

Festival director Peter Choraziak said he was looking forward to the energy in a Big Sing crowd that, unlike last year, would be able to stand up and dance.

“People can still opt to bring their camp chairs and sit down to enjoy the night if they want to, but quite a large part of the audience on Thursday chose to get up and dance, which we can do this year,” he said.

Mr Choraziak urged singers of all abilities to join the crowd, saying the least confident could rely on “strength in numbers”.

“When there’s only a couple of you singing, it can sound a bit naff, but when there’s 2000 people singing together, we all sound wonderful.

“There will be plenty of food and beverage vans around too, to ensure that tonsils are well lubricated.”