Music to stir the soul

An event unlike any other, Tasmania’s Festival of Voices blends the artist and the amateur to create sweet music.

Festival of Voices major community event: Bonfire & Big Sing, Salamanca. Pic: Richard Jupe

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow knew what he was talking about when he declared “oh how wonderful is the human voice!”

The organ of the soul, as he put it so eloquently, is an instrument that, in song, is capable of inspiring a wide range of emotions and in an unlimited variety of styles and combinations. An aria, a rock song, a nursery rhyme or a choral cacophony has the power to heal, to bring joy, to unite or to make the heart soar.

In Tasmania, for the past 12 years, the Festival of Voices in and around Hobart has celebrated the singing art in its many forms. Those heightened emotions stirred by vocal dexterity fill the air each year as thousands of people gather in celebration, rejoicing in the voice’s power, its melodic grace and its natural beauty.

This year’s stellar Festival of Voices, which takes place from June 30 until July 16, is yet another opportunity for those of all ages and nationalities who sing, as well as for those who appreciate singing, to come together in the welcoming surroundings of one of Australia’s most beguiling and artistically rewarding cities in order to enjoy the human voice.

Whether it’s to marvel at the exquisitely-crafted pop of Sydney’s Sarah Blasko in solo mode, to try one’s hand at singing barbershop, gospel or classical pieces at the numerous workshops across the city and beyond or to join in at the traditional Big Sing Bonfire in Hobart’s Salamanca Place, Festival of Voices is the place to gather in the heart of the Tasmanian winter.

The Festival of Voices is an event unlike any other on the Australian music calendar, where amateur and professional choirs of all sizes and styles perform in numerous venues across the city, from the airport to the internationally acclaimed Museum of Old and New Art (Mona). It’s a festival with a sense of community, too, not just among the thousands of locals who enjoy the concerts, discussions, workshops and the impromptu performances, but among the increasing number of visitors who come each year from around Australia and overseas.

A quick look at the festival program reveals the depth and diversity of the 2017 festivities.

For three days on the breathtakingly beautiful Bruny Island southeast of Hobart, seminal Aussie rock band Spiderbait’s drummer and songwriter extraordinaire Kram will conduct this year’s One Eye on the Stranger program. This event pairs a well-known Australian musician with up-and-coming artists from each state to help them develop their song writing skills and musicianship. The workshop culminates in a concert performance at the festival’s main venue, Hobart City Hall, on July 13.

City Hall plays host also to a broad selection of vocalists, from Waranta, the celebration of local indigenous music led by singer Dewayne Everettsmith, and Australian singer Sophie Kho delving into her Chinese heritage in Book of Songs to the grandeur of Mendelssohn’s Oratorio Elijah, featuring Australian soloists Greta Bradman (soprano), Anna Dowsley (mezzo soprano) and Christopher Richardson (bass baritone) as well as the Hobart Chamber Orchestra and the Festival of Voices Youth Choir under the baton of UK conductor David Lawrence.

Aside from Blasko, Hobart’s Theatre Royal hosts a cappella quartet, The Idea of North, the spiritual song of Toni Childs and comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers’ award-winning production Speedmouse.

The Festival of Voices is also an excuse, if one were needed, to enjoy the first-class cuisine in the many restaurants, wine bars and pubs around Hobart and the picturesque environment and friendly atmosphere in the hotels and cafes on the East Coast of Tasmania and inland.

This year’s Festival of Voices opening night features the pop sounds of Frente alongside Dylanesque Melbourne singer Van Walker, not to mention fireworks and food, in the spectacular setting of the Tasmanian Bushland Garden in Buckland, an hour north east of the capital. Staying on the East Coast, try Henry Wagons at White Sands Estate on July 1 or a Greek-themed cruise featuring The Bouzouki Boys at nearby Coles Bay on July 2.

Festival of Voices is a music festival on the surface, but much more than that underneath. It provides a rare chance to hear and see some of the best the human voice has to offer each year, but it’s also a perfect setting in which to mix music with local culture and to enjoy the myriad of performances and styles conjured up by those organs of the soul, while simultaneously soaking up the spirit, the hospitality and the splendour of Australia’s island state.

This content was produced in association with Tasmania- Go Behind The Scenery. Read our policy on commercial content here.

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