2012 Café Culture series ‘a dazzler’
East Gippsland Shire’s Café Culture program is returning for 2012, with the program promising some great talent in the year ahead.
Once again, the program is shaped around quality, artistic integrity and diversity. It has an emphasis on praising originality, honouring traditions and valuing inventiveness. Only artists displaying exemplary talents and considerable performance skills have been carefully selected to create a program that is interesting, inspiring and pleasantly surprising.
Kicking off the first of the shows on Friday, February 10, is Carneval Strings, a delightfully entertaining string quartet that has been invited back by popular demand. This dynamic, traditional string quartet comprises four exceptional musicians playing two violins, a viola and a cello. Their extensive repertoire ranges from Baroque and Classical and they also ‘borrow’ some lively 50s and 60s swing jazz style and a splash of Hungarian folk music. The performers engage in warm and witty audience interaction.
Exuberant youth take the stage for the second show of the series. String Theory recently received the Peter Daly Award for ‘Best Upcoming Young Traditional Group’. This four-piece band play fiddles Appalachian dulcimer, funky cello and banjo. They perform their own ‘new’ arrangements of traditional and contemporary Appalachian songs and tunes. Add some sweet vocal harmonies and their sound is complete. String Theory also won the coveted Motown competition at the National Folk Festival in Canberra.
The third show for the year is a splendidly choreographed show where the audience experiences elegant illusion to the classical serenades of Mozart, Rossini and Saint-Saëns. Elio Simonetti and his wonderful assistant Eva Salleh perform all manner of magic and sleight of hand manoeuvres. Animals appear out of thin air. This show is visually stunning and completely engaging with a distinct ‘old world’ feel about it. There are plenty of humorous capers with audience volunteers who are treated with respect and never embarrassed, which is a welcome departure from the more common ‘grab a laugh at the volunteer’s expense’ style of comedy. Elio and Eva create an on stage experience that is artistic, inventive, impeccably routined and irresistibly entertaining. This show is especially appropriate for children and adults alike.
In the 14 years that the Café Culture Series has been running, it is traditional to end the year with a light hearted, upbeat, fun show. For the 2012 series, Diddly Eyes has been formed specifically to fit the bill. This Irish traditional music trio boasts Proinnsias (Frank) Murphy who is back by popular demand. In 2008, Frank was one half of the eternally popular To Be Sure, To Be Sure, is now one third of this equally silly named Traditional Irish trio. Frank is accompanied by Andrew Cooper and Anthony O’Neil - both well respected musicians in the Irish music scene in Melbourne. They will present jigs, reels, songs, stories, poems and jokes, in the hands of the very best traditional Irish musicians Melbourne has to offer. Apart from their exceptional musical talents, they also posses the precious ability to not take themselves too seriously.
The Café Culture Series is supported by the Victorian Government, through Arts Victoria and the Community Support Fund, the East Gippsland Shire Council and Surf Life Saving Lakes Entrance for the pleasure and edification of local residents. Great value season tickets for all four shows are available for only $60 per person or pre-purchased tickets for individual performances cost $22.00 per person or $25.00 at the door. Season tickets and pre-purchases are on sale now at the Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale Visitor Information Centres.
Picture: Carneval Strings will kick-off the 2012 Café Culture Series on Friday, February 10, at Forestech, Kalimna West, commencing 7pm.