MEDIA RELEASE – 29th 2009 

Illawarra Folk Week

Monday 16th – 21st November 2009

Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong City Mall & Wollongong City Diggers

New Festival Website is:- www.illawarrafolkfestival.com.au

ART AND FOLK- FREE CONCERTS

The Wollongong Art Gallery will again play host to music and verse when the Illawarra Folk Club launches its festival with a preview series of free lunchtime concerts from Monday 16th to Thursday 19th November.

The concerts will feature some of the Illawarra’s best Folk Artists and poets and will start at 12.20pm and finish at 1.30pm. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available for free, but patrons can bring their own lunches. Tickets for the Bulli Festival held in January will also be available at the very low early bird prices of $75 for the four days.

The Monday Concert will have the theme ‘Our Singing Poets’ and will feature presentations by John Broomhall, Alan Musgrove, Emma Hannah, and Claire Roberts. They will perform works of some of our best loved poets that, over the years, have been put to music. Poets like Henry Lawson, Will Ogilvy, Kenneth Slessor, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Banjo Paterson and others will all feature heavily.

Tuesday the poets will be given full reign, with a special appearance by the ABC’s iconic Blue the Shearer. Blue will be supported, among others, by some of the regions best bush poets in Zondrai King, Thalia and Vivienne Sawyer.

Wednesday will see two local bands play with ‘Az-I-Am’ led by the Mount Kembla Nightingale Chris Wilson supported by the ‘Whatsername Duo,’

Thursday is a special- when ‘A Tribute To Mary’ will be presented. Mary, of course is Mary Travers of Peter Paul and Mary fame who died a couple of months ago. Claire Roberts and Emma Hannah grew up on Mary Travers and Peter Paul and Mary and are combining forces to present this very special tribute.

If this is not enough the official launch of the Festival Programme will take place in the Mall on Friday 20th when Senator Ursula Stevens (Parliamentary Secretary advising the PM on volunteering and community involvement and David Campbell, Minister for Transport and the Illawarra will give it the Governments Blessing.

But wait, there is still more. It’s the biggest Celtic Night of the year for the club when it presents Iconic Scottish Band the Borderers and Irish band Coolfin Mac at the City Diggers starting at 7.30pm.

 

Further information

Russell Hannah

bigruss43@bigpond.com

02) 4297 1777

Theresa Gregory

Media & Promotions Manager

Illawarra Folk Club Inc & Illawarra Folk Festival

0413 219 112 or gregorytk@bigpond.com