Delight of Spring
September 2013
Port Fairy Spring Music Festival
Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, now in its 24th year and regarded as one of the leading classical music festivals in Victoria, again boasts a strong program for 2013 with artists from overseas performing alongside high profile Australian singers and musicians as well as up and coming classical talent.
Highlights will include Russian pianist Yuri Rozum playing Tchaikovsky, Sweden’s Haga Duo performing a program on flute and guitar and Sydney’s The Song Company presenting music from across the ages. Moscow-based tenor Andrew Goodwin will also be singing some Schubert as well as performing with Monash Sinfonia, and the female members of The Black Arm Band Company will be presenting their acclaimed dirtsong which uses 11 different Indigenous languages.
Classical pianist and writer Anna Goldsworthy has helmed the boutique festival for a number of years and chose Voyage as the theme for 2013.
“I’ve always found it useful to have a theme that you can hang the performances on,” the artistic director says. “So with this year’s theme being Voyage, it’s music that will take the audience on a journey of some kind.
“I also think it’s the strongest line-up yet and I’m thrilled at the calibre of the artists involved,” Goldsworthy adds.
“In putting it all together, I liken it to creating a dinner party where you invite people who would be able to interact with each other and create a new chemistry.”
Noted Australian composer Andrew Ford will premiere his new song cycle, Last Words, which will feature New York-based soprano Jane Sheldon.
“It’s a work commissioned by the Australia Council and it was Andrew’s fabulous idea to set the last words of some famous characters and some fi ctional characters, such as Tim Winton’s Fish from Cloudstreet, to music,” Goldsworthy explains.
The festival prides itself on presenting wellestablished artists alongside young talent.
“That’s always been part of our brief,” Goldsworthy declares, “and our audience takes delight in that. It’s lovely to see someone like the wonderful violinist Christian Winter, who first played at the festival as a student many years ago, now doing so well as leader of the Australian String Quartet. Having younger musicians at the festival also gives it a lot ofenergy.”
There will also be fun to be had when opera singer and cabaret artist Ali McGregor hosts Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night.
“That has always been a very popular feature but this will be the fi rst time Ali has hosted it,” Goldsworthy says.
“It’s an opportunity to present some of the festival artists in ways that might not be expected. So Ali will have some surprise festival guests with her as well as presenting her own show.”
Port Fairy Spring Music Festival runs from Friday, October 11 until Sunday, October 13
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