Co-presented by Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators and DeepBlue Orchestra
Free performances at HOTA – Home of the Arts on May 13, 2023 and Northern Australian Festival of the Arts on June 30-July 2, 2023 supported by Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government Initiative.
Join acclaimed Australian string ensemble DeepBlue, master percussionist & South East Asia gong expert Michael Askill, Maori Sonic Weaver WHAIA, and Persian violinist Greta Kelly for a euphoric musical experience under the night sky.
Take a walk through an ocean of musicians, illuminated by awe-inspiring light installations with original contemporary classical music by Australian composer Dr Corrina Bonshek that is inspired by cycles and patterns of nature.
This extraordinary collaboration features 30 young local musicians, visual designs by local artists, dialogue with Elders, and sounds and footage of the extraordinary biodiverse marine life of Butchulla country.
Song to the Ocean was so evocative and a gift of deep reverence… When we connect more deeply to the ocean, we want to protect it.
Bianca Clifton
This was a beautiful way of engaging our younger generation… on our beautiful Butchulla country.
Aunty Joy Bonner, Butchulla Community Linguist
We firstly acknowledge the Butchulla Peoples, Custodians of the land, waters, and culture, where we brought our creative dreams alive.
Music Composition & Artistic Direction: Dr Corrina Bonshek
Performers: DeepBlue, Dr Michael Askill, WHAIA, Greta Kelly and Skylar Sansome leading a team of remarkable young local musicians
Vocal/instrumental improvisation & creative cultural consultant: WHAIA
Large-scale light sculptures: Mimi Dennett
Wearable & small scale light installations: Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner
Prototyping and facilitation for silhouette art: Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner
Collaborating installation artists:
Cultural consultant: Aunty Karen Hall
Welcome to Country: Joyce Bonner & Karen Hall
Lighting design & Production Manager: Blake Howson
Sound design: Corrina Bonshek with spatialisation by Anna Whitaker, marine recordings by The Oceania Project
Live sound: Aaron Mason
Choreography: DeepBlue and Aunty Karen Hall
Audio & visual footage: by The Oceania Project, Brett Vercoe & The Pacific Whale Foundation
Producer: Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators and DeepBlue Orchestra
Song to the Ocean is co-commissioned by Fraser Coast Tourism & Events and Fraser Coast Regional Council, with assistance of the Australian Government through the Festivals Australia program and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), a partnership between the Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
This work is an adaptation of Song to the Earth which was co-commissioned by City of Gold Coast, Bleach*Festival and the Queensland Government through the Regional Arts Development Fund and the Office of the Commonwealth Games and other funding sources, and premiered at Bleach* at Festival 2018.
2023 | Northern Australian Festival of Arts, June 30-July 2. Jezzine Park.
2023 | HOTA – Home of the Arts, May 13. Gold Coast
2021 | Hervey Bay Whale Festival, July 29-30. Seafront Oval, Pialba.
Song to the Ocean is available for presentation in Australia in 2023, New Zealand in October 2024, and Asia/North America in 2025.
Presenters Pack for Song to the Ocean
Please get in touch with producer Greta Kelly for more information and to start a conversation.
