Top line-up for Shir Madness
WHAT do The Voice contestant Ben Goldstein, American “Kosher Gospel” singer Joshua Nelson and ARIA Award winner Deborah Conway all have in common?
WHAT do The Voice contestant Ben Goldstein, American “Kosher Gospel” singer Joshua Nelson and ARIA Award winner Deborah Conway all have in common?
They’ll all be performing at this year’s Shir Madness, along with a host of diverse acts including critically acclaimed Australian folk-pop quintet Tinpan Orange, renowned pianist Simon Tedeschi, up-and-coming rapper Freeds and many more.
The third incarnation of the festival on December 1 will once again be held at Bondi Pavilion and will feature an array of musical styles.
“Once again, we have got a huge variety of performers covering many different genres. Everything from pop through to klezmer, world music, vaudeville, hip hop, vogue rock, West African groove and more,” festival manager and artistic director Nicola Ossher said.
“We also have a large selection of up-and-coming acts this year; we’re very excited to present a lot of performers in their late teens and early 20s. One of which will be the Barefoot Band featuring Ben Goldstein, who made a bit of a name for himself on The Voice.”
Another performer, Ange Takats, was recently named folk singer/songwriter of the year at the 2013 Queensland Music Awards.
Ossher said a lot of work goes into creating such a diverse program each year.
“It’s a huge challenge to ensure that we have a nice balance of genres, as well as a nice balance of the various traditional Jewish music along with the more contemporary acts,” she said.
She said festival-goers will also be “quite blown away” by the festival space itself, which will be transformed with an array of art installations being prepared by the Shir Madness creative team.
“It’s going to be a bigger focus this year to really create that festival environment that people who’ve been to some of the bigger camping festivals around Australia would be familiar with,” she said.
Ossher added that tickets are already “selling like hot latkes”.
“Don’t miss the opportunity to have your eyes and ears blown away by such an incredible array of artists and musicians that will leave you talking about the festival for months to come,” she enthused.
“Book your tickets now before they sell out.”
Full line-up/information/tickets: www.shirmadness.com.
GARETH NARUNSKY
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