A summer weekend of live music, experimentation and performance at Studio 4101 in South Bank will showcase some of the city’s hottest new musical talent.
The eclectic pop-up experience from 13 – 14 February is the result of a new collaboration between OperaQ, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) and West End uber-creatives, Hub 4101.
Festivities will kick off at 6pm with the seductive tunes of Barega Saxophone Quartet, one of Australia’s premier ensembles, followed by a dose of sonic wizardry from The Con’s Music Technology artists and the powerhouse vocals of rising star Petah Chapman.
Audiences can then delve into the fantastically sinister music theatre work, Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, based on a Russian folk-tale, which follows a doomed soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil for unlimited economic gain.
Jazz enthusiasts will next enjoy a late night session with pianist and composer Steve Newcomb and friends with Jazz Up Late in the indoor/outdoor lounge and bar.
Perched just metres from the Brisbane River, Studio 4101is set to become an imaginative space where adventurous artists and musicians of all kinds can create and perform for local audiences.
The Barega Saxophone Quartet comprising the talents of Emma Di Marco, Sarah Henderson, Andrew Ball and Samantha Mason.
According to QCGU Deputy Director (Performance and Engagement), Mr Peter Luff, it’s the ideal opportunity to showcase the talents emerging from this cultural precinct.
“Combining our creative forces for this latest event series is a fantastic way for Brisbane audiences to see the immense talent being nurtured locally,” he says.
“The laidback nature of the studio is the perfect atmosphere for artists and musicians to embrace adventure and the unexpected without the confines of more formal venues.
“We hope it will become an inspirational space for performers and music lovers alike.”
OperaQ Artistic Director Lindy Hume agrees saying the pop-up format perfectly suited the company’s direction for the coming year.
“Studio 4101 shows a completely different, more adventurous face of the South Bank neighbourhood – our end of the precinct is all about artists in the studio and the creative process, and that’s what we’re celebrating,” she says.
“With our partners the Queensland Conservatorium, we’re bringing together an incredibly diverse group of artists and musicians such as the distinguished tenor Greg Massingham – also a formidable actor – who will be performing alongside rising dance talent Jack Zeising from Expressions Dance Company in Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.
“The experimental nature of a studio allows us to program a music theatre work between edgy and experimental music events, curated by the eminent Queensland musician Peter Luff, in a relaxed environment where artists and audiences can share raw performance experiences.”
As an added bonus, and in keeping with the pop-up event’s experimental programming, buskers taking part in Brisbane Festival’s Valentine’s Busk will set up shop outside Studio 4101 on Saturday afternoon to make history in the world’s biggest busk.
STUDIO 4101 PROGRAM LINE-UP
13 and 14 February
6.00pm, Emerging Artists
Performance by Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s new and emerging artists including the Barega Saxophone Quartet comprising the talents of Emma Di Marco, Sarah Henderson, Andrew Ball and Samantha Mason. Fast becoming one of the country’s premier single reed ensembles, the group enjoys a versatile and wide-ranging program of music from French and classical to minimalism and contemporary. The quartet will be joined by artists from the Music Technology program and rising opera star Petah Chapman.
8.00pm, The Soldier’s Tale
A gripping performance of Igor Stravinsky’s dark and devilish theatre work, sung, danced and played.Featuring seven distinct instruments, the piece dates back to the post World War 1 era, just as the genre of jazz was merging into the mainstream.
10.00pm, Jazz Up Late
Join pianist and composer Steve Newcomb and friends for some late night experimental jazz. Steve has composed numerous arrangements for artists such as Katie Noonan, Ben Folds, Augie March and Ben Lee and now leads the Queensland Conservatorium’s jazz department and directs its big band, The Con Artists.
The program allows for the purchase of tickets to one or all of the three shows, which will run for an hour each.
Tickets available from qtix.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Marino, 0418 799 544, [email protected]
