Artists
Luke Byrne who has extensive experience working with young voices as accompanist and composer. Luke is the official accompanist, pianist and arranger with the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus and has worked with Moorambilla Voices since 2008. He works currently with The Australian Girls Choir, Sydney Philharmonia Vox Choir, Sydney Children’s Choir and Gondwana Choirs as accompanist and arranger and is on staff as composer and accompanist at the MLC School in Sydney. Hear Luke Byrne leading the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus men in Back in My Day at the 2009 Moorambilla Festival
MOORAMBILLA FEATURED ARTISTS
2011 ARTISTS
NGEMBA WAILWAN ARTIST COLLECTIVE - WARREN - the Ngemba Wailwan are a language group of the ancient Wailan people centred in the Shire of Warren along the Macqaurie River in outback NSW. The paintings of the Ngemba Wailwan people are a continuation of the tree scarring and ground marks of these people.
The Wailwan people inhabit the area between Gilgandra and Brewarrina in Central Western NSW - Centred around the town of Warren.
From 1860 to 1890 their population reduced from around 30,000 to 800 and became almost extinct. They were mark makers and tree carvers with intricate totems and symbols. The descendants of this 60,000 year old civilisation continue the symbolic work of their Ancestors through the Aboriginal Artists group the Ngemba Wailwan also known as the Nyimpaa Weilwan.
Their work is rich vibrant ancient symbolism inquality oils on heavy linen canvas and has the feel of rich leather, it is a faithful rendition of the legendary Glyphs of their Ancestors.
Each Wailwan has their own totemic symbol along with clan symbols which they use to produce this exciting work - the symbols of a lost tribe.
Their work contains no dots unlike their western brothers, rather a truer rendition of the ground and tree carvings passed on to them in totemic symbolism. These symbols are scared and the secrecy is preserved by the Wailwan.
The Wailwan people continue this tradition to keep the culture alive and are assisted in this endeavour by the Warren Macquarie Local Aboriginal Land Council and also Outback Arts supported by ARTS NSW.
Paul Goodchild studied trumpet in Sydney and Europe and was appointed a full-time member of the Sydney Symphony at age 18, later becoming Associate Principal Trumpet. With the SSO, he has toured extensively throughout the USA, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Asia, as well as Singapore, China and Korea with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He is Principal Trumpet of many of Sydney’s freelance orchestras and frequently performs with the Chamber Soloists of Sydney, Collegium Musicum at UNSW, Australia Ensemble, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, with whom he has also been a soloist.
In 2009 he performed in the Townsville Chamber Music Festival and in the Sydney Festival with the London Sinfonietta and Morphoses Ballet. This year, he will perform at the International Trumpet Guild World Conference in Sydney. Leading Australian composers have written works for him, including Carl Vine, Ross Edwards, Barry McKimm, David Stanhope, Matthew Hindson and Paul Stanhope. In 2005 he gave the premiere of Alan Holley’s trumpet concerto Doppler’s Web with the Sydney Symphony, reprising it in 2006 with the Queensland Orchestra.
Paul Goodchild is Musical Director of the Waverley Bondi Beach Band and Director of Sydney Brass, one of Australia’s oldest and most respected chamber music ensembles.
Choir in Residence - Leichhardt Espresso Chorus
Leichhardt Espresso Chorus as been the Choir in Residence at the festival since its inception. The Choir tours to Coonamble each year to both perform and participate in workshops and enjoy the complete festival experience.
The Leichhardt Espresso Chorus began in 1998 when Elizabeth Mulrennan of Norton Street Bookshop decided she wanted to be part of a local choir made up of people who ‘simply wanted to sing’. She put up a notice in her window and before too long ten keen singers signed up. Months later a fledgling group of 22, under the tutelage of Michelle Leonard, performed their first concert at Leichhardt Public School. After some debate about calling themselves ‘Plane Song’ (in honour of the flight path) they decided on ‘Leichhardt Espresso Chorus’, to reflect the local area’s link with caffeine.
In the ten years since, the choir has gone from strength to strength, commencing 2008 with a contingent of 82 members. We’ve sung Christmas Carols on the streets of Balmain and Leichhardt, at the Domain and in the Forum. We’ve recorded CDs, performed in Angel Place and the Sydney Opera House, joined music festivals, performed with countless members of the SSO and joined forces with other choirs including Choralation, Joubert, Polyphony, Mosman Preparatory Boys Choir, Abottsleigh Girls choir and Newtown Performing Arts Choir. We’ve been honoured by the presence of wonderful soloists including Jane Sheldon, Neil Kirkby, Billie McCarthy, Nadia Piave, Belinda Montgomery, Craig Everingham, ABC Classic FMs Damien Beaumont, Madeline Whitmark, Molly Hibbert and Cameron Woodhouse to name a few. We’ve performed classics from Haydn, Mozart, Rutter, Faure and Orff interspersed by new works the choir has commissioned to keep our performances fresh and ever evolving.
The chorus regularly tours regional NSW performing and hosting workshops for school children and to promote community singing among the adults as part of the Moorambilla Festival of Music. Towns visited have included Nyngan, Gilargambone, Bourke, Brewarrina, Barradine, Lightning Ridge, Narrabri, Bingara, Barraba, Mudgee, Coonamble and Gulgong! Many of these regional centres feature fabulous historic concert halls and opera houses - those that don’t host us in bowling clubs and RSL halls!
The Leichhardt Espresso Chorus has commissioned work from a wide range of noted Australian composers including Paul Jarman, Steven Leek, Christopher Gordon, Andrew Shultz, Elena Kats-Chernin and Dan Walker.
