Well, at long last it has happened!
Unsung Heroes of Australian History has just been performed as a x 2 part concert at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. After 3 years of writing and re-writing, 3 months of rehearsals with our stellar cast (Bruce Watson, Neil Robertson, Wendy Ealey and Moira Tyers) this project has finally got off the ground.
It was invited to perform at the 2010 National Folk Festival, and included in the theme event category. This project received a wonderfully warm and enthusiastic response, far better than could have been imagined with full houses and a standing ovation at the end of the 2nd concert.
The future is looking bright for this innovative project with further development planned in the next couple of months. Bruce, Neil, Wendy and Moira all feel encouraged by the festival response and had a wonderful time up there as well!
The project has been evolving since its inaugural performance 2 years ago at the Northcote Town Hall as part of the Darebin Music Feast- Over the last 2 years it has changed some of the characters , taking some out and replacing with others and this is the essence of U.H.A.H. altogether, a dynamic process that can grow and be adapted for all sorts of presentations: CD, DVDs, educational resources (especially with the new National curriculum being introduced Australia wide!), regional touring, festival format and documentary possibilities.
Moira, Bruce, Neil and Wendy are all inspired and have plenty of ideas to introduce new `Unsung heroes` as we research deeper into our history.
It is hope that we will begin production of a CD in the very near future.
The crew would really like to thank Jill Watson - image presentation, Ted Chrystal - Art direction and graphics, Heidi Chapman - IT support, and all our families for their ongoing encouragement and support (Thanks Ken, Sue, Jill and Patrick).
Cheers Moira
Unsung Heroes of Australia is a completely original and unique concert idea created by local, award winning songwriter Moira Tyers (co-convener of the Darebin Songwriters Guild). As a passionate Australian she feels strongly that in an ever increasingly complex and technological world, the simple stories of our Australian heritage are being forgotten or lost. There is much to discover about how the Australian character evolved over the last 200 years since European settlement. Many incredible stories have emerged through considerable research and Moira has written a series of contemporary Australian folk songs to illustrate the major events in Australian history through the experiences of 'ordinary' lives.
Bruce Watson, Stephen Sharpe, Neil Robertson, Mick Thomas and Wendy Ealey have also contributed original material for this project. An audience will relate warmly to stories of heroism, hardship, adversity and the power to overcome whilst they revel in pride with simple stories of human achievement. All this through contemporary Australian songs.
"Unsung Heroes of Australian History" takes the audience on a 200 year journey through the evolution of the Australian character by featuring individuals who may not necessarily be famous but contributed greatly to Australian History.
Stories, songs and images that will not only entertain but teach us a little more of our own history With a huge bunch of wonderful Australian songs- accompanied by award winning songwriters - you're in for a treat!
With four voices, guitars, mandolins, accordion, fiddle and some trusty percussion these musical tales will surely tickle your folky fancy!
We begin our journey with the story of the floating brothel ship (Lady Juliana) who brought the first women to the colony (1790) listen to mp3
Part 1 explores right up the Great War where we learn about our youngest Anzac hero - Jim Martin (1915) listen to mp3
In the second part of this concert we explore 1922 and beyond discovering the origin of our beloved Vegemite listen to mp3
NB- this project is an evolving idea and as it progresses, new unsung heroes can emerge giving the whole concept its dynamic nature. We can replace songs, write new ones, change themes, etc. This could be very useful for festival performance or education purposes with a commercially produced CD/booklet being proposed in the near future.