Sonja Horbelt is the Artistic Director of the festival which has been going for some time now.
JK: When did the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival start and why did you start it?
SH: Martin Jackson started it in the mid 90’s – the MJC began to dedicate a week to female artists
JK: What are some of your most memorable moments?
SH: amongst too many to name:
-Satoko Fuji (japan) Trio with The Bennetts Lane Big Band
-Westend Composers Collective with Kristin Berardi
-Launching the Katie Noonan Paul Grabowsky recording of Dorothy Porter poetry – “Before Time Could Change Us”
-Judy Bailey with double String Quartet
-Elana Stone and her band
-the many Festival sextet line ups
-forming the Student Super Band in the early 2000’s which featured amongst others Sarah MacKenzie, Kate Kelsey Sugg, Stella Skinner, Madi Foley, Louise Cuming, Jo Syme, all of whom are now forging successful careers.
-Norwegian saxophonist Froy Agaare
JK: You have a great program for this year, What would you like to achieve in the future?
SH: To stage festivals that continue to provide a platform for launching new projects that challenge and excite music makers and audiences alike, and to encourage more cross artform collaborations
The Festival runs from
November 29 to December 14, 2014
The 2014 MWIJF is proud to present the exceptional talents of Australian and International jazz women from Saturday November 29 to Sunday December 14, 2014 at Bennett’s Lane Jazz Club, The VCA Grant
Street Theatre and the Victorian Arts Centre forecourt. Artists from Canada, Brisbane, Sydney Canberra and Melbourne share their vibrant music over 9 days beginning 1pm Saturday Nov 29th on the Victorian Arts Centre forecourt where the festival launches with a free vibrant outdoor program featuring the world music grooves of Andrea Khoza and the Secrets, the inspirational South of the River Gospel Choir, and the infectious Julia O’Hara Heptet.
Inspiring performances from Australia’s finest feature in a week of events in the Bennetts Lane Jazz Lab. Celebrated Sydney vocalist Emma Pask kicks off the week in style with an intimate performance on
Sunday December 7th. Tuesday Dec 9th sees prolific Melbourne performer Kellie Santin launch her debut recording ‘Quintessence’, backed by a veritable who’s who of Melbourne groovemeisters. The amazing
Michelle Nicolle will perform on Friday 12th with her exceptional ‘Fretet’, featuring the incredible talents of four of Melbourne’s finest jazz guitarists.
International guests the Emie R Roussel trio (Canada), Montreaux jazz festival award winning vocalist Kristin Berardi, and multi Aria winning pianist Andrea Keller in collaboration with Canberra trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky promise a musical feast to captivate and delight the aural senses.
Prepare to be immersed the rich sounds of “Things She Said”, with music by Nilusha Dassenaike and lyrics and visuals by celebrated Australian artist and author Barbara Hanrahan. This exciting new
project debuts in a free presentation at the VCA Grant Street Theatre on Sunday afternoon Dec 7th, and includes Nilusha Dassenaike, Chantal Mitvalsy, Gian Slater, Miroslav Bukovsky, Frank DiSario and
Alex Pertout and the Wintersweet Vocal ensemble.
Monday Dec 8th sees the amazing and ever evolving collaboration that is Keller/Murphy/Browne continue their traditional residency, and young students from Melbourne will deliver patrons insight to the jazz stars of
the future at the Bennetts Lane student night.
The Festival is proud to co-present again with the Melbourne Jazz Co-op in the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club. Emerging ensembles Surface and Lazercatz 2000 feature in a double-header on Sunday Dec 7th, and
the sublime sounds of the Nat Bartsch Trio will inspire on Tuesday Dec 9th.
The Festival closes on Sunday Dec 14th with its own traditional Fox Force 6, the MWIJF Women’s Festival Sextet which this year includes vocalist Kristin Berardi, trumpeter Audrey Powne and pianist
Andrea Keller.
For full program details visit the festival website at www.mwijf.org
The Melbourne Women’s International Jazz festival gratefully acknowledges financial assistance from major sponsor City of Melbourne, and supporting sponsors Révélation Radio Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, APRA, Fraser Place
Melbourne, VCA/University of Melbourne and the Victorian Arts Centre.
