Events and Festivals presented by the Monash Arts and Cultural Development Unit
Wrap up of the 2009 Winter Concert Series
The annual Winter Concert Series was held between April and September 2009 with a concert being held one Sunday afternoon of each month.
The 2009 series was a fantastic success and featured a variety of musical styles including blues, jazz, classical, reggae, soul and concert bands just to name a few.
Across the entire 2009 series, there were record attendances, showing the growth in popularity of the Winter Concerts and with aid of the implementation of the booking system.
Winter Warming Entertainment!
The 2009 Winter Concert Series started with a bang as Sarah McKenzie's Quintet charmed the audience on Sunday 19 April. Her repertoire consisted of Bluesy originals and swinging standards, and the style of her groups were likened much to that of Harry Connick Jnr and Diana Krall, singing was a hit and they also had a lot of fun with the crowd.
Strings Unlimited is one of Melbourne's best-known ensembles and performed on the 17 May and showcased their classical music, jazz, tango, evergreens and popular songs. The June Winter Concert held on the 21 June saw The Grenadines celebrate the lead up to NAIDOC Week 2009 with Linc Yow Yeh and Brad Boon of Aboriginal descent, with Linc hailing from Queensland as a Murri and Brad being from Gippsland as a proud Koori. They share a uniquely strong bond that plays out in their soulful urban sound.
The next concert held on 19 July featured Umanee which consisted of five Melbourne musicians who are influenced by a wide range of the world's cultural heritage. While much of their repertoire is European, they also venture into Nordic and Persian melodies and back in time to the music of the Cathars.
One of the highlights of the series featured the Royal Australian Navy Band with a full house at the Clayton Hall. It was a huge hit with its highly skilled and versatile musicians performing traditional ceremonial and concert music, jazz, pop, swing, classical, and vocal harmonies.
The finale of the Winter Concert series was held on 13 September which was also a full house and showcased the entrants of the Waverley Music Eisteddfod. A variety of vocalists and instrumentalists performed an array of music on violin, piano, vocal, oboe, a Capella, saxophone quintet, cello, flute to an enthralled audience.
