Media Release

Footscray Community Arts presents the Indoor Music Series: Winter Voices, a celebration of local musical talent that promises to warm the soul and melt hearts this winter. Featuring performances by inspirational artists Ajak Kwai and Bhairavi Raman, the Winter Music Series is a celebration of music that bridges cultures, traverses the traditional and contemporary over two nights in June.

Both Kwai and Raman are loved local and active Footscray community members, each possessing a rich global sound.  Their music is a reflection of their cultures, deeply rooted in their own unique personal history and made accessible by building community around music.

On Saturday 3rd June, audiences are invited to experience the beautiful voice and spirit of Ajak Kwai, a renowned South-Sudanese Australian songwoman who sings of hope, joy and resilience. Her music reflects her personal journey from war-torn Sudan to multicultural Australia. 
 
Ajak Kwai is well known to the airwaves, stage and broader Australian music community for her powerful performances and strong messages that call for inclusion and celebration of the diversity. Originally hailing from a small town of Bor (pronounced ‘bohr’) on the Upper Nile in what is now South Sudan, music has always been a powerful component of her life.
 
On Saturday 17th June, Bhairavi Raman, an Indian-Australian violinist who blends Western Classical and South Indian Classical (Carnatic) forms fills the stage with her mesmerising musical expression of two cultures. A talented improviser, Raman’s music is a cultural celebration – a metaphor for her bicultural identity, wrapped up in a dynamic and engaging practice. Playing alongside Raman is percussionist Nanthesh Sivarajah, a multidisciplinary artist, trained in both South Indian Classical (Carnatic) and Western forms, and proficient in several instruments including the Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam, Morsing, and Drumkit. With over 400 performances to their name, they represent a formidable blend of traditional knowledge honed-in from India, technical mastery, musical boldness and an authentically Melburnian voice.

With Winter Voices providing heartwarming music (and mulled wine), audiences are invited to further brighten wintery nights with a viewing of the groundbreaking exhibition Sekala Niskala, currently showing at the venue.  Presented by Footscray Community Arts and Project 11 artists Agus Saputra, Kuncir Sathya Viku, Ni Luh Pangestu Widya Sari, Satya Cipta and Septa Adi push the boundaries of traditional art and cultural practices through technique, and disruptive and unconventional subject matter.

WINTER VOICES EVENT DETAILS:
Dates:         3  June 2023, 7—9pm    Ajak Kwai
                      17 June 2023, 7—9pm   Bhairavi Raman
Venue:         Footscray Community Arts, Performance Space
45 Moreland Street, Footscray
Cost:            $35 per night
Bookings:   Here or tickets at the door (subject to availability).

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Michaela Hall  – 0419 113 633 / michaela.hall@bigpond.com