The third annual City of Perth Winter Arts Festival is upon us once again for those three months of what will no doubt be another sunny winter, if last year was anything to go by. The theme this year is ‘Gods and Heroes’ (hmmm maybe next year it could be ‘Goddesses and Homos’ when our fair city has a new Lord Mayor?!). The theme has provided a platform for 17 local arts organisations, including theatre, visual arts, dance, and music companies to dive into an exploration of cultures and history worldwide and subsequently create a plethora of indulgences for adults, children and families to enjoy.ÂÂÂ
Events will take place at the Bakery, the Blue Room Theatre, the State Library of WA, His Majesty’s Theatre and DownStairs at the Maj to name but a few. Why not take in Warren Miller’s ‘Off the Grid’, an adrenalin adventure packed film-come-documentary, at the unusual venue of the Concert Hall at 7.30pm on Friday 29 June? It features skier Jaime Pierre in his world-record setting drop onto a snow covered cliff, only accessible via helicopter, in the backcountry of Alaska’s Chugach Mountains and highlights the nail biting escape of Reggie Christ as he flees an awesome, encroaching monster avalanche!
From Thursday 7-17 June, if you leave the office between 5.30-7.30pm, you can duck down King Street and then pop into Munster Lane to experience the audio visual work, Paysage Ephemere – Ephemeral Landscape by the international artist David Jones. The fragility of the Pinnacles is brought into the monolithic architecture of the city in an evocation of the ephemeral nature of all landscapes, no matter the origin.
The Western Australian Symphony Orchestra will be performing with English virtuoso Tamsin Little. The gifted, captivating violinist will be playing Elgar’s passionate and lyrical concerto on 8-9 June. Keys to Music, on 19 June, is the perfect way to start listening to, enjoying and understanding classical music. In collaboration with the orchestra, who will be joined by the WASO Chorus for the occasion, ABC Classic FM’s Graham Abbott presents a concert that unpacks and explains a selected feature of classical music. Both WASO concerts will take place at the Perth Concert Hall.
These are just a few of the events on offer, so for more information on how to stave off the winter blues call 9461 3368 or visit: www.perthwinterartsfestival.com.au