Connected with the world Once again the Mountain Districts was on the world map for the international One Month Festival, a global event held every July, which this year featured 400 performances in 30 countries. Local venues included Somersby School of Arts Hall, a cattle farm at Mangrove Mountain and the Mangrove Trig Station at Somersby.
Our local “One Month” art events and music performances had a global audience via Facebook and websites.
The principle behind the festival, as the organizer, Chang Soo Park, of House Concert says, “is that culture and arts should be lived on a daily basis, not only on special occasions or once in a while. It should be ‘a festival every day’ and can take place in any location. One Month festival covers all kinds of content and expression, including classical music, jazz, traditional music, poetry readings, experimental music, performance art, dance, plays, lectures, exhibitions, and everyday experiences. It welcomes both professionals and amateurs.”
Cento Bell Canto, our program for One Month Festival 2017, was organised by LocoLocus, directed by Neil Berecry-Brown and Jieon Berecry-Brown. It comprised of a number of “movements” in different locations, echoing themes of movement, migration, evolution, fluidity, cultural mutation and distribution. Different improvised movements featured ensemble singing, viola playing, poetry readings, musical storytelling, video, photography, bird song, animal voices and bells.
Amongst the participants were Dr. Noelene Lucas and Juliet Fowler-Smith, both Sydney based artists who used the Somersby School of Arts Hall as a venue for their separate projects on bird song and migration respectively, and Michelle Urquhart (just returned from two international concert tours), who played in an improvised viola performance with an ensemble featuring variously tuned cow bells and duck calls.
Also taking to the world stage was the Somersby CWA. Participation in One Month Festival coincided with their International Culture Day, when members read poetry, sang songs reflecting the culture of the Country Women’s Association of Australia and performed a highly entertaining musical historical narrative. There is clearly more to the CWA than just tea and scones.