ON TOUR

Sunday 21 August 2022 - Acoustic Life of Sheds - Bleach Festival 2022

L to R - One of the beautiful sheds; & co-performers/ composers Peter Nelson;  Christine Johnston;  Trent Arkleysmith

Drive into the verdant foothills for a day of deep listening to four intimate concerts in four iconic rural sheds. Big hART’s award-winning Acoustic Life of Sheds invites leading composers, musicians and artists to celebrate the culture, character and acoustics of sheds, reimagining them for audiences in the local landscape.

 

FEATURING

  • CHRISTINE JOHNSTON (VOCALS/SAW) with PETER NELSON (ELECTRONICA/GUITAR) & TRENT ARKLEYSMITH (CELLO/GUITAR)
  • LONI FITZPATRICK (HARP)
  • KARL S WILLIAMS (PIANO)
  • MICHAEL ASKILL (PERCUSSION)

 

Presented by BLEACH*  
Original concept by Big hART

INFO AND TICKETS HERE 

Saturday 23 July 2022 - The Kransky Sisters are heading to Adelaide for the Winter Comfest!

The Kransky Sisters will be driving the Morris to Adelaide to be part of the 2022 Winter Comfest line up on Saturday the 23rd of July.

Check out the Festival's 2 nights  of comedy line up:

https://www.wintercomfest.com.au/

 

Saturday 25 June 2022 - Madame Lark with Trent Arkleysmith perform as part of an experimental art/music event - Rouse Hill Psychedelia (24 & 25 June)

Madame Lark is thrilled to be performing with cellist Trent Arkleysmith on the 25th of June at Rouse Hill Psychedelia, a new experimental art event presented by @sydlivmus at the historic #RouseHillEstate.

Over two nights, Fri 24 & Sat 25 June, see performances by experimental music and sound artists from Greater Sydney and beyond, including Jon Rose, flower boy, Jaslyn Robertson, Madame Lark and more to be announced.

Lights and projections will illuminate the historic buildings and there will be food and a bar too.

Rouse Hill Psychedelia: Friday 24 June, 6pm–10pm and Saturday 25 June, 4pm–10pm

Grab your tickets at slm.is/psychedelia

25 March 2022 - CRUMB’S LYRE with Madame Lark (Christine Johnston) and pianist Sonya Lifschitz will be touring and to Melbourne Recital Centre.

The worlds of classical music, performance art and comedy collide showcasing Sonya and Christine’s consummate musicianship, thrilling audacity and imagination.

 

Christine Johnston as Madame Lark joins piano siren Sonya Lifschitz to unleash their dueling scores. Part cabaret, part recital, this delightfully surreal performance places legendary composer George Crumb’s zodiac-inspired fantasy pieces amidst the sounds of the Antipodes. As Sonya conjures up mythical, primordial sounds from inside the piano, Madame Lark takes to her musical saw, vocals and an overhead projector. Together they bring George Crumb’s masterwork for piano to life in an intriguingly whimsical and altogether unexpected way.

  • 25th March, 2022
  • The Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre
    31 Sturt St, Southbank VIC
  • Info & tickets: Melbourne Recital Centre

Crumb's Lyre trailer...

5 Dec 2021 - Above / Below - Christine Johnston joins Sonya Lifschitz in a concert of Tchaikovsky and George Crumb in SA

 

Ukrainian-Australian pianist Sonya Lifschitz is at the forefront of cross-disciplinary collaboration in Australia. Innovative and fiercely creative, Sonya re-contextualises the classical canon and pushes the boundaries of conventional concert practice. 
Conceived as a reflection on the cyclical nature of life, 'Above / Below' pairs the poetic, lyrical vignettes of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons, Op. 37a (based on the twelve calendar months of the year) with the abstract mysticism of George Crumb's Makrokosmos, Book I (based on the twelve signs of the zodiac). 
Joining Sonya is performance artist Christine Johnston (known affectionately as 'Madame Lark'), whose uncanny ability to mimic Australian bird calls – along with her gift for narration – has seen her appear at festivals and concerts across the country. In this concert, she'll play the musical saw, imitate the song of the lark, and recite poetry as Sonya juxtaposes two widely divergent musical voices, allowing them to speak to each other in surprising and illuminating ways. 
  • 5th December, 2021
  • UKARIA Cultural Centre
    119 Williams Rd, Mount Barker Summit SA 5251
  • Info & tickets: Ukaria Cultural Centre

August 2021 - Mudgeeraba - Acoustic Life of Sheds - Bleach Festival

So sad about the update from BLEACH 2021 that they have had to cancel the festival due to the recent COVID-19 developments across SE QLD. Thinking of and thanking the amazing Rosie Dennis and all the team at Bleach who have been brilliant, and all the fantastic artists, crew, production and supporting community… Thank you Alycia Warner for looking after us, and thanks also to my beloved co-creators Peter Nelson and Selene Cochrane. Looking forward to future BLEACH.

https://bleachfestival.com.au

 

Four different sheds and four different composer/musician performances... and an audience road trip visiting each shed performance through the Gold Coast hinterland. BLEACH FESTIVAL's event - Acoustic Life of Sheds.