Mary Macleod

Every year the Festival of the Winds main stage is filled with the colour and movement of music traditions spanning the globe. From Balinese gamelan orchestras to African drumming and Latin dance music, the festival celebrates the joy everyone experiences from many wonderful music cultures.​

This year the tradition continues. Waverley Council and the Sydney Improvised Music Association are proud to present the magical sounds of the world transported into your home via a dedicated Festival of the Winds website.

Waverley Council would like to give heartfelt thanks to our co-presenter SIMA, the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club for hosting the event, Ross Ahern for broadcast sound and Big Spin Productions for their live streaming expertise.

Eishan Ensemble

Hamed Sadeghi (oud) / Michael Avgenicos (saxophone) / Adem Yilmez (percussion)

Tar, Setar and Oud virtuoso and composer, Hamed Sadeghi specialises in classical Iranian music.

Beginning his studies in Tehran, Hamed began his musical career performing traditional Persian music with various ensembles in Iran. He then moved to Malaysia where he discovered fusion music, touring throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan performing traditional Persian music in collaboration with Asian musicians. After moving to Australia Hamed began collaborating with well-known Australian jazz and classical musicians. He formed Eishan Ensemble with the purpose of creating new music for the present time. The ensemble has performed nationally and internationally to critical acclaim, quickly gaining a reputation for their flawless and captivating energy.

Miriam Lieberman

Miriam Lieberman (kora/vocals) / Susie Bishop (violin) / Mohammad Bangoura (djembe)

Miriam Leiberman is an award-winning singer-songwriter and Bondi local who performs mostly on kora - African Harp.  Infusing her love of nature, and West African rhythms into her songs, they inspire a feeling of bold wanderlust.  Miriam is joined by the soaring strings and luscious vocal harmonies of trio member violinist Susie Bishop as well as special guest Mohammed Bangoura. Mohammed is a West African master djembe player. Once a soloist in “Percussion de Guineé” he is known by many as “hands of fire’.

Rhythms magazine describes Miriam’s latest album Full Circle as “A thing of intoxicating beauty” (Nov 2016). With a new EP out soon expect to hear more from this dynamic trio.

Victor Valdes Trio

Victor Valdes (harp/vocal) / Mario Melo (Mexican bass) / Atilio Villegas-Vihuela (Mexican guitar)

Victor Valdez is a walking encyclopaedia of Latin music past and present. He has redefined the concert harp as a solo and lead instrument in a multitude of musical contexts, applauded for his vivacious musicianship and brilliance.

Victor has played with everyone from Angus & Julia Stone and Los Lobos to Jimmy Barnes. He has appeared on folk, world music, rock and blues festival stages Australia-wide including Bluesfest, Woodford Folk Festival, and Womadelaide. As a solo harpist Victor has performed in 25 countries worldwide. Victor was an integral member of multi-award-winning Mexican folk group Tlen Huicani, touring the world for over 10 years and gracing the stages of iconic international music halls world-wide.

After a search for Australia's most promising young jazz artist, The Music Trust’s 2020 Freedman Jazz Fellowship finalists have been announced today from a list of 18 nominees from across the nation. This year, the distinguished judges comprised Mike Nock, Chris Cody and Laurence Pike, who are all accomplished musicians, composers and educators. The judges made the decision to extend the number this year to include a fourth finalist. 

Judges Comments:  

Mike Nock:  

“This year’s Freedman Jazz Fellowship submissions were the strongest and most conceptually varied so far. It augurs well for the future of jazz - let a thousand flowers bloom." 

Chris Cody:  

"The finalists this year show a very high degree of proficiency as well as courage and ambition in their music, with a lot of thought given to the projects and music. The nominated candidates this year demonstrated very diverse styles of jazz from electric ambient to abstract acoustic, from free improvisation to through-composed music, from solo to large ensemble." 

Laurence Pike:  

'This year's field has proven to be one of the most musically diverse in the fellowship's history, covering everything from electronic-informed drone music to large ensemble improvisation, showing the essence of jazz in Australia continues to transcend notions of style. In what has been a difficult year, a focus on community, social consciousness, and a consideration of what is essential to the practice of this music in Australia also appears to have imbued the applications, as the finalists seek to adapt to an ever changing environment. Our final four applicants represent an exciting cross section of this country's creative talent, all worthy of being the recipient of the 2020 Freedman Jazz Fellowship.' 

Dr Richard Letts from The Music Trust comments:

'Our finalists include three bass players and one trumpet player. How extraordinary. But every one of them is distinctively marvellous. Their projects are so different and so imaginative. Is it the COVID? – this is an exceptional year.' 

THE FREEDMAN JAZZ FELLOWSHIP:

A highlight of the Australian jazz calendar, Freedman Jazz at the Sydney Opera House typically brings together three of the nation's most outstanding young musicians for an exciting finale to decide the Freedman Jazz Fellow. The prestigious award enables the winner to take the next step in their career with a $20,000 cash prize. In this extraordinary year of COVID-19, the much-anticipated gathering of jazz-lovers and media, under the shells of the Sydney Opera House, is not possible. However, the Freedman Jazz Fellowship will prevail by ensuring participation of finalists via video conference in this life-changing event for the eventual winner. Finalist interviews will take place next month, with the winner announced on Thursday 22 of October. 

The Jazz Fellowship is funded by the Freedman Foundation, a philanthropic foundation chaired by Laurence Freedman, which assists young Australians in music and visual arts, as well as providing support to medical and scientific programs. Laurence and Kathy Freedman were made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the community, to medical research, the arts, and to business and investment in Australia. 

The Fellowships are managed by The Music Trust and administered by the Sydney Improvised Music Association.   

Past winners of the Freedman Jazz Fellowships read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Australian jazz. They include guitarists Ben Hauptmann and James Muller, saxophonists Julien Wilson, Andrew Robson and Matt Keegan, pianists Andrea Keller, Matt McMahon, Marc Hannaford, Aaron Choulai, Tal Cohen and Novak Manojlovic, trumpeters Nick Garbett and Phil Slater, bassist Christopher Hale, vocalist Kristin Berardi and drummer James McLean. 

Cross-Promo Graphic for Zela Margossian’s Jazz:NOW Wired performance.

Cross-Promo Graphic for Zela Margossian’s Jazz:NOW Wired performance. 

Band: Amish Tech Support @ RAW Artists Australia ASPIRE Showcase, June 2019

RAW Artists Australia OASIS Showcase - October 2018  

Award Winning Group Aussie Allstars 2020 - Best Ensemble 2020 International Junior Theatre Festival Atlanta, USA. January 2020 pictured with Freddy Gershon. 

Assistant Musical Director and Audio Engineer - Laura Macleod. 

Award Winning Group Aussie Allstars 2020 - Best Ensemble 2020 International Junior Theatre Festival Atlanta, USA. January 2020 

Assistant Musical Director and Audio Engineer - Laura Macleod

March 2020: Ruffle Hem Wrap Skirt - P&B Textiles Design on Cotton

June 2020: Cowl Neck Dress - Burnt Orange Merino Fabric. 

Ad Video for SIMA’s Jazz:NOW Wired - Digital Ticketed Season

Ad Video for SIMA’s Jazz:NOW Wired - Digital Ticketed Season.

As a part of the promotion for Hunter Drama’s Peter Pan Jr. I filmed a series of short interviews featuring the lead cast. 

As a part of the promotion for Hunter Drama’s Peter Pan Jr. I filmed a series of short interviews featuring the lead cast.