Media Release: Van Diemen's Band Lunchbox Concert Series Expanding in 2024
Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2024
Media Contact:
Samuel Cairnduff: samuel.j.cairnduff@gmail.com | 0401 396 755
Van Diemen's Band Lunchbox Concert Series Expanding in 2024
The price for live music at lunch in the Hobart Town Hall stays the same for another year, but the number of concerts is getting larger
nipaluna/Hobart- Van Diemen's Band, 'Australia's Baroque supergroup', has announced the hugely popular Lunchbox Concert series in the Town Hall Ballroom returns in 2024, supported by the City of Hobart.
And once again, the ticket price remains unchanged since the concerts began in 2019: just $10 if purchased online, or $15 at the door on the day of the performance.
What is changing is the number of performances throughout the year, rising from ten to fifteen. Combined with ten concerts in Pataway/Burnie and the expansion this year of ten concerts into Launceston, the Lunchboxes are now the largest and most geographically dispersed single concert season in the State—connecting audiences in the three major centres to Tasmania’s finest home-grown musicians, plus interstate and overseas visitors, in works spanning a thousand years and many genres.
VDB Artistic Director and Lunchbox Concerts curator Julia Fredersdorff says the increase in Hobart’s concerts was a matter of public demand. “We present five concerts at a time, and by the end of each run we were made aware that audiences didn’t want it to end. A weekly short music fix in the middle of the day had become something of a habit, and with the unchanged price of entry, one that was increasingly affordable!”
The tie-in with the other centres also presents the opportunity for some visiting artists to effectively undertake a Statewide tour playing in a three-concert loop, ensuring that audiences in the north and south of the island can enjoy the same experience. “We can amortise costs this way – part of the reason why we’ve been able to absorb CPI yet again – and the players get enormous satisfaction in sharing all the preparation that goes into their programs with as broad an audience catchment as possible,” says Fredersdorff.
The first of nipaluna/Hobart’s seasons runs from 21 May to 18 June and boasts the series’ trademark eclecticism. Music from the Golden Age of Hollywood rubs shoulders with folk music on mandolin and piano accordion, vintage saxophones, French horn, and crystalline Baroque hits from VDB’s magnificent (and publicly funded) harpsichord. The artist line-up is equally diverse, featuring UK-based violinist Patrick Savage, Scottish-born virtuoso accordionist James Crabb, and the Melbourne-based Quercus Trio alongside formidable locals such as Luke Plumb, the Xyris Quartet and (of course) Van Diemen’s Band itself. Full detail of the nipaluna/Hobart Winter series can be found at https://www.vandiemensband.com.au/whats-on.
There’s no other presenter in the State, and certainly no other concert season offer outside a festival, that offers a comparable variety of programming at such a low price point. With festivals themselves disappearing in the tide of rising ticket prices, the Lunchbox Concerts are an increasingly important point of access to an immense ocean of music. At a cost of $50 for a season of five concerts, audiences again look prepared to go exploring, supporting new generations of freelance musicians as they do so and savouring the tactile delights of exciting ensemble music played in an informal setting.
“One thing we’ve noticed from our audiences is their responsiveness and generosity,” says Julia Fredersdorff. “They know the value of what they’re getting, that the event has cost less than the sandwich they’re holding, that the musicians are up close, and with the sun streaming in through those magnificent windows illuminating every listener’s face, that they’re effectively part of the show. They’ll usually meet the players on the way out too, so there’s genuine friendship in the room. It’s a true social occasion bonded by the magic of live music. Lunchbox applause is the best!”
Tickets are just $15 if paying by cash at the door, but even cheaper if purchased online (vandiemensband.com.au) – just $10 per concert, or $50 if pre-paying for the entire five-concert series.
Press are invited to review
All concerts are at Hobart Town Hall, and tickets are just $10 if purchased online or $15 at the door.
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Concert #1: Tuesday 21 May - LOST MASTERWORKS FROM HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE
UK-based violinist Patrick Savage and Melbourne's Konrad Olszewski (piano) perform recently re-discovered works by Bernard Herrmann, Miklos Rosza and more, uncovering dazzling, beguiling concert pieces by the iconic composers that defined the sound of American cinema.
Concert #2: Tuesday 28 May - XYRIS QUARTET
Discover the beguiling sounds of vintage saxophones, with Benjamin Price (soprano), Jabra Latham (alto), Thomas McKay (tenor) & Eva Nilssen (baritone) performing works by Bach through to Xenakis, alongside new Tasmanian works.
Concert #3: Tuesday 4 June - LUKE PLUMB & JAMES CRABB
Experience the virtuosic wizardry of two absolute masters of their craft - Tasmanian mandolinist Luke Plumb and Scottish-born, Australian-based James Crabb (piano accordion) - lighting up the stage with a stunning mix of folk, world and mando-pop!
Concert #4: Tuesday 11 June - QUERCUS TRIO
A piano trio with a difference! Combining French horn, violin and piano, Melbourne’s Quercus Trio joyfully explore the extensive palette of colours and musical possibilities of their unusual lineup of instruments with a program of Elena Kats-Chernin, Larry Sitsky and Peter Sculthorpe.
Concert #5: Tuesday 18 June - MINI VAN DIEMEN'S BAND
A pocket-sized version of VDB performs a tempting selection of Baroque favourites. VDB Artistic Director Julia Fredersdorff (Baroque violin) is joined by Katie Yap (viola), Donald Nicolson (on VDB’s fabulous new harpsichord!) and special guests.
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Van Diemen's Band Lunchbox Series - nipaluna/Hobart
Tuesday 21 May - LOST MASTERWORKS FROM HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE
Tuesday 28 May - XYRIS QUARTET
Tuesday 4 June - LUKE PLUMB & JAMES CRABB
Tuesday 11 June - QUERCUS TRIO
Tuesday 18 June - MINI VAN DIEMEN'S BAND
Concerts start at 1.05pm
(to allow people to come from their offices if they're on a lunch break).
Pre-booked $10.00 Available online until 1 hour prior to the performance
Door sale $15.00 Available at the door from one hour prior to the performance
Companion Card Holder Free
Bookings
Van Diemen's Band—Based in the wild and unspoiled island state of Tasmania at the southernmost tip of Australia, Australia's Baroque supergroup Van Diemen's Band breathes new life into historically informed performance, delivering extraordinary performances across lutruwita / Tasmania and beyond.
Van Diemen's Band is made up of some of the country's most highly respected early music specialists, who between them have worked with leading ense
mbles such as Les Arts Florissants, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble Pygmalion, Il Pomo d'Oro, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, The English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Le Parlement de Musique, and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.
Founded in 2016 by violinist Julia Fredersdorff, VDB varies in size from an intimate chamber group to a larger orchestra. VDB explores the creativity and expressiveness of the baroque while deferring to historical sources on style and instrumentation.
Always seeking to break new ground, VDB has collaborated with guest artists such as French Baroque specialist Martin Gester, Persian/Afghani musicians Ensemble Kaboul and Tasmanian mandolin player Luke Plumb, and released a music video, Song of the Birds, in 2021.
VDB has performed for Ten Days on the Island, Dark Mofo and Mona Foma, toured nationally for Musica Viva Australia and internationally for Chamber Music New Zealand, and has recorded for ABC Classic and the prestigious Swedish label BIS.
VDB is also an active concert presenter in lutruwita/Tasmania, presenting Lunchbox Concerts in nipaluna/Hobart and pataway/Burnie, and delivers a range of education and community engagement programs each year.
Media Contact
Samuel Cairnduff
0401 396 755
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