It’s another beautiful day for a drive, so consider catching the last day of the incredibly comprehensive Festival of Slow Music in Ballarat.
Many wonderful performances have taken place already, but for those able to make it today there are plenty still to come, including a finale that will involve many of the musicians involved earlier.
Don’t be misled by the “slow music” title — it does not meant there will be no rapidity or fast-paced musical offerings. The philosophy behind this festival is explained below.
The best way to find out what’s on today is to visit the Festival of Slow Music website. (That’s not only because the website is fantastic, but because I could not extract text from the PDF media release, though I did try.)
Here is a link to the festival program in PDF form.
Meantime, if you are not familiar with this festival, here is some background taken from that website:
“I want to create an annual festival where people can take time to listen and engage with the music and the artists, where new collaborations can grow, and where people will experience the ability that music has to refresh, inspire and astonish.”Adam Simmons — Artistic Director
The Festival of Slow Music is an opportunity to experience music of all genres in intimate spaces and to learn more about the musicians behind the sounds.
The Festival of Slow Music reflects the philosophy of the Slow Food movement but with the focus on the sensation of hearing, with all of the concerts being totally acoustic. The idea of Slow Music is to promote a more direct connection to the musical experience through meeting the musicians, learning about their musical aspirations, listening to natural, unamplified sounds and taking the time to hear a performance in full.
The Festival of Slow Music is about an approach to listening and experiencing music – it is not a description of the music, which will range from slow to fast, soft to loud, beautiful to ugly, old to new. It is not the music that will be slow, but the listening – the audience will be encouraged to slow down and enjoy the experience.
The Festival of Slow Music comes out of the Portraits Concert Series at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, also curated by Adam Simmons over several years, and aims to highlight the region’s rich artistic heritage and the strong contemporary music and arts scene.
This second festival year builds on its 2013 debut, presenting an exciting and ambitious program. It is not about a label or genre but rather the experience across the festival period that will develop and define the concept of “slow music”.
Ausjazz Blog 