Mildura Rural City Council, Media Release, 11 August 2021
The sweet sound of jazz will return to the Mildura Arts Centre stage on Sunday 22 August.
Sunday Jazz will feature singer-songwriter Natalija Havralenko and Penn Farmer on guitar, and will mark the second time in 12 months the pair has graced the MAC stage.
The duo delighted audiences with their dazzling performance on Backstage Pass, which was streamed live when MAC’s doors were closed in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Councillor for Arts, Culture and Heritage Mark Eckel said it was exciting to welcome back the internationally-renowned duo.
“The recent lockdowns have been tough on our events and tourism scene, and it’s heartening that we can once again offer live entertainment at the Mildura Arts Centre in a COVID-Safe way,” he said.
“Natalija Havralenko and Penn Farmer are two internationally-renowned talents, and residents are in for an easy-listening and enjoyable afternoon of jazz.
“We have a strong Jazz-loving community, and who knows, this may offer an opportunity to see more Jazz events in our region, similar to days gone by.”
Natalija, who grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, now calls Mildura home, and has enjoyed a stellar international music career.
After studying singing in Belgrade, Serbia, and earning a scholarship, Natalija went on to record her first album, with her first single debuting at number four in the Serbian pop charts, remaining in the top 10 for four months.
What followed was a host of concert, television and radio appearances, including performing as a special guest at the Belgrade concert of 2007 Eurovision Song Contest winner Marija Serifovic in front of more than 15,000 people.
After moving to Mildura with husband Samuel Vincent Iervasi in 2018, Natalija published her third original song Sum It Up, which can be viewed on her YouTube channel, and has more than 110,000 views.
In addition to continuing to perform, Natalija is a singing teacher at Mildura’s Trinity Lutheran College.
Natalija’s on-stage partner, Penn Farmer, started playing guitar at age 12.
Penn went on to study Jazz Performance at Virginia Commonwealth University under Grammy-nominated arranger, Doug Richards, guitarist, Mike Ess, Trumpeter, John D’earth, Saxophonist, Skip Gailes and pianist, Bob Hallahan. He also studied Jazz guitar with Gene Bertoncini and Jimmy Bruno.
While in his 20s, Penn performed with various groups that were opening acts for legendary artists like, America, Eddie Money, Chaka Khan, Marshall Tucker Band, Neville Bros and Sting.
During his career he has performed with countless artists, including John D’earth (Miles Davis Orchestra, Bruce Hornsby), Used Carlotta, Kyle Davis, Rene Marie, Glenn Wilson, Daniel Clark (K.D. Lang, Ryan Adams, Mandy Moore), Mark Preston (The Lettermen), Eddie Holman, Chris Gable, Davidia and many more.
Tickets are $10, and are available by calling 03 5018 8330, by visiting www.milduraartscentre.com.au or at the venue.
COVID measures will be in place to ensure the safety of our staff and customers, including QR code check-in and hand sanitiser stations. Masks are currently mandatory, and no food and drinks are allowed in the theatre.
