Patricia Gill, Denmark Bulletin
A return to a community focus drew 380 artists at the Denmark Festival of Voice packing seven venues for 55 acts over the recent long weekend.
First-time festival director Abbie Pedersen was honoured to be part of a long legacy established by previous directors.
“It’s been amazing,” Abbie said. She paid tribute to the team of nearly 30 volunteers who made the festival possible through ushering, ticketing, acting as MCs and even helping with a cultural cook up led by Goreng Elder Aunty Eliza Woods.
Due to rain on Sunday this event was transferred from Kalark- Abiny (the grassed area outside the Morgan Richards Community Centre) to the Community Resource Centre Gallery.
Abbie said the opening ceremony also at Karlak-Abiny – so named by dual Miles Franklin Award winner Kim Scott – had been the site of a moving opening ceremony.
Noongar Elders led the ceremony which had involved a 8m-diameter sand mandala created by Lynette Bolton, a smoking ceremony and welcome to country performed by Aunty Carol Pettersen.
Celebration of community
She had asked attendees to listen to the sounds of earth and use them as a guide.
Aunty Averil Dean, Uncle Lindsay Dean and the Morditch Nop dancers from Albany, who gave a traditional dance performance in body paint on the mandala, were also part of the ceremony. Young choristers from
Kwoorabup Nature School, Golden Hill Steiner School and the Denmark Senior High School were ‘beaming with pride’ after their performances at the Denmark Civic Centre on Friday afternoon.
Ukelele Rabble led a procession from the Civic Centre to Karlak-Abiny for the opening ceremony.
Festival veteran Stephen Taberner returned to perform, lead singing and conducting/choir training singing workshops and the Big Sing on Sunday night. Stephen had been a ‘massive drawcard’ whose contribution had culminated in a powerful rendition of Yothu Yindi’s song Treaty from 120 voices.
Others highlights had been the band Echo Omen with Matthew Bracknell including local performers, and local family band singer Julia Anwar and the Soul Excuse.
Teaching at the Denmark Senior High School and TAFE, Julia was accompanied by husband Mark McHenry on drums, along with local musicians David Rastrick and Adam Cook.
Rhian Thomas appeared in many choirs and in a four-person ensemble, Understory, to a packed house at St Leonard’s Church.
As choir leaders, Rhian and Ashley Schipp had conducted a call and response performance of men and women across the Denmark River. Rhian had led the women and Ashley the men.
The Lado Croatian Folkloric Ensemble of WA had sung in Croatian of blessing and goodwill with the men playing instruments and the women in colourful traditional dress.
There were storytelling and spoken word sessions at the Sanctuary and performances at Blue Wren Lodge. Performers gave half-hour sets to Blue Wren Lodge residents on Saturday and Sunday.
They included Silvia Lehmann and the Storyweavers, acoustic guitar and soloist Sienna Raii, 16, violinists Evie Francis and Poppy Fisken, both 15, with Primordial Note and the four-man Perth A Cappella group Ebb Tide Men.
Photo: Nic Duncan
An exhibition of voice, song and images, gathered at the Albany drop-in centre, was shown during the Festival.
See all the pictures in the issue.
This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 13 June 2024.