Next week, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) was scheduled to present their twenty-third festival featuring more than 500 Australian and international artists in over 25 venues across Melbourne.
Instead (due to COVID-19 circumstances), MIJF has adapted quickly to present These Digital Times, an online music festival series featuring local and international artists on the last Saturday of May, June and July.
Completely free, These Digital Times is live-streamed via the MIJF website direct to YouTube with programming from 12pm to 10.30pm, including music for kids, career development panels for artists and industry as well as performances from emerging artists and the big names in Australian and international jazz and contemporary music.Broadcast and recorded in high definition from a Melbourne production studio, the live-stream program for These Digital Times has been shaped around some of the amazing artists who live and work in Melbourne.
The May line-up includes multi-ARIA award-winning vocalist Kate Ceberano performing songs from her forays into jazz as well as the album launch for saxophonist Julien Wilson’s STOCK project that features Craig Fermanis (electric guitar), Chris Hale (bass guitar) and Hugh Harvey (drums).
In the early afternoon ABC Kids favourites, the Teeny Tiny Stevies, will jazz up their tunes for the whole family and ARIA award-winning neo-soul vocalist, Kaiit will close the night out with her honeyed vocals and fierce rhymes.
Mesmerizing vocalist Gretchen Parlato will join her partner, internationally acclaimed drummer and composer Mark Guiliana, in a unique vocal and drum duo project recorded in isolation from their home studio in America.
While violin-wizard, Luca Ciarla, will transcend boundaries between music genres and stream a solo looping violin set direct from Italy.
MIJF CEO Hadley Agrez explains that These Digital Times provides a free and accessible experience for audiences direct to their homes as well as much needed opportunities for musicians, artists and arts workers during COVID-19 restrictions.These Digital Times has been conceived and developed in conjunction with The Vizard Foundation and is also supported by the Victorian government through Creative Victoria (as principal government partner) and the City of Melbourne (as major government partner). “We are very grateful for the generous support provided by our partners, which allows us to pay our artists for their time and work in the same way we usually would for our annual festival,” said Agrez.
“These Digital Times will bring some of the best jazz and contemporary music from around Melbourne and the world direct to people’s homes in a format that ensures our artists, audiences and staff remain safe at all times,” highlighted Agrez.Following each monthly These Digital Times program, content will be available for another four weeks on the MIJF website.
MIJF will announce the June and July line-up for These Digital Times soon via the MIJF website and social media channels. ____________________________________________________________
These Digital Times Presented by the Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Date Saturday, 30 May 2020 Tickets FREE Visit: melbournejazz.com
Program: 12pm Career Development Panel: Surviving & Thriving
1.30pm Teeny Tiny Stevies (Australia)
3pm Flora Carbo with Theo Carbo and Sam Anning (Australia)4pm Luca Ciarla (Italy)
5pm Julien Wilson’s STOCK (Australia – album launch)
7pm Kate Ceberano (Australia)
8.30pm Gretchen Parlato & Mark Guiliana (USA)
9.30pm Kaiit (Australia) ____________________________________________________________
Melbourne International Jazz Festival Web: melbournejazz.com