Christine Anu joins Festival of Voices line up

Posted by Christine Anu on February 18, 2013
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Australia’s own Soul Diva, Christine Anu will perform an intimate version of her acclaimed REWIND: The Aretha Franklin Songbook show on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July 2013 at Tasmania’s largest winter cultural event – Festival of Voices.

Festival of Voices features artists from all over the globe.  Whether your taste is choral or cabaret, story-telling or hip-hop, you’ll find something to savour at the Festival of Voices.

Utilizing Hobart’s finest venues in the heritage Salamanca Place precinct, the Festival offers two main streams – The performance Program and Workshop Series.

With scores of events, hundreds if singers and thousands of participants, we’re bringing the warmth to Hobart with winter’s favourite festival. The Festival of Voices delivers learning and performance opportunities for all ages and abilities, and in doing so provides a truly transformative experience of participation and involvement.

With the last run of dates in 2012 selling out and receiving rave reviews, Christine and her band are returning with an intimate, up-close version of the show. REWIND is Christine Anu’s tribute to the Queen of soul Aretha Franklin. REWIND – The Aretha Franklin Songbook is a special show unlike anything Christine has done before.

In this must-see performance, Anu conjures soulful interpretations of Aretha’s most memorable songs including the signature tunes Respect and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman as well as Chain of Fools, Today I Sing The Blues and many other unforgettable classic melodies. “Nobody says it or sings it better than Ms. Aretha Franklin. She is one of my greatest influences and an inspiration to black pride and feminine empowerment. I truly believe she is the greatest soul singer of our time!” says Christine, who provides all the grace, glitz and vocals of a true diva and is sure to captivate audiences from the start. REWIND – The Aretha Franklin Songbook was also released in CD and Digital formats at the end of 2012, allowing Aretha fans to take home Christine’s interpretations of these classic tunes.

Australia’s iconic Indigenous entertainer, Christine Anu has been delighting Australian audiences for two decades with an award-winning repertoire spanning across music, theatre, dance, film, television and children’s entertainment and has garnered accolades in all quarters of show business, including a Green Room Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Rent and the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical at the 2010 Sydney Theatre Awards. Anu is also a multi-ARIA nominee and recipient, including 1995 Song of the Year for My Island Home, 1996 Best Female Artist for Stylin Up and 1998 Best Video for Bazmark’s Now Until the Break of Day with David Hobson. Anu is also an eight-time Deadly Award recipient. During an illustrious career spanning more than two decades, Christine has amassed a multitude of achievements, including platinum albums, sell-out musicals, Hollywood blockbusters, and high-profiled collaborations with showbiz and musical luminaries such as Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge), Paul Kelly and David Atkins.

The REWIND show is a rare chance for audiences to see Christine in an intimate setting as she performs tracks that has inspired her throughout her stellar career.

For more information about the festival, https://festivalofvoices.com

 

Whitsunday LIVE! has won the Community Event of the Year award.

Posted by Christine Anu on January 30, 2013
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Whitsunday LIVE! has won the Community Event of the Year award, which is run by the Whitsunday Regional Council.

The presentation was held on Sat 26 January 2013 in Airlie Beach.  The Award was accepted by a number of children who participated in the project.

Queensland Music Festival’s Whitsunday LIVE! was a celebration of talented young performers from the Whitsunday region supported by Australia’s iconic female entertainer and soul diva, Christine Anu.

Inspired by the success of the Bowen-based QMF production Behind The Cane in 2011, Whitsunday LIVE! showcased some of the best young performers that the Whitsunday region has to offer combined with the stunning vocals of Christine Anu.

Directed by actor-director-playwright Sean Mee alongside musical director Helen Russell, vocal coach Douglas McRae, and choreographer Dan Crestani, Whitsunday LIVE!  Entertained  the crowd with an exciting line-up, creating the centrepiece of the 4th Annual Whitsunday Cultural Festival.

The Whitsunday Cultural Festival was presented by Tourism Bowen, QMF and Whitsunday Regional Council with the support of EQRDP and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Christine Anu to close the 2013 National Multicultural Festival Indigenous Showcase

Posted by Christine Anu on January 16, 2013
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Iconic Indigenous Entertainer, Christine Anu will close the 2013 National Multicultural Festival Indigenous Showcase on Sunday, 10 February 2013.

The Indigenous Showcase is a key component of the National Multicultural Festival, which in turn is one of Australia’s foremost celebrations of cultural diversity, providing an opportunity for over 260,000 thousand locals and visitors to celebrate our diversity and multicultural communities.

Other performers over the two day showcase include Gurrumul, Benny Walker, Stiff Gins and many more.

For additional information, CLICK HERE

The People Speak: Ground-breaking special to premiere on Sunday, December 2 at 7.30pm AEDT Only on The History Channel

Posted by Christine Anu on November 26, 2012
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FOXTEL and The History Channel are proud to bring together some of Australia’s finest artists from stage and screen in a stunning two-hour special event, THE PEOPLE SPEAK, on Sunday, December 2 at 7.30pm AEDT.
Filmed at Sydney’s historic Carriageworks site in Redfern in front of a live audience, THE PEOPLE SPEAK features Australia’s leading actors and musicians delivering the letters, songs and speeches of rebels, visionaries and protesters from Australia’s rich past.
Narrated by author Thomas Keneally, these powerful moments from our nation’s history are brought to life on stage by a remarkable group of artists including Jimi Bani, Matilda Brown, Rob Carlton, Lillian Crombie, Damian de Montemas, Alex Dimitriades, Rebecca Gibney, Chris Haywood, John Jarratt, Claudia Karvan, Ryan Kwanten, Sophie Lowe, Madeleine Madden, Indira Naidoo, Jack Thompson, David Wenham, Sam Worthington and Dan Wyllie and are interspersed with haunting musical performances by Tex Perkins, Julia Stone and Christine Anu.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK is a one-of-a-kind format that revisits some of our country’s most significant fights – those of gender equality, fair pay and working conditions, gay rights, war and peace, immigration and the rights of our indigenous populations.
It gives a voice to those who spoke up at the time for social change – and highlights the continuing importance of active participation in today’s society.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK format was born in 2009 when actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, along with film producer Chris Moore collaborated with Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of  the United States, to construct a performed history of the United States as told from the perspective of its underdogs.
Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Marisa Tomei, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Josh Brolin and a host of others participated in the special – and two years later, Colin Firth, Sir Ben Kingsley, Joss Stone, Keira Knightley and Sir Ian McKellan were amongst the cast that staged THE PEOPLE SPEAK in the United Kingdom.
THE PEOPLE SPEAK is produced by The History Channel and WTFN Entertainment and is exclusive to FOXTEL.

 

Stories from the first Australians available to all from 12-12-12

Posted by Christine Anu on November 22, 2012
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In a historic day for Australia, a dedicated Indigenous television service will be available for all Australians free-to-air for the first time, when National Indigenous Television (NITV) begins broadcasting on SBS4 digital spectrum from 12 December 2012.
SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid, said: “The 12th of December marks an important milestone in Australian broadcasting, and in our nation’s history. SBS is incredibly proud to be playing a role in delivering content about Indigenous Australians, produced by Indigenous Australians, to every Australian household. With NITV part of the SBS family, we will reflect Australia’s diversity in a way no other broadcaster has before.”
NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Denning, said: “NITV has been creating and delivering innovative content representing the many voices of the country’s first Australians. We remain dedicated to having our unique languages and culture reflected within the media landscape, and we’re excited to invite Australians of all backgrounds to tune in, and join us in celebrating our rich and unique culture.”
To celebrate the free-to-air launch, NITV will broadcast a day of special programming starting with a two hour outdoor broadcast, live from the iconic Uluru in the Northern Territory. From the Heart of Our Nation will be a special television event marking the official ‘switch on’ of NITV free-to-air at 12pm (AEDT). Hosted by Indigenous broadcasters Stan Grant and Rhoda Roberts, the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara traditional owners of the area will welcome audiences from around the nation.
From the Heart of Our Nation will be followed by a one hour Living Black special (from 2pm AEDT) from SBS studios in Sydney. Hosted by Karla Grant, SBS’s award-winning Indigenous current affairs program will examine the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media in Australia throughout history.
There will be a special one-hour edition of NITV News with Natalie Ahmat, featuring crosses to reporters around the country, before the broadcast returns to Uluru where the party really gets underway. Some of Australia’s best Indigenous talent – including Christine Anu, Casey Donovan, Troy Cassar Daley, Dan Sultan, Warren H. Williams and Frank Yamma – will take to the stage to perform as the sun sets for a two hour concert hosted by the much-loved Ernie Dingo (from 8pm AEDT).

NITV will begin broadcasting free-to-air from 12pm (AEDT) on 12 December 2012, on SBS4.