Program Guide 2012 Program Guide | Page 62

Festival Ambassadors Igniting Imagination The Age Critics’ AWARD At Melbourne Festival, we pride ourselves on bringing the best art from around the world to your doorstep – but we’re also fervently committed to supporting and nurturing the vibrant arts industry that exists in this country. We are pleased to welcome the support of The Age, for the fourth year running, in presenting an award for the best new Australian work of performing art at Melbourne Festival. All new major Australian works in this year’s program, in the fields of dance, theatre and music, are eligible for this prestigious award, which carries with it a $5,000 cash prize. Selected by a panel of The Age’s expert critics, the winner of the award will be announced on 26 October. In 2011, The Age Critics’ Award went to the highly acclaimed Ganesh Versus the Third Reich from Back to Back Theatre, which the judges described as ‘emotionally powerful, thought provoking and brilliant’. So while you’re taking in everything this year’s Festival program has to offer, make sure you check out our homegrown talent – and see if you agree with the critics’ winning choice. Visit melbournefestival.com.au or theage.com.au/melbournefestival for more information. In 2011, Melbourne Festival began a collaborative partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria, designed to build bonds with diverse local artists and communities from varied backgrounds, and to connect them with the vibrant arts our city has to offer. As part of the program, six Festival Ambassadors from various cultural backgrounds were chosen to build connections between their communities and the Festival, by using their platforms as spokespeople to help people from our city’s richly diverse cultures engage with Melbourne Festival. The success of this collaboration has seen it build further this year, with even more ambassadors appointed. Melbourne Festival is proud to be represented by these keen advocates for Melbourne’s art and culture. If you happen to see these ambassadors around the Festival, feel free to say hi – after all, we’re all at the Festival for the same reason: to celebrate and enjoy the diverse wonders of the arts. Zvi Belling One of the key collaborators behind the infectious afro-beats of The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, Belling is also a director of ITN Architects. Lisa Hilli Papua New Guinean–Australian visual artist Hilli is the founder of the Pacific Women’s Weaving Circle, an initiative that provides a collaborative forum for local artists working with traditional arts and crafts. 62 Steven Simba Kali A South Sudanese musician who arrived in Melbourne in 2004 as a refugee, Kali has since recorded reggae and gospel music about his life and experiences. Richi Madan An icon and pioneer of the Australian Bollywood scene, Madan is an entertainer, musician and journalist who hosts the Mumbai Masala show on PBS. Antonio Moreira Brazilian percussionist Moreira has recently relocated to Australia. A regular performer with Tumbarumba, he is currently establishing a new Melbourne-based percussion group. Neda Rahmani Iranian-born Rhamani performs with Brazilian percussion group Tumbarumba, and is also a singer-songwriter in her own right, recently releasing her solo album All Colour. Evelyn Tadros Evelyn Tadros founded Australia’s first Human Rights Arts and Film Festival in 2006, is a theatre writer, director and performer, and regularly presents on 3CR’s human rights show, Right Now Radio. Photo James Henry Melbourne Festival thanks Multicultural Arts Victoria for their ongoing support.