A Festive Thankyou

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday September 28, 2006

KILMENY ADIE

FLAMETREE FESTIVAL

The Bundanon Estate September 29 - October 1

Tickets from city recital hall box office on 02 8256 2222.

Bundanon will form the backdrop of a musical, artistic, culinary and architectural celebration this long weekend.

The inaugural Flametree Festival was developed by artistic directors James Beck and Heidi Jones after the pair spent five weeks at the Shoalhaven property earlier this year.

Beck, a cellist, and Jones, a pianist, were working as a duo at the property as part of its artist-in-residence program.

"All the artists leave something as a legacy but it's hard for a musician to because we can't really hand over art to go on a wall," Beck says.

"So we thought 'why not leave them a festival?'."

The festival opens with an exhibition on the Friday night.

Sound and Solitude starring soprano Jane Sheldon and solo strings in the Natural Rock Amphitheatre, Monsieur Camembert and Mozart and Murcutt perform on Saturday.

On Sunday, Sound and Solitude backs up for a second performance and Love and Loss takes the stage as well.

The Saturday evening performance of Mozart and Murcutt includes the Australian premiere of Philip Glass' suite from The Hours.

"It has been amazing and quite phenomenal in a way because we stumbled across something that has been in the pipeline for years," Beck says.

"Arthur and Yvonne (Boyd) had visualised something like this when they were living at the property and the Friends of Bundanon and the Bundanon Trust has envisaged such a festival since their establishment.

"This is the culmination of a long-held dream of the community down there."

However, the Flametree Festival is not only about music, Beck says. There will also be artwork for sale - including pieces by Bundanon's famous Arthur Boyd. There will also be food and wine available for purchase.

KILMENY ADIE

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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