Hobart turns up volume

IT’S time to tune up, Hobart — the 13th annual Festival of Voices will get the city singing from today.

Originally designed as a way of breathing some life into Hobart’s moribund winter months, the Festival of Voices has grown from humble beginnings to become a major event on the state’s cultural calendar and be regarded as Australia’s premier celebration of the human voice.

Almost 30,000 people en- gaged with the festival last year, with ticket sales improving 8 per cent on 2015.

In 2005, the festival started as a niche gathering of choirs, aimed at a quite narrow section of the community. These days, the gospel singers, cabaret stars and a cappella acts are joined by an increasing number of more mainstream artists.

This year’s program features more than 110 free and ticketed events and more than 150 performances over the next 17 days at nearly 40 venues across Hobart and beyond, from concert halls and theatres to bookshops and street corners.

More than 650 choristers from Australia and overseas are on their way to Hobart, where they will perform and also take part in the exten- sive workshop program, which will be led by returning favourites, including UK conductor David Lawrence and US music educator and cultural activist Eric Dozier.

The 2017 festival starts tonight on the state’s East Coast, with the Coastal program taking the likes of ‘ 90s chart-toppers Frente, altcountry raconteur Henry Wagons and comedy cabaret crew Mother’s Ruin to locations including Buckland, Bicheno and Coles Bay.

In Hobart, highlights will include Toni Childs, The Idea of North, Sarah Blasko, The Umbilical Brothers and world-class soloists Greta Bradman and Christopher Richardson.

The Voicebox club returns to Hobart City Hall, playing host to jazz pianist Frances Madden, singers Harmony Byrne and Sophie Koh and others; while Melbourne musician Braille Face will headline the Voices In The Barn program at Rosny. The City of Hobart Big Sing Bonfire is expected to attract more than 5000 people to Salamanca next Friday.

This year’s singalong song is Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, with the crowd also to be treated to classics by Prince, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and The Doors.

The festival runs until July 16.

Details and bookings are at www.festivalofvoices.com