Orchestra to manoeuvre in the dark at HOTA
THE Home of the Arts will rollout the welcome mat for another free, all-weather performance this weekend when it hosts the Earth Hour event Concert for the Planet.
The Gold Coast Philharmonic Orchestra will make history as the first full orchestra to perform on the recently launched state-of-the-art outdoor stage when it brings Holst’s The Planets to life under the baton of conductor Lachlan Snow as part of the international event.
The orchestra’s ranks will be boosted to include more than 100 local musicians as its performance is live-streamed globally to enable musicians and communities around the world to play together.
While no tickets are required for Concert for the Planet, patrons are advised to bring a torch — the lights will be turned off at the venue at 8.30pm Queensland time when Earth Hour starts.
Presented in partnership with the Global Orchestra Foundation, it will be the second-ever Concert for the Planet event following 2015’s inaugural performance in Sydney.
The HOTA concert will be hosted by musical adventurer, teacher, writer and The Hub on Art radio presenter Eddie Ayres, who joined the capacity crowd at HOTA on Saturday for Tim Minchin’s concert.
The family event will include sustainable and environmentally focused art and community stalls, visual art installations by Clayton Blake and Guy Cooper, and interactive art activities including dancing, drumming and children’s activities from 5pm before the concert begins at 7.30pm.
The performance is an allweather event, with patrons advised to bring raincoats, ponchos and gumboots.
A HOTA spokesman said the venue would address any issues identified following Minchin’s extremely well-received show on Saturday.
“HOTA’s traffic and transport messages worked well and people thought about their modes of transport in and out of the site, planned ahead and looked for alternative means to get access to the site,” the spokesman said.