Applications open for 2023 Stigwood Fellowships

South Australian musicians and emerging music industry entrepreneurs are invited to apply for the next iteration of an annual fellowship program that has previously given a career boost to recipients including Electric Fields, Tkay Maidza, Teenage Joans and West Thebarton.

Applications for the 2023 Robert Stigwood Fellowships opened last week and will close on October 16.

The program, run by the State Government’s Music Development Office, provides grants of up to $25,000 for local artists and up to $5000 for industry entrepreneurs for a range of mentorship and professional development programs.

“Now in its eighth iteration, the Stigwood Fellowship has played a significant role in helping South Australian artists and industry representatives develop creatively and professionally, with many securing recording, publishing and management deals,” says Minister for the Arts Andrea Michaels.

Fellows will receive intensive mentoring and professional development during the program delivered by Stu MacQueen and Dan Crannitch of Wonderlick Entertainment, which represents musicians such as Montaigne, Grinspoon, Josh Pike and Amy Shark.

Full application guidelines and other details can be found here.

A Feast of queer arts

Feast Festival is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in November with a line-up of more than 100 events that will kick off with an opening night carnival in Tarntanyangga/Victoria Square headlined by Australia’s 2022 Eurovision contestant Sheldon Riley.

Adelaide performer Aaron Collis will share his own journey of self-discovery in the new cabaret show Madonna Made Me Gay! during this year’s Feast.

The full program for the November 5-27 festival was launched this week and spans comedy, music, theatre, visual art and community events. It includes shows by artists including pop singer Jack Vidgen (performing dance floor hits from the ’80s and ’90s), Rhonda Burchmore (joining jazz ensemble The Jack Earle Big Band to perform songs from their upcoming Christmas album), Australian drag artist Karen From Finance (runner-up on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under), and local cabaret performer Michael Griffiths (singing songs from the Peter Allen catalogue).

The official Pride March will take place on November 5 and be followed by the opening night carnival, and the always-popular Picnic in the Park returns in Rundle Park on November 27.

Other events to look out for include the Comedy Gayla hosted by Lori Bell at Rhino Room, a series of events celebrating queer writing, a forum sharing stories behind the panels on the SA AIDS Quilt, and a free History Trust lecture celebrating 50 years of queer activism.

The full Feast program is online.

Arts and Wellbeing Forum

The positive effects of arts and creativity on mental health and wellbeing will be the focus of an Arts and Wellbeing Forum being held next Friday (October 7) as part of WellFest Adelaide.

The forum ­– from 9.30am-1pm at Tandanya ­– will be led by a panel including Light ADL co-founder Sophie Dunstone and Flinders University senior lecturer in creative industries Dr Tully Barnett. It will also include an artist performance with Jennifer Trijo (creator of the Fringe show Someday ­– A Mindful Cabaret) and a networking lunch.

WellFest Adelaide, a city-wide festival presented by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, runs from October 7-30. Further details about the Arts and Wellbeing Forum can be found here.

Festival Centre goes live with a new look

Adelaide Festival Centre launched a new-look website and brand this week as it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023.

The site was designed and developed by South Australia-based Simple Integrated Marketing, with the AFC saying it is easier to navigate and features a “new and improved ticket purchase path”. It incorporates portals for the various festivals presented by the centre (including Adelaide Cabaret Festival, OzAsia and DreamBIG), as well as a digital section featuring podcasts and videos, and a library of works from the Performing Arts Collection.

This schools program for next year’s DreamBIG Children’s Festival was also launched this week, with the biennial event returning from May 17-27. Centred around the theme Our World, the 2022 festival will open with a choir of up to 2000 students singing “My Island Home” and performing in a mass dance event led by youth ensemble Dusty Feet Mob. A special art exhibition is also planned to celebrate the Adelaide Festival Centre’s 50th birthday.

Full detail of the DreamBIG schools program can be found here, with the public program to be launched in January.

Sensory Concerts return

Recitals Australia is presenting two Sensory Concerts ­­– designed for adults and children with sensory or special needs ­– as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Sensory Concerts, the brainchild of concert pianist and music educator Grace Kim, aim to offer a live classical concert experience in a relaxed setting with a range of seating options, a “retreat space” and and therapist support.

“The aim of Sensory Concerts is to give Adelaide families a real concert experience, featuring top musicians, in a supportive and understanding environment,” says Recitals Australia president Mark de Raad.

The organisation’s first Sensory Concerts since COVID-19 began will be performed at the Salisbury Community Hub (34 Church Street, Salisbury) on  October 6 at 10.30am and 11.45am, and at Flinders University (Oasis Centre, Humanities Road) on October 7 at 10am (bookings here).

In recent years the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has also introduced Relaxed Concerts for families of children with sensory, communication and learning needs. The next performance in this series, In This Place, will be presented next Wednesday, October 5, at the Grainger Studio.

Green Room is a regular column for InReview, providing quick news for people interested, or involved, in South Australian arts and culture.

Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]