New Order announced for VIVID Live artist talks program

PRESS RELEASE:

Every rhyme has a reason, every artist a backstory. This year, experience the music of Vivid LIVE in an entirely new way: rare and intimate conversations with New Order, Anohni, Max Richter, a live recording of the hugely popular podcast Song Exploder and more as they reveal their influences, inspirations and creative processes.

The Vivid LIVE Artist Talks are a way for audiences to deepen their experience of this year’s stellar Vivid LIVE line-up (27 May – 13 June), which also includes contemporary music’s new guard, from Poliça to Ta-ku and Wafia. Vivid LIVE’s Artist Talks are part of this year’s Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas.

Ben Marshall, Festival Curator, Vivid LIVE and the Sydney Opera House’s Head of Contemporary Music, says, “We’re very happy to be announcing this additional layer of in-depth artist conversations to Vivid LIVE 2016 and especially proud to welcome back Double J’s Myf Warhurst as part of this talks series. Every artist at Vivid LIVE has been chosen for the ambition and excellence of their work and it’s important to us that the Opera House provides opportunities to not just see incredible artists perform but to also hear them reflect on their creative processes. Audiences are more musically adventurous than ever and music is everywhere – these artist conversations play a useful role in helping active, curious and engaged listeners locate, understand and go deeper into the music they’re listening to.”

The pre-show and stand-alone sessions move artists off the stage and into the foyers to explore their individual passions:

• New Order in a rare public conversation with filmmaker, producer and MFS label head Mark Reeder, discussing Factory Records, the rise and fall of Joy Division, and the sonic world of Manchester
   
• Veteran rock journalist Paul Morley and former NME photographer Kevin Cumminsdiscussing the city that shaped them and its legacy sound in a session titled Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain as part of The New Order Project;
   
• Festival headliner Anohni and legendary Australian installation artist – and Antony and the Johnsons collaborator – Lynette Wallworth leading audiences to talk about our fragile connection to the natural world and each other;
   
• Genre-defying composer and pianist Max Richter in conversation with an unexpected fan,Paul Morley, about the intersection between classical and experimental music, and the art of performance itself;
   
• Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway’s taking apart Hiatus Kaiyote’s Grammy-nominated songs, piece by piece, in a live session with the band for a podcast that reveals how music is made and the personal stories behind the lyrics and melodies;
   
• Poliça deconstructing the protest, power and poetry of their work in conversation with FBi Radio’s Chris Twite, also Senior Producer at Sydney Opera House, before their show;
   
• Double J host, radio journalist and former Spicks & Specks captain Myf Warhurst talking to Australia’s finest, including Ta-ku, Goodgod’s Jimmy Sing with Mad Racket founder and DJ Simon Caldwell, Vivid LIVE curator Ben Marshall; and
   
• Aficionados from MusicNSW leading an all-Australian panel discussion on the state of the home-grown electronic music – particularly for women – with Ta-ku collaborator Wafia, andKučka, vocalist to both Flume and A$AP Rocky.

You can find more information on the free talks series during Vivid LIVE atsydneyoperahouse.com/vividLIVE.