Ballarat Arts Foundation (BAF) and Ballarat Arts Alive (BAA) proudly present
ADAM SIMMONS – FORGING A PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN THE ARTS
SUNDAY 27TH APRIL 1 -3pm MITCHELL HARRIS WINE BAR – 38 DOVETON ST NTH, BALLARAT
Forging a career as a professional artist is a long and hard road that requires talent, but also demands a great deal of discipline, professionalism, and organisational skills. The Ballarat Arts Foundation (BAF) and Ballarat Arts Alive (BAA) are delighted to co-sponsor a professional development workshop with renowned jazz musician and festival director Adam Simmons that gives participants the opportunity to access the knowledge of an artist who has balanced the trials of being an internationally respected professional musician and touring artist, with a successful family life at the same time.
In this two hour professional development workshop local artists have the opportunity to pick the brains of one of Ballarat’s most acclaimed artistic exports. Adam will share some of his experiences as a musician, tour promoter, agent, visual artist, and his new role as the Director of the Festival of Slow Music in Ballarat through discussing
– an overview of his career from Ballarat to Melbourne – and back again
– national and international touring
– surviving as an artist
– funding – from the perspective of successful/unsuccessful applicant and panel member
– career development
Numbers are strictly limited for this unique experience which is the first collaboration between BAA members and BAF alumni. To check out more about Adam Simmons just head to www.adamsimmons.com
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL: http://www.trybooking.com/ESGN
$40 / $30 BAA members and BAF alumni includes entry to Art Sparks @ 3.00pm featuring Adam and other local artists across live music, video art and short film. More details here
BAA is currently offering free membership to local artists wanting to participate, just sign up here.
Ballarat born and bred, Adam Simmons is a composer and woodwind multi-instrumentalist. Highly regarded by his peers and audiences alike, he performs contemporary jazz, punk, afro-beat, new music, traditional Japanese shakuhachi, funk and freenoise/improv. The genuine respect for his passion was applauded by his peers in 2006 with a special retrospective of Adam’s work – featuring over 200 musicians in 40 configurations over three weeks at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Adam has been the recipient of many awards, including an Award created especially to recognize his contribution to contemporary jazz from the prestigious Freedman Foundation. He has toured the world countless times playing with artists ranging from the classical to cutting edge contemporary. A small sample include the Legends of Motorsport, Adam Simmons Toy Band, Bucketrider, Ernest Ranglin (JAM), Nigel Kennedy (UK/POL), Peter Brotzmann (GER), Odean Pope (USA), The Mavis’s, You Am I, KK Null (JAP), John Hollenbeck (USA), Ned Rothenberg (USA), Jacek Kochan (POL), David Jones, Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra, Kutcha Edwards, Spiderbait & Gotye.
In 2013 Adam released two CDs with his trio Origami, performed in Italy with Alessandra Garosi and La Societe des Antipodes and toured Estonia and Greece, including a performance at the acclaimed Piraeus Festival, in Athens. In between all this he managed to find time to create the new annual Festival of Slow Music in Ballarat at the end of last August.
Adam is also a visual artist represented by Catherine Asquith Gallery in Melbourne. His unique music box assemblages combine his love of music and visual arts and are included in many private collections and the National Museum in Szczecin, Poland. He has been a finalist in several art prizes, including a special commendation for the Banyule Art Award and on a more local level he was a finalist of the St Patrick’s College – Flannigan Art Prize last year.
For more information email Kiri on kirismart 9at)ballarat.vic.gov.au or call Paula on 0409 544 294
