Willoughby City Council Celebrates Diversity with Three Inspiring Women-Led Performances

Willoughby City Council Mayor Tanya Taylor says, “These three unique performances showcase inspiring women telling their powerful stories through music and speech. Chatswood has an accessible and vibrant culture and these performances capture the spirit of the Culture Bites program, which has been designed to support and deliver enriching arts and cultural experiences in our community.”

Here’s more about the live performances that will be hosted at The Concourse in Chatswood:

Live at Lunch Series with virtuoso flutist Jane Rutter

Live at Lunch proudly returns for its 11th year, with three performances featuring the internationally acclaimed flutist Jane Rutter accompanied by world renowned musicians and national musical heroes.

The latest Live at Lunch series offers three very different performances: From Vienna with Love (6 September), which sees Jane accompanied by Pacific Opera, a superb new vocal quartet of rising opera stars; Debussy and Friends (11 October), with harpist Louise Johnson (former principal, Sydney Symphony Orchestra) and violist Roger Benedict (former principal, Sydney Symphony Orchestra), a concert of musical ‘jewels’ from the city of Paris; and Three to Tango! Piazzolla, Mambo, Salsa! (15 November) with two of Australia’s best tango musicians, sensational Chilean-born Australian concert pianist and composer Daniel Rojas, and bandoneón player Stephen Cuttriss in a concert of electrifying tango and folk-influenced music.

An Australian success story, the Live at Lunch series once again showcases fine music of the highest calibre and offers audience members the unique experience of dining with the musicians after the concert.

The Hen House – new music theatre

Created and performed by dynamic sister-duo Josipa Draisma (founder/creative director, In Wild Company) and Mara Knežević (Playlist, PYT Fairfield), with co-creator Šime Knežević and director Anthea Williams (Hir, Sydney Theatre Awards Best Director), The Hen House is a fierce and funny migrant story that pays homage to the stories of European migration in the ’60s and ’70s and explores the dignity and comedy of the female working-class experience paired with distinctly live and loud original music played by an electrifying all-female rock band.

Personal – a deeply personal, one-person performance

Presented by Jodee Mundy Collaborations and Critical Stages Touring, Personal is an uplifting and revealing multi-language story of life as the child of Deaf parents. Through a captivating blend of performance, storytelling, multimedia and animation. Mundy delves into the contradictions of inhabiting two worlds: living in a Deaf family, where using sign language is natural; and living in a society that sees only the family’s disability with voyeuristic curiosity. Personal is a smart, touching and deeply personal work exploring dis/ability and how we perceive one another.

Personal is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, it’s arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Excerpts from Passport Without a Country courtesy of Cameron Davie, Noumenon Films.

Ticket prices and booking link:

Live at Lunch: From Vienna with Love (6 September), Debussy and Friends (11 October) and Three to Tango! Piazzolla, Mambo, Salsa! (15 November) Adult $38, Concession $33, Adult and Lunch $64, Concession and Lunch $58

Ticket Links From Vienna with Love https://aucentury.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/94182
Debussy and Friends https://aucentury.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/94183
Three to Tango! https://aucentury.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/94184
The Hen House (22 September): Tickets $33–$39
Ticket Link https://aucentury.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/111414?utm_source=www.theconco
Personal (6 October): Tickets $33–$39
Ticket Link https://aucentury.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/110805