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On
Sunday, 11th of December, our 2016 Season officially came to an end with
the Australian String Quartet and guitar virtuoso Slava Grigoryan giving an
intoxicating performance of works by Charles Edward Horsley, Wolfgang
Muthspiel, György Ligeti, and Iain Grandage. The concert was recorded for
future CD release and served as a thrilling conclusion to what has been an
overwhelmingly successful 2016 Season.
Earlier
in November, we had internationally acclaimed Australian pianist Piers Lane up
at UKARIA to officially christen our magnificent new Bösendorfer 214VC. He
performed an electrifying program including Mozart’s Sonata in B flat major, K.
333, Beethoven’s immortal Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’, a
selection of Carl Vine’s The Anne Landa
Preludes, Chopin’s Ballade No.3 in A flat major, Op. 47, and concluded with
Liszt’s Venezia e Napoli. The concert
elicited a well-deserved standing ovation, and received an excellent review in The Advertiser.
Later, on his Facebook page, Piers shared his experience of playing at UKARIA:
‘This
afternoon I had the inestimable privilege and pleasure of giving the first
recital on the new Bösendorfer at UKARIA, the intimate, year-old, glorious
concert hall at Ngeringa near Mount Barker in South Australia. The whole area
is supremely beautiful and UKARIA something very special.’
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2017 Season |
Since
our last newsletter hit your inbox, we’ve had a phenomenal response to our 2017
Season. On the first day our new season launched and tickets sales went live,
we sold over 1,300 tickets! At the time of writing, four concerts have already
sold out – Lacey, Wright, Yeadon and Peres Da Costa; the Goldner String Quartet;
Rowell, Henbest, Cobcroft and Collins; and Kate Ceberano with Paul Grabowsky.
But like always, we have opened up a waiting list in the event that some of our
ticket holders are unable to attend.
Konstantin
Shamray’s Piano Recital in May is dangerously close to selling out; likewise Umberto
Clerici with Daniel de Borah in October is also getting close. Ticket orders
are still flowing in, so for those of you who haven’t booked yet, we’d
recommend getting your orders in before the year ends to avoid missing out on
your preference.
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Friends of the Garden |
During
the summer months, the garden at UKARIA is at its most colourful and vibrant. Pinks,
purples, yellows and reds burst forth in full bloom as the ambrosia of lavender
and rosemary wafts through the summer air. The UKARIA Cultural Centre sits on
what was once the Jurlique Herb Farm, where many of the herbs and plants used
for natural skin care products were grown. One old tradition may be gone, but the
roses that colour our garden today are the original roses from the Jurlique
Show Garden that have survived transplantation to the new Herb Farm while our
Cultural Centre was under construction, and back again. Ulrike Klein’s passion
for horticulture remains undimmed and, thanks to the efforts of the passionate
people who work here, our garden remains as alive and exuberant as ever.
For
the first time in 2017, we are offering our patrons the opportunity to become a
‘Friend of the Garden’ and to participate in special morning events held once a
month. These volunteer events will give those who have a passion for gardening
the chance to spend a few hours working on our beautiful grounds, to catch up
with like-minded garden lovers over a cup of tea, and to soak up the morning
sunshine and be immersed in the natural beauty of the Ngeringa property. Our
first event will be held on 15 February 2017, from 10am-1pm. To register your
interest, sign up here.
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ULRIKE KLEIN WINS PREMIER’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD |
On Saturday, 10 December at Arts South Australia’s
Ruby Awards, Ulrike was jointly awarded the Premier’s Lifetime Achievement
Award, together with Rob Brookman, the Executive Director of the State Theatre
Company South Australia. Presented by the Arts Minister, Jack Snelling, the
award recognises and celebrates Ulrike’s legacy as a visionary philanthropist
for the arts. You can see the full list of winners here, and read more about this
story in this article from The Sunday
Mail.
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Highly Strung |
At the last Adelaide Film Festival, UKARIA
held a special screening of the film Highly
Strung, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (Shine). The documentary explores the
appeal and intrigue of string instruments, taking us from the modest homes of
the musicians who make up the Australian String Quartet to the picturesque
violin-crafting township of Cremona, Italy, to Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel – home
to the Carpenter family. Featuring footage filmed at UKARIA, along with interviews
with Ulrike Klein and Alison Beare, the film had its national cinema release in
May. We’re pleased to announce that on February 12th at 10pm, the film will be broadcasted
on the ABC, so please put the date down in your diaries!
You
can watch a trailer of Highly Strung here.
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Summer Reading |
‘Childhood dreams do
come true sometimes, but often in unpredictable ways’.
In
the December issue of Limelight Magazine,
our Founder and Director Ulrike Klein reveals a childhood violinist’s dream
ultimately fulfilled and describes the cosmic power of Bach in a very candid and
personal ‘My Music’ feature. The article concisely chronicles Ulrike’s story
from her childhood in a picturesque village in Germany, to stepping inside
UKARIA Cultural Centre for the first time. You can read about the one piece of
music she cannot live without by purchasing a copy of Limelight Magazine from any good newsagency, or by clicking here.
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Choosing No. 7 |
‘I just looked at my
documents, this is the first 214VC (Bösendorfer) in Australia. A new era of
pianos begins in Australia’.
So reads email correspondence from Pascal
Siegl, Sales Representative at the Bösendorfer factory in Vienna, to Alison
Beare, Chief Executive Office of UKARIA, dated 19 July 2016.
In
‘Choosing No. 7’, the first in a series of long-form stories for our website,
the process of selecting the perfect piano for UKARIA is chronicled, from
initial conversations with Christoff Eggner, who visited the Bösendorfer
factory to personally select ‘No. 7’, to responses from pianists who have visited
UKARIA to play the instrument – Konstantin Shamray and Piers Lane. Click here to read the full story.
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CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS |
If you’re stuck for ideas for last minute
Christmas gifts for your friends and loved ones, here are some of our
suggestions:
SLAVA GRIGORYAN
BACH CELLO SUITES - VOLUME I
Last month, the first volume of Slava Grigoryan’s
new Bach recording project, the Cello Suites, was released on the ABC Classics
label. Slava is one of Australia’s most illustrious guitarists, and his new
album is perhaps his most intimate yet, recorded on the richly resonant
baritone guitar in the exquisite acoustics of UKARIA Cultural Centre. Since
it’s release in November, the album has been at No.1 on the ARIA Top 10
Classical Albums Chart for five consecutive weeks, so it goes without saying
that Slava’s album would be the perfect gift to fill those Christmas stockings!
To
watch a clip with Slava introducing the recording and discussing the baritone
guitar, click here.
UKARIA 24
For that special friend or close family member,
you might consider gifting a weekend pass to UKARIA 24. We are delighted to
welcome Scottish accordion virtuoso James Crabb to curate UKARIA 24 in August
2017. James is an artist who consistently captivates – someone who is
recognised as an international ambassador of his instrument. The music of Astor
Piazzolla and Osvaldo Golijov will frame a disparate journey from the Baroque
sonatas of Scarlatti to a contemporary tour de force by Sofia Gubaidulina in a
weekend celebrating the Argentinean Tango Nuevo. By experiencing our flagship
weekend event in its entirely, you’ll save 25% off the price for the individual
concerts. To book tickets, click here.
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CHRISTMAS WISHES FROM UKARIA |
As
I write this newsletter – our final for 2016 – I’m looking out towards the
Adelaide Hills and it’s impossible not to feel an overwhelming sense of
optimism for the year ahead as the sun slips beyond the horizon and the
resplendent indigo swirls of a late Jacaranda blossom brings another year to an
end.
To all of you who have supported UKARIA
this year by purchasing a ticket, making a donation or just by simply showing
your interest by signing up to receive this newsletter, thank you. Your support
is invaluable to us, and we look forward to seeing you at one of the many
exciting events at UKARIA in 2017.
If you’re on Facebook, please visit and
‘like’ our page - we’d love to see it grow next year to a similar following for
our newsletter. By clicking ‘like’, you’ll receive all the latest news,
stories, photos and videos throughout the week on your news feed. If you’re not
on Facebook, rest assured our newsletters will arrive consistently in your
inbox at least once a month from 2017, so you can expect to hear from us a
little more regularly. We’d also love to extend the invitation for you to get
in touch with us - we’d be delighted to hear your stories, thoughts and
experiences.
From all of us at UKARIA, we wish you a
very merry Christmas and the best of luck for what we hope will be a very
special new year.
Dylan Henderson
Communications Manager
UKARIA
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