The 2019 programme for Adelaide Festival boasts more than 70 unique events, 17 Australian premieres and 10 world premiere over 17 days, beginning and ending in spectacular fashion.
Adelaide Festival remains a dominant creative powerhouse of Southern Hemisphere celebrations. Next March, Adelaide will be the epicentre of expression offering a wellspring of theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, dance, film, forums and visual arts.
The 2019 programme also includes the return of uniquely local contributions such as Adelaide Writer's Week, WOMADelaide and Chamber Landscapes at UKARIA Cultural Centre.
This year Adelaide Festival is responding to the concerns of artists across the world in regards to current global affairs by embracing the recurring idea of human displacement and migration with works that are as diverse as the countries and artists from which they come.
'Symphony For Our World'
“In 2019 we showcase the rich creative imaginations of the world’s greatest artists – some very special works of sublime playfulness and joy along with works that are borne of the human impulse to understand, analyse and interpret world affairs,” joint Artistic Directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield say.
“Classic stories re-imagined for today’s audiences and new commissions that leap off the stage with energy and thrilling conviction. There are also fascinating connections between Jo Dyer’s first Adelaide Writers’ Week and the broader programme, and we know the Festival audience will love exploring these thematic links and spending 17 days inspired by creativity and ideas.”
Adelaide Festival in 2019 opens with a weekend of opera, music and dance that includes Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' (directed by Barrie Kosky), National Geographic's 'Symphony For Our World' (free family concert) and a newly commissioned work from Paul Kelly who has teamed up with Seraphim Trio plus James Ledger and Alice Keath to present song cycle 'Thirteen Ways To Look At Birds'.
Other opening weekend highlights include the voices of Moscow's great Sretensky Monastery Choir and dance-theatre visionary Meryl Tankard re-staging her seminal 1988 work 'Two Feet' as a vehicle for Natalia Osipovia – the 21st century's greatest ballerina – portraying the turbulent life of ballet superstar Olga Spessivtseva.
'Grand Finale' - Image © Rahi Rezvani
Closing out the festival at the other end will be Susan Graham dazzling Adelaide Town Hall in a one-off performance exclusive to Adelaide Festival, Irish cabaret star Camille O'Sullivan performing her homage to Nick Cave, and the exclusive Australian premiere season of 'Grand Finale', Israeli-born Hofesh Shechter's paean to the end of days.
In between, audiences will find a delightful and carefully selected programme of music, visual art, dance and theatre - both classic and contemporary – from Australia and around the world.
The national line-up includes revered jazz/improv musos James Morrison, Paul Grabowsky and Kram as The Others; Melbourne folk outfit The Paper Kites, and Melbourne’s distinctive indie-rock five-piece Augie March, while international highlights include legendary post-jazz, post-rock trio The Necks, Brooklyn’s legendary alt-rockers They Might Be Giants and the R&B-influenced Rhye.
