SconeFest is a jam session with scones and cream that shines a light on original music being produced by South Australia’s older generation.
“It’s basically an afternoon tied in with the Country Women’s Association (CWA) geared towards music for the older generations,” curator Emma Knights says.
“Because I’m a big advocate for locally written original music, I’ve got a number of older-generation people who have written some beautiful music that will be performed, plus I’ve got some of the younger guys that write stuff that older people will get into as well.”
Emma says the aim of SconeFest is to provide a platform for older musicians to perform their original material and highlight the value of their ongoing contributions to local art and culture.
“There’s a great market of that older generation that are still doing great things and there is so much we can learn from those generations and enjoy the stuff that they’re doing,” she says.
“They have great stories to tell as well, so this is a little bit of a niche within the Umbrella festival for that because there is a lot of stuff that’s geared towards the under-50s.
"So this is something grandparents can bring their grandkids to and anyone can come along and get enjoyment out of it.”
Emma is a locally-based freelance musician who runs her own company, Emma Knights Productions.
This is the third year Emma has curated an event for Umbrella and says the festival has been a boon for Adelaide’s live entertainment scene during the winter months. “Encouraging people to get out in winter just in general is a great thing.
“But also having a one-stop place they can go to see all the things that are happening is great because [when] people get cold… they can go to one place and find a bunch of cool stuff that’s happening,” she says.
When asked why people should attend SconeFest, Emma’s reply is sweet and succinct. “Anyone that’s tried anything that has been baked by CWA would know the answer to that,” she says with a laugh.
