Katie Noonan’s new album project, ‘The Glad Tomorrow’ with Australian String Quartet (ASQ), is confirmed for release on Friday, August 30. It marks the first time that the powerhouse vocalist and 5-time ARIA Award Winner Noonan will perform with the brilliant ASQ, and will encompass their album release plus a national concert tour, kicking off October 28 at the Sydney Opera House. Pre-order the album here.
‘The Glad Tomorrow’ creation sees Katie set the uniquely Australian poetry of Queenslander and First Nations icon Oodgeroo Noonuccal to music, commissioning ten stellar Australian contemporary composers to create a song cycle based on Oodgeroo’s poetry.
Katie and the ASQ perform pieces written for them by Carl Vine, Elena Kats-Chernin, Richard Tognetti, Iain Grandage, David Hirschfelder as well as Queensland composers Thomas Green, Robert Davidson, Connor D’Netto, William Barton and Katie herself.
‘The Glad Tomorrow’ project brings together 4 distinct worlds – Contemporary Australian and Queensland Composers, the searing poetry of Queenslander Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the Australian String Quartet and Katie Noonan’s unique voice and innate musicality.
The album and national tour will also feature Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s extraordinary great grand-daughter Kaleenah Edwards reading her poetry in the Jandai language, marking the first time that Oodgeroo’s work has been translated and performed in this way. Kaleenah will deliver each poem before it is performed on the album and on the night at each performance. Oodgeroo’s grandson, songman Joshua Walker, and Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) have assisted with the translations, as well as providing funding support to allow Kaleenah to join Katie and ASQ on tour. For more information, please visit http://www.qyac.net.au/
Cameron Costello, CEO of Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) said, “QYAC are proud to support Aunty Oodgeroo’s enduring legacy that helps unite all Australians and this amazing project will ignite renewed interest and inspire a new generation with her message for a glad tomorrow for our children’s children.”
‘The Glad Tomorrow’ Tracklist:
1. A Song of Hope – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
2. A Song of Hope (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Katie Noonan)
3. The Curlew Cried – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
4. The Curlew Cried (©Oodgeroo NoonuccalThomas Green)
5. Then and Now – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
6. Then and Now (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Carl Vine
7. No More Boomerang – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
8. No More Boomerang (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/David Hirschfelder)
9. Song – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
10. Song (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Iain Grandage)
11. Balance – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
12. Balance (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Robert Davidson)
13. Tree Grave – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
14. Tree Grave (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Elena Kats-Chernin)
15. United We Win – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
16. United We Win (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/William Barton)
17. Dawn Wail for the Dead – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
18. Dawn Wail for the Dead (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Connor D’Netto)
19. Son Of Mine – Jandai Spoken Version (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
20. Son Of Mine (©Oodgeroo Noonuccal/Richard Tognetti)
The live component of ‘The Glad Tomorrow’ will see Katie Noonan and ASQ performing together for the first time in Australia. This unique combination of creative powerhouses will deliver spectacular and spine-tingling live performances in some of Australia’s finest theatre settings,commencing October 28 at the iconic Sydney Opera House. The tour then heads to Brisbane, Lismore, Adelaide, Perth, Wagga and Canberra, before concluding November 10 at Melbourne’s Forum.
Discussing ‘The Glad Tomorrow’, Katie Noonan said, “I have admired the wonderful artistry of ASQ for many years. More recently when Queenslanders Dale and Francesca joined the band, I felt like the quartet were the perfect match for the Oodgeroo project. As a fiercely proud Queenslander and in a project that is celebrating an extraordinary Queensland woman, I am immensely proud to share in this World Premiere with these 4 wonderful and world class musicians. We are privileged to have 10 incredible Australian composers bringing this project to life.
“My hope is that this project will help a new generation discover the powerful words and the extraordinary life of Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Personally and professionally I am committed to using music and community engagement to further the sentiments behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart which seeks ‘a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history’. Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land, and theconcept of Makarrata captures the idea of two parties coming together after a struggle and healing the divisions of the past. It is about acknowledging that something has been done wrong, and it seeks to make things right. My dream is that this song cycle is a small step towards this Makarratta aspiration.
“I am particularly honoured that Oodgeroo’s great grand-daughter Kaleenah will be joining us on this tour and helping to continue her family’s extraordinary legacy.”
Katie Noonan & Australian String Quartet
“The Glad Tomorrow” Tour 2019
Tickets on sale now
For all ticketing information please visit: katienoonan.com
MON 28 OCT – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY NSW – GADIGAL COUNTRY
THU 31 OCT – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE QLD – TURBALL/JAGERA COUNTRY
FRI 1 NOV – LISMORE CITY HALL, LISMORE NSW – BUNDJALUNG COUNTRY
SAT 2 NOV – WOODVILLE TOWN HALL, ADELAIDE SA – KAURNA COUNTRY
WED 6 NOV – HEATH LEDGER THEATRE, PERTH WA – NOONGAR COUNTRY
FRI 8 NOV – CIVIC THEATRE, WAGGA WAGGA NSW – WIRADJURI COUNTRY
SAT 9 NOV – CANBERRA THEATRE, CANBERRA ACT – NGUNNAWAL COUNTRY
SUN 10 NOV – FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC – WURUNDJERI COUNTRY
Album ‘The Glad Tomorrow’ released August 30, 2019 // Pre-order here
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ABOUT KALEENAH EDWARDS
A descendant of the Noonuccal people and tribal owner of the land Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), KALEENAH EDWARDS was raised learning the traditional art forms of her tribe Noonuccal. From an early age, she was performing with the dance troupe Yulu Burri Ba at important festivals such as the Woodford Folk Festival and NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) celebrations.
She attended ACPA (Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts) and in 2012 made her acting debut in “Stradbroke Dreamtime” directed by Sue Rider. The play was adapted from a children’s book written by Kaleenah’s great grandmother and well known activist and author Oodgeroo Noonuccal (also known as Kath Walker). The production toured regionally to schools to raise cultural awareness and understanding. The production was later remounted under the guidance of Wesley Enoch for a short season as part of the Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast.
