Ms. Lauryn Hill, St. Vincent, Anna Calvi & More Added To Vivid Live
Sydney Opera House today announced the next line-up of artists who will join Lighting the Sails’ 59 Productions, Pixies, Giorgio Moroder, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and The Presets, at the sixth annual Vivid LIVE, as part of Vivid Sydney, the 18 day festival of light, music and ideas.
From 23 May – 1 June, the nation’s most iconic stages will play host to the most ambitious and innovative artists from around the world. In 2014, Vivid LIVE will feature over 20 performances and more than 120 artists, raising the roof of Sydney Opera House’s theatres, rehearsal spaces, recording studios and, most famously, its iconic sails.
NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said:
Vivid Sydney represents the very best of the creative industries, and the program for Vivid LIVE this year reflects this – with music genres including indie-rock, hip-hop, electronic, disco, folk, pop and classical. They are all special and unique performances. Of course the Sails of the Sydney Opera House will again captivate the visitors to Vivid Sydney, as they did to over 800,000 people last year, ensuring the festival gives a boost to retail stores, hotels and restaurants over the winter period.
In what will be his third and final year as Vivid LIVE Festival Director, from 2012 – 2014, Fergus Linehan has curated such iconic Vivid LIVE events as Kraftwerk’s 3D album retrospectives, Karen O’s psycho opera, Empire of the Sun and The Temper Trap’s Australian album premieres, and special projects featuring Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, Justin Vernon and Scott Walker.
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of Vivid LIVE, Sydney Opera House said:
The 2014 Vivid LIVE program traverses different genres and generations but always directs its attention towards those artists, whose curiosity has driven them to push boundaries and reinvent what rock, pop and electronic music can be. From Lauryn Hill and the Pixies to Anna Calvi and St. Vincent, the 2014 season casts a glance back at the influencers, takes a look around at the current scene and looks forward to where music is headed in the 21st century. While these concerts are taking place on our stages, 59 Productions will bring their unique experience in music, theatre and visual art to the Opera House’s exterior after dark.
Celebrating popular music’s most iconic artists, Vivid LIVE 2014 – a veritable highlight of Australia’s contemporary music calendar and part of Vivid Sydney, an 18 day festival of Light, Music and Ideas – will open with an exclusive four night residency by seminal indie-rock band Pixies. Presented by Red Bull Music Academy, 74-year-old synth-disco legend Giorgio Moroder will make his long-awaited Australian debut with an exclusive DJ set and free keynote address, alongside Britain’s Heritage Orchestra who will pay tribute to his award-winning body of work.
As part of her long awaited headlining Australian debut, Ms. Lauryn Hill will cement her status as the queen of hip-hop, revisiting a songbook that changed music forever.
Three of the brightest names in music will make their Sydney Opera House debuts during Vivid LIVE, including chameleonic New York artist St. Vincent, British-Italian singer-songwriter Anna Calvi and Ireland’s electro-acoustic prodigy James Vincent McMorrow.
Australia’s own Kate Miller-Heidke will return to the opera stage with her new album while Vivid LIVE is also proud to present Germany’s critically acclaimed pianist-producer Nils Frahm. Goodgod Small Club will present the Australian debut of cult South African wailer Penny Penny, while Timeline – the Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring The Presets – will transcend time and space with its epic journey through 42,000 years of music.
Future facing artists such as Stones Throw signee Jonti will pay tribute to The Avalanches’ seminal record Since I Left You, while this year’s legendary Studio Parties will be curated by Australia’s taste-making record labels and promoters Astral People, Siberia Records, R.I.P Society and Future Classic, culminating with Giorgio Moroder’s Australian DJ debut.
As animated as the stages hosting the city’s most ambitious live music, the Opera House’s precinct will be home to Vivid LIVE-inspired menus, late-night live music and winter’s best pop-up café and bar scene. From cocktails, tasting plates and live music at Opera Bar to sustainable seafood, freshly-made burgers and Asian cuisine at Opera Kitchen, food trucks, and a pop-up café and bar on the Western Boardwalk, the Opera House precinct is a thriving backdrop to the magical Lighting the Sails – a highlight of Vivid Sydney. Under the Sails, the venues, foyers and rehearsal rooms come alive, and two limited-time guided tours will explore the heart of Australia’s iconic building as the artist-driven festival takes over. There’s extraordinary opportunities to touch the iconic tiles, explore the theatres, walk the timber-panelled hallways and access rare photo opportunities. The VIP backstage experience goes behind the scenes of Vivid LIVE, exploring areas usually privy to stage crew and performers – on stage, inside a dressing room and past the state-of-the-art recording studio – finishing with a continental breakfast or dinner.
Follow Vivid LIVE on Twitter @VividLIVE, Facebookfacebook.com/VividLIVESydneyOperaHouse and Instagram@SydneyOperaHouse #vividLIVE
