YULUGI
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Providing an instantly engaging opening set was Yulugi, with Gumaroy Newman's arresting voice and yidaki leading us deep into his acenstral culture, in dialogue with Keyna Wilkins' piano and luminous flutes.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
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The end result wasn’t just cross-cultural, but also cross-artform....an immersive, new contemporary Australian art music.
CULTURAL ONMINVORE
CULTURAL ONMINVORE
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This is virtuoso playing, worthy of any Australian collection.
FINE MUSIC FM
FINE MUSIC FM
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Yulugi is a collaboration between leading song man Gumaroy Newman, a proud Gamilaroi and Wakka Wakka man and Robert Waetherall, a Gamilaroi, Bidgigal and Yuin man on yidaki (didgeridu) and dance, Raph Hatz, a Gamilaroi and Anaiwun also on yidaki, alongside Keyna Wilkins, a British-Australian composer/musician. Yulugi is a dialogue across cultures, inspired by the Australian landscape and animals. The word 'Yulugi' means play, dance or have fun in Gamilaroi.
The sonic scapes created are a melting pot of indigenous and western sounds and textures, exploring spiritual awakening through structured improvisations. Stylistically broad, this duo will take you on a journey into the heart of Australia with dream-like sequences alongside landscape depictions and animal mimicry and echoes of tribal lores, drawing on a myriad of musical influences, to create a unique and authentic soundscape of Australia.
Though formed early 2019, Yulugi have had and have numerous successful shows around Australia including at Woodford Folk Festival 2019 and opening the Australian Flute Festival at Sydney Conservatorium Verbruggen Hall in July 2019, Earfest 2020, SIMA Summer Festival and SIMA Harmony Day Festival 2021. Their music has been frequently played on radio stations around Australia including ABC, Triple J, Double J, Fine Music FM, Eastside Radio. Pre-COVID bookings in 2020 included Melbourne Recital Centre, MONA, Brett Whitely Gallery, Now Now Festival, Pheonix Central Park and many more - these will be rescheduled in 2022.
Gumaroy is an Indigenous musician, poet, MC and cultural educator. He has performed around the world in ceremonies and concerts alike including at festivals such as Glastonbury, Vancouver Folk and Woodford Folk and has worked with His Holiness The Dalai Lama and artists such as Arrested Development, Ganga Giri, Shane Howard and Shannon Knowle. Keyna Wilkins is an international pioneering flutist, pianist and composer and one of three national finalists in the APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence 2018.
Keyna composed a didgeridu concerto, "Celestial Emu" in collaboration with Gumaroy that was performed by The Metropolitan Orchestra and Gumaroy in March 2020 at Seymour Centre Everest Theatre. It received rave reviews and Yulugi have been chosen as Artistic Associates for The Metropolitan Orchestra in 2021. In early 2021 Yulugi was honoured to be involved in the making of a proposed new Australian national anthem led by former QC and judge Peter Vickery, the Recognition Anthem Project: https://www.rap.org.au/.
Though formed early 2019, Yulugi have had and have numerous successful shows around Australia including at Woodford Folk Festival 2019 and opening the Australian Flute Festival at Sydney Conservatorium Verbruggen Hall in July 2019, Earfest 2020, SIMA Summer Festival and SIMA Harmony Day Festival 2021. Their music has been frequently played on radio stations around Australia including ABC, Triple J, Double J, Fine Music FM, Eastside Radio. Pre-COVID bookings in 2020 included Melbourne Recital Centre, MONA, Brett Whitely Gallery, Now Now Festival, Pheonix Central Park and many more - these will be rescheduled in 2022.
Gumaroy is an Indigenous musician, poet, MC and cultural educator. He has performed around the world in ceremonies and concerts alike including at festivals such as Glastonbury, Vancouver Folk and Woodford Folk and has worked with His Holiness The Dalai Lama and artists such as Arrested Development, Ganga Giri, Shane Howard and Shannon Knowle. Keyna Wilkins is an international pioneering flutist, pianist and composer and one of three national finalists in the APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence 2018.
Keyna composed a didgeridu concerto, "Celestial Emu" in collaboration with Gumaroy that was performed by The Metropolitan Orchestra and Gumaroy in March 2020 at Seymour Centre Everest Theatre. It received rave reviews and Yulugi have been chosen as Artistic Associates for The Metropolitan Orchestra in 2021. In early 2021 Yulugi was honoured to be involved in the making of a proposed new Australian national anthem led by former QC and judge Peter Vickery, the Recognition Anthem Project: https://www.rap.org.au/.
Photos by Tony Ling, Phyllis Wong and Tully Rosen. Drawing by Mowena Wilkins. Painting by Mathilda Mitchell.
