ABOUT THE CONCERT

Come along to this awesome, toe tapping concert and raise funds for the important work of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group.

The concert features the loved Mic Conway in the company of Robbie Long. Mic and Robbie are hugely popular, award-winning, and are known as hilarious songsters and vaudeville entertainers. Audiences oscillate between uproarious laughter, eye popping wonder and simple amazement. You will be similarly spell bound!

The event also welcomes special guest Keyna Wilkins who is an original composer and singer. Keyna will perform for you as well as be interviewed by our own Meg Benson, talking about Keyna’s recent collaboration with imprisoned refugees.

And what else can be said! You will once again applaud the legendary Heathens Choir, Blackheath's own choir. The Heathens will perform some of their loved songs and also get up on stage to accompany Mic and Robbie in a 'get up on your feet' finale.

BMRSG volunteers are already baking up to serve you an excellent afternoon tea. Not only will you eat cake, so to speak, and have a cuppa but have a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

A BIT MORE ABOUT THE ACTS

About Mic Conway and Robbie Long

Mic Conway presents an hilarious array of idiosyncratic songs that will make your jaw drop, toes tap and sides split. Audiences who know this ARIA-award winning entertainer from "Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band" and Circus Oz will be delighted by this incarnation: Mic as storyteller of tall tales and true. He takes the stage with Robbie Long (multi-instrumentalist and Australian Flat Pick Guitar Champion).

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Come along to this awesome, toe tapping concert and raise funds for the important work of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group.

A BIT MORE ABOUT THE ACTS

About Mic Conway and Robbie Long

Keyna Wilkins is a pioneering Australian/British composer-musician. She is a two-time finalist for the Australian Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence in 2021 and 2018 (APRA/AMCOS). She has written over 60 compositions that are performed internationally and published by Wirripang. Her music is characterised by a passion for human rights, astronomy, Indigenous culture, jazz, intuitive improvisation and existential quests.

Throughout 2021-2022, Keyna collaborated on music, art and poetry projects with six imprisoned refugees via zoom from their prison cells.

They have been in imprisoned by the Australian government on Nauru, PNG and Australia for nine years for arriving by boat and seeking protection, victims of Australia's brutal refugee detention policies. Doctors Without Borders described conditions in Nauru refugee camps as "beyond desperate", UNHCR described it as "some of the worst conditions seen" and Amnesty International described them as "cruel and extreme". Their art, poetry and music is about their detention experience. Keyna regularly perform these collaborations to raise awareness of their situations.

In this presentation, Keyna will feature collaborations with Jalal Mahamede, Mehdi Ali, Helal Uddin, Mohammad Maleki and Hessam Safaei where she utilises video projection of their spoken word contribution along side her piano and flute.

The Heathens

We warmly welcome again to the famous Heathens, a name that emanates from where they are based, not from their religious beliefs! The choir is an initiative of BANC and was formed to cater to the needs of those who want to get together in the day time just to sing and have fun. And sing and have fun they do! Simply glorious! Gifted and enthusiastic singers are led by Christine Wheeler, a talented local musician with a deep folk and classical background.

Wearing of masks is encouraged.