SSI Homelands presents The Resonant Heart

World Premiere Short Film Screening + Performance Ritual  

This year, SSI Homelands is honoured to showcase a rare glimpse into the world of The Resonant Heart collective, an all-female ensemble of multidisciplinary artists poetically reimagining their ruptured heritages through the creation of an immersive intercultural dialogue.

Grounded in the embodiment of ancestral knowledge and generations of folk storytelling and music-making, the artists invite you to experience a ritual of belonging that has been lovingly woven over 5 years of autonomous and authentic collaboration.

In collaboration with the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Immigration Museum, SSI Homelands 2025 will present the world premiere screenings of their short film, directed and produced by Olive Moynihan in collaboration with the artists and Naarm-based label Music in Exile. The film offers an intimate and poetic view into the creation of their highly anticipated debut EP, The Heart Whispers and Whirls (set to be released in June) before diving into the live performance.

We invite you to experience an unmissable musical journey that sings to the depths and the triumphs of the heart in seven languages, featuring South Sudanese poet Lizzy Kuoth, Indian sitarist and singer Sarita McHarg, Iranian Qanun player Vahideh Eisaei and the Balkan and Sephardic Jewish music trio Saray Iluminado Femme, featuring vocalist Nela Trifković, and instrumentalists Irine Vela and Kelly Dowall.

Together, they have developed a mesmerising kaleidoscope of multilingual poetry and original compositions steeped in traditional Bosnian, Sephardic Jewish, Indian and Iranian music. 

Join us for two intimate and exclusive film screening and performance nights, supported by exceptional opening acts Larissa Kovalchuk and Amarantha.

Event Details

SSI Homelands acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which these gatherings will take place.

Capacity is limited, so be sure to reserve your free tickets here. 

Wheelchair and companion seating is available at both venues, as well as accessible entry and restrooms. To ensure appropriate seating is allocated, please advise of your requirements when booking.

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About the artists

The Resonant Heart

The Resonant Heart (TRH) is a collective that creates autonomous, authentic spaces for CALD and BIPOC women and female identifying artists to share their creative voices with wider Australian audiences. The line-up for these performances includes devotional Indian vocalist and sitarist Sarita McHarg, Iranian musician Vahideh Eisaei, South Sudanese poet Lizzy Kuoth and the Balkan/Sephardic Jewish Trio SARAY Iluminado Femme featuring multi-instrumentalists Irine Vela and Kelly Dowall with vocalist Nela Trifkovic, who initiated the project with her colleagues from the trio in 2020.

The Heart Whispers and Whirls includes original instrumental and vocal music and traditional Bosnian, Sephardic Jewish, Indian and Iranian songs, as well as, stories and poems in Nuer, Hindi, Bosnian, Farsi, Serbian and Ladino languages. Often described as a “ritualistic feast of ancient ways of knowing” this work celebrates creative sisterhoods and connections to matrilineal ancestry through songs, stories and dances of togetherness.

Opening acts

Larissa Kovalchuk - Larissa's extraordinary soprano voice, paired with the delicate melodies of the bandura, has captivated audiences across her native Ukraine, Western Europe, and Australia. Larissa performed at numerous festivals across Ukraine and Western Europe. Her talent earned her recognition as a laureate at the 1993 All-Ukrainian Bandura Festival, and she gained international acclaim with her performance at the 1994 "All the World’s Violins" Festival in France. Since relocating to Australia, Larissa has worked with SBS and ABC Radio and Television, and has performed at prestigious venues and events such as the Sydney Opera House, Multicultural Festivals, Musica Viva and Café Carnivale. In 2024, she showcased her talents on Channel 7’s The Voice.

Amarantha - Amarantha Robinson is a Jamaican/Australian actor, playwright and independent theatre-maker whose work expresses and supports the agency of Black Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) to tell their stories on their terms. As a producer, she has led events and arts programs for MAV (Multicultural Arts Victoria), Malthouse Theatre, Darebin and Wyndham City Councils. She was Associate Producer of Hot Brown Honey Hive City Legacy - Naarm Chapter (Arts Centre Melbourne, 2025) and is a mentor for the New Writers Collective - an Arts Centre Melbourne’s program supporting emerging BIPOC writers. Oshun is her original production, born out of her spiritual connection to her ancestral story and song lines, dance practice and desire to see more Black bodies and stories on stage in Australia.

About SSI 

For Equality of life

SSI is a national not-for-profit organisation providing dedicated human and social services to a diverse Australia.

With community at the heart of everything we do, our purpose is to create a world in which everyone has access to equal opportunities.

For more information visit www.ssi.org.au

Artwork by Fabian Bolivar