International Acts coming to the Bowral!
A world class show is coming to the Bowral Memorial Hall on Wednesday 20 March! All the way from Massachusetts, Windborne (USA) hailed as 'The most exciting vocal group in a generation' by Songlines and Christina Tourin (USA) from California, founder of International Harp Therapy Program with a discography of 17 albums from 5 decades performing and teaching harp across the world. Organised and supported by Andrea Kirwin & Claire Evelynn on guitar, soulful vocals and the Celtic harp, this concert will be a celebration of the human voice and the magic of the harp and will be in town for one night only! Doors will open at 5.30pm for 6.15pm show and will conclude at 9pm. Tickets are $40 + booking fee with a Seniors discounted ticket option of $33.50 + booking fee. Read on about each of these performing acts and we look forward to celebrating the sound of music with you all on Wednesday 20 March!

WINDBORNE (USA)

Windborne’s captivating show draws on the singers’ deep roots in traditions of vocal harmony, while the absolute uniqueness of their artistic approach brings old songs into the present. Known for the innovation of their arrangements, their harmonies are bold and anything but predictable.

With a 20-year background studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan share a vibrant energy onstage with a blending of voices that can only come from decades of friendship alongside dedicated practice. The ensemble shifts effortlessly between drastically different styles of music, drawing their audience along on a journey that spans continents and centuries, illuminating and expanding on the profound power and variation of the human voice.

BBC Traveling Folk describes Windborne as “subverting expectations and redefining the genre [of vocal music]… just absolutely phenomenal!” Audiences and critics lavish praise upon the singers not only for their technical mastery, but for the passion, engagement, and connection with each other and the audience that imbues each performance with a rare power.

But there’s another, crucial dimension to Windborne that guides and roots their artistry. They are adherents to folk music’s longtime alliance with social activism, labor and civil rights, and other movements that champion the oppressed, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Their songs burst with lyrics that, while penned decades or centuries ago, still ring true in modern times, and Windborne’s dynamic harmonies breathe new life into these songs.

CHRISTINA TOURIN (USA)

Christina began playing harp at the age of four. She received Music and Education degrees from the University of Vermont and also studied harp at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at McGill University in Montreal.

After her studies in Counseling/Psychology at the University of Vermont and training in Resonant Kinesiology under the tutelage of Susan Borg, she continued on to receive her Music Therapy training at Arizona State University under the directorship of Barbara Crowe.

As an International recording and touring artist, she has concertized extensively. She is an active workshop organizer and has been instrumental in the revival of the folk harp since the early 1970″s. In 1982 she founded the Scottish Harp Society of America and is the Founder and Director of the International Harp Therapy Program established in 1994. Healing with sound, working in hospitals and hospices, the labyrinth, composing, teaching, and writing books round out her full life.

Christina Tourin is praised for bringing thousands of people to the harp through her workshop organizational skills; for introducing the modes into harp education/performance in the early 1970’s; and instrumental in developing the small interactive small therapy harp into the harp building world with Harold Westover.

As one of the foremost leading educators of the harp, she excels in her ability to combine harp history, culture, science and spirituality into her teaching and has educated multitudes of harp students through her signature programs, Creative Harping©, Rainbow of Sound™ and Color My World© plus private teaching for the past 50 years!

Christina is a Therapeutic Musician (TMus) and Music Therapist (MT) having studied under the tutelage of Barbara Crowe at Arizona State University. Her main focus is CONVERGENCE – bringing together all those who use music, sound and the arts for enrichment and well-being. Author of the respected and comprehensive book, A Cradle of Sound-Harp Therapy Manual, she is the founder and director of the International Harp Therapy Program. She has 15 recordings distributed internationally and has performed extensively worldwide.

Christina’s fascinating musical life has taken her from Ireland, where she’s brought the National Instrument of the harp to blind children – a practice she has also brought to the Blind Institute of San Diego – to Vermont where she performed six nights a week year round for 17 years for the Von Trapp Family at their Austrian Chalet Lodge. She’s also performed with Paul Winter, Tim Wheater, and Steve Hall. She has travelled the world performing and teaching people about the magic of Harp music and will be performing originals and some covers interwoven with true stories from her 5 decade career.

ANDREA KIRWIN AND CLAIRE EVELYNN

Australian/Fijian singer-songwriter Andrea Kirwin and her wife Claire Evelynn have been travelling and performing at Festivals together since they met in 2008 as part of Andrea's band. However, their duo show with Claire performing on Celtic Harp began with a Woodford Folk Festival Small Halls tour in 2021. The combination of Celtic Harp along with Andrea's soulful heartfelt original songs which she performs on vocals, guitar, harmonica, cigar box guitar and stomp has been described by many as a spell binding combination. Since their inaugural tour across 20 small halls in QLD in 2021, the musical couple have performed up and down the East coast in 2022 and also at Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival in New Zealand and Maleny Music Festival in 2023. Andrea's originals are beautifully crafted songs about her real life experiences including stories from her multicultural upbringing in Townsville as well as love songs written for Claire. It is not often that the artist and muse perform together on stage and the result is simply divine. Claire's delicate harp playing dances around Andrea's rhythm guitar and together they create a harmony and ambience that transports listeners to a place where music is truly a balm for the soul. For more information on Andrea's music please visit www.andreakirwin.com

Andrea met Windborne while taking part in Global Music Match in 2021, a Sounds Australia initiative. Both Andrea and Windborne were in the same group and collaborated on each other's songs including 'Drummer Boy' and original from Andrea's first record. The connection with Christina Tourin is she is Claire Evelynn's harp therapy teacher. Claire will also be collaborating with Christina on a song or two which will be beautiful to witness!

To celebrate the tour Andrea will be releasing a new single, 'A Village Dreams', the song she was commissioned to write and perform for the Woodford Folk Festival Closing Ceremony. The song will feature Windborne and will be performed on tour and the audience will be encouraged to join in!

Andrea and Claire — Andrea Kirwin and Claire Evelynn