Libby O'Donovan, Amelia Ryan, Charmaine Jones, and Clementine Ford Headline Seasonal Sessions at Woodville Town Hall in May

A seasonal program featuring the very best of original Australian music, cabaret, story, and comedy has been announced for Woodville Town Hall.

This exciting new series has been created and curated by acclaimed cabaret artist Amelia Ryan and her husband Zac Tyler, and debuts for autumn on May 6, 7 and 8.

Together, Amelia and Zac were the powerhouses behind The Queens: Fringe At Its Finest, and Zac is the Artistic Director and Founder of the brand new Barossa Contemporary Festival.

The weekend kicks off with local original music on Friday May 6 at 8.00pm and on Saturday May 7 at 6.00pm will feature a celebration of Australia's pioneering women of pop and rock starring Amelia Ryan and Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2022 Icon Award winner Libby O'Donovan in UNSUNG. At 8.00pm Charmaine Jones and the GOSPO Collective deliver the classic Aretha Franklin standards in Soul Serenade - The Aretha Legacy. On Sunday 8 May at 3.00pm, the acclaimed writer Clementine Ford and her bestie, Libby O'Donovan, deliver a secular sermon that mines matters of the heart in Love Sermon.

'Amelia Ryan said, 'We're thrilled to be working with the Woodville Town Hall to create and curate this brand new live performance offering, with a world class line-up across four weekends throughout the year; May (Autumn), August (Winter), November (Spring), and February (Summer). Being from the west side of the city ourselves, we've always been really keen to contribute to the local arts scene in a meaningful way. When the opportunity arose to create this series we jumped at the chance!

'My husband Zac and I have spent the last decade producing and performing in various Festivals all around Australia, and have met some incredible artists along the way. We can't wait to host them in this beautifully historic venue, and create performance opportunities for both interstate and local talent alike.

'Just as the seasons do, our program will evolve throughout the year, and audiences can expect to see a diverse, original, and world-class array of music, cabaret, and comedy. We're incredibly grateful for the support of the City of Charles Sturt and Live Music Australia for helping to make it happen'.

AMELIA RYAN is a multi-award winning cabaret artist, writer, presenter, producer, and coach. Since co-winning the 2012 Your Theatrics International Cabaret Contest, her critically acclaimed shows have traversed the Australian cabaret circuit, as well as New York City, London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, playing to 5 star reviews and standing ovations. Her self-devised work includes A Storm In A D Cup, Lady Liberty, The Breast Is Yet To Come and Livvy & Pete: The Songs of Olivia Newton-John and Peter Allen' (with Helpmann award winner Michael Griffiths) and UNSUNG with acclaimed performer Libby O'Donovan

In 2021, Amelia launched her production house AMPLIFIED ASSEMBLY, which spans both creative and consulting, and was one half of the creative team behind THE QUEENS: Fringe At Its Finest. In 2022, she'll be premiering her latest show 'Simply Brill: The Women Who Defined Rock n Roll' at the 2022 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, as well as The Seasonal Sessions at Woodville Town Hall. Additionally, she coaches emerging artists from all over Australia in the craft of cabaret, alongside her esteemed colleague Michael Griffiths.

ZAC TYLER is a passionate multifaceted arts professional with extensive international experience as a performer, producer, director and curator. He is driven to create new work, new spaces, and new opportunities for shared storytelling that unites and inspires. Zac held the role of Producer at Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Commercial Ventures, working closely with the Artistic Directors (Kate Ceberano, Barry Humphries, Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect), spearheading the delivery of the Festival program. He was then appointed Executive Producer for international theatrical touring producer, GWB Entertainment, and has since launched his own company Release Creative, who have gone on to create Barossa Contemporary, a multi-disciplinary arts festival in the Barossa Valley.

LIBBY O'DONOVAN is a 'powerful and sassy performer' (SMH), renowned for her nuanced interpretations and extraordinary voice. She is a critically acclaimed Jazz and Cabaret performer and an award-winning Musical Director. Libby has entertained audiences world-over with her unique talents, performing in New York, Tokyo and Toronto as well as Australia-wide. Equally at home in small ensemble acts as well as solo performances, she has been a proud member of ARIA nominated Coco's Lunch, Flat on Your Bacharach, and Women With Standards, for which she won a Green Room Award for Musical Direction.

Libby has performed seasons for the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Edinburgh Fringe, Sydney Spring Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, the International Jazz Educators Convention, Adelaide Cabaret Festival (including working with Broadway composers Jason Robert-Brown and Andrew Lippa), Melbourne Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Feast Festival, and this year performed across India as part of the Hindu Festival.

CHARMAINE JONES is a Director, Conductor and Arranger, renowned for her vocal stylings, influenced by her musical journey through life which in turn creates a unique and powerful 'choral experience'. Charmaine spent more than a decade teaching jazz voice at the Adelaide University Elder Conservatorium of Music where she completed her education under the tuition of Connaitre Miller (conductor of renowned Afro Blue, US). Charmaine is Choral and Vocal Director at Pembroke School and part of the music lecturing team at Monash University (Melbourne) where she has well and truly embedded herself into a nation-wide education system. Charmaine is also the principal educator of GOSPO Education, a dynamic music education program that provides education and performance opportunities to all.

GOSPO COLLECTIVE - is a leading Australian choral ensemble where African rhythm meets western harmony and worlds of hymns and hip-hop collide. Directed by Charmaine Jones the GOSPO display the intricacy of the human voice like no other vocal group in the Southern Hemisphere.

CLEMENTINE FORD is a writer and broadcaster living on Wurundjeri country in Naarm/Melbourne. Her three bestselling books are Fight Like A Girl, Boys Will Be Boys and How We Love. Clementine has made her name as one of Australia's most provocative feminists, making public appearances and writing columns that were branded as angry and 'man-hating.' But following a challenging beginning to motherhood and a relationship break-up she began to tire of the endless controversy and hostility. Her latest book, How we Love: Notes on a Life, explores romantic, platonic and familial love, in all its joy and heartache, strength and vulnerability. Love Sermon was originally created for and performed at Sydney Opera House's All About Women Festival.

Bookings for Seasonal Sessions may be made at www.woodvilletownhall.com.au

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