DOWN BY THE RIVER: RIVERSIDE LIVE Series Set for Arts Centre Melbourne's Hamer Hall from Today, Oct 5

Hamer Hall's reputation as the "people's concert hall" will be strengthened as a raft of free entertainment is rolled out from today, 5 October, including weekly lunchtime concerts, dance sessions and music-making workshops using iPads.

Presented under the banner Riverside Live, Hamer Hall's public spaces and foyers will come alive with a recurring program of events across Thursday and Friday lunchtimes and Friday and Saturday evenings, including poetry slams and public discussions with Melbourne's most-loved artists.

Every Thursday lunchtime between 12:30pm–1:30pm, visitors can participate in weekly well-being workshops designed to get them active and thinking during their lunchbreaks. Dance workshops by Asanti Dance Theatre, Australia's leading African performance company, music jam sessions using iPads and other electronic devices, and thought-provoking and robust Q&As with local musicians are just some of the choices available to brighten the busiest work week.

Every Friday lunchtime from 12:30pm–1:30pm, audiences can get a glimpse into the favourite playlists of Melbourne's classical and jazz artists as they perform their all-time favourite tracks from Bach to contemporary jazz. Artists on the line-up for Friday lunchtimes include performers from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Lyric Opera of Melbourne, and Alex Pertout and Nilusha Dassenaike with Joe Chindamo.

Every Friday evening from 6pm–7pm, the new Hamer Hall's Riverside Foyer will become a site of cutting edge arts and music, including poetry slams curated by the Centre for Poetics and Justice and a new rendition of Romeo and Juliet by Catherine Milliken and MASSIVE Hip-Hop Choir. House band The Putbacks will also be a regular feature on Friday nights as they collaborate with different guest artists.

Every Saturday evening from 5pm–6pm, audiences can go behind-the-scenes with Melbourne's premier musicians and learn about their creative process, their practice and what inspires them to create art. This program will feature conversations with Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Berlin's jazz maestro Michael Schiefel and Members of The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Riverside Live takes place at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall public spaces and foyers, 12:30pm–1:30pm Thursdays and Fridays, 6pm–7pm Fridays and 5pm–6pm Saturdays.

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