Katie Noonan and Leunig Join Sydney Symphony Orchestra for Multi-Sensory Performance

Australian singer-songwriter Katie Noonan and her band Elixir will take the Sydney Opera House stage on 2-4 November for an audiovisual collaborative experience, with artist Michael Leunig and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

Showcasing a unique combination of spoken-word poetry, vocals and improvisation, Leunig's poetry Gratitude and Grief will be re-interpreted and performed as a musical arrangement by Elixir and the SSO. The performance will feature Leunig drawing live-to-performance, and a selection of Elixir's previous catalogue alongside their favourite songs by other artists.

Speaking about choosing to work with the cartoonist, Noonan says "Michael Leunig brings us solace - his words and images are profoundly beautiful and contemplative and give us a sense of stillness and peace.

"With the music we make in Elixir, I felt his words would be the perfect fit for our similarly contemplative and intimate world. Thankfully it has been a match made in heaven and a delight working with such an awesome human and wordsmith."

Regarded as Australia's 'poet laureate', Leunig has forged a career as a cartoonist, writer, painter and philosopher. His commentary on political, cultural and emotional life spans over forty years, regularly appearing in the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, and has been adapted for educational purposes, music, and theatre.

A mother, musician, producer, business woman, and most recently, Director of the Queensland Music Festival, Noonan's career has straddled multiple disciplines. The songstress first received widespread praise as part of indie-pop band George and has gone on to explore multiple genres including jazz, pop and classical music.

The multi-platinum selling and four-time ARIA award-winning artist is the third to feature in the SSO's Kaleidoscope series, celebrating Australian female singer-songwriters. Noonan follows on from Kate Miller-Heidke who performed with the Orchestra in March earlier this year, and Megan Washington who kicked-off her national orchestral tour with the SSO in September, debuting her much anticipated fourth album.

Tickets available from the SSO Box Office on (02) 8215 4600 or choose your own seat at
sydneysymphony.com

Photo credit: Meg Collins