new music inspired by nature

After the success of lseries one, we are pleased to have launched Artist in Residence: Season Two - a series designed to inspire and ignite creativity amongst leading Victorian musicians.

Kicking off the season was master music maker Nicky Bomba, followed by our second guest Greg Arnold from folk band Things of Stone and Wood. Our third artist was contemporary Jazz pianist composer, creative and improviser Andrea Keller. Joining us in May was local Peninsula resident and soundscape artistJosh Roydhouse. Residing in June saw the return of much loved Peninsula Hot Springs sitar performer, Sarita McHarg, and our final guest for the season was Lior joining us in late September.

nicky bomba

Peninsula Hot Springs Artist in Residence Program was delighted to welcome Nicky Bomba as our featured musician to kick of season two of our biggest creative arts program, designed to facilitate the artistic process of contemporary musicians.

From November 12, Nicky Bomba was the first artist to take up residency, creating sounds inspired by the natural environs, wetlands, and spring-fed pools. In a performance to officially launch the program, Bomba took to the stage in our open-air Amphitheatre performing as part of our Showcase Series on November 17.

4 x ARIA Award recipient, multi - instrumentalist/producer/composer and leader of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Nicky’s reputation as a consummate musician is well deserved. His natural understanding of vibrational musical benefits and harmonic healing make this collaboration the perfect fit.

Nicky was also a collaborator on the Peninsula Hot Springs foundational world music recording “Water – An Australian Story” (2003), so it is exciting to have him back with us to weave his magic some more as part of our AIRP.

“I’m a big believer in the healing power of music and this Artist In Residence invitation is the perfect opportunity to focus intently on this theme. I feel blessed to undertake this journey in such a great setting with the outcome of better connected vibes, guided by Nature herself. Pretty spesh in any language!” - Nicky Bomba

greg arnold - things of stone and wood

We are delighted to announce our January artist; Greg Arnold of Things of Stone and Wood. Known for their imaginative use of instruments to create authentic sound, Things of Stone and Wood are recognised in industry as a group who inspired modern folk/acoustic groups who we have come to know and love. This special guest will take up residence from January 16 to 22, with a showcase performance from our Peninsula Hot Springs Ampitheatre Stage on Friday January 20 and another on Friday February 3.

Greg Arnold is the award winning singer-songwriter behind Australian folk-rock institution Things of Stone and Wood. He wrote the top ten hit "Happy Birthday Helen", the top four radio played song "Wildflowers" and the two top ten albums The Yearning and Junk Theatre. The band won an ARIA and Greg was named Australian Songwriter of the Year by APRA in 1993. He is also a producer, academic and published author.

“We are thrilled to have Greg come and spend some nature inspired creative music time with us.” - Marty Williams Arts Culture and Entertainment Director

andrea keller

As an active member of Australia's contemporary jazz community, Andrea Keller is a creative force and master of producing sounds which are equally balanced as they are mesmorising, immersive and intuitively improvised. Internationally renowned, our award winning guest has produced a dynamic portfolio over the past two-decades, whos intricate body of work confirms her dedication to performance and the creative arts. Her projects to date celebrate the wealth and diveristy of Australian musicians and are centred on the creation of collaborative new sounds.

"By any measure, Andrea Keller is an extraordinary musician… This is music for our times, and it reflects her well-documented and highly original creative journey." - John Fenton, JazzLocal32

josh roydhouse

Ambient artist and Mornington Peninsula local talent Josh Roydhouse joins us as May's Artist in Residence, residing from 22 May to 28 May.

Described as a sound similar to that of Cat Stevens and James Taylor, Josh Roydhouse is a smooth vocalist with a mimalist approach, ustilising piano and acoustic guitar in their most subtle forms. With 16 digital albums in his portfolio, Josh experiments with meditative sounds and ambience which translates to unique soundscapes that ignite the senses and accelerate the imagination.

sarita mcharg

Drawing on her culture rooted in sounds from centuries old Indian folk, Sarita McHarg is a respected sitarist, vocalist, educator, producer and returning guest to the stages at Peninsula Hot Springs.

Sarita's classical and contemporary experience in global music can be heard through her skill in sitar and vocals. She is a true devotee to her craft and known for her spiritual playing style, staggering, and layering compositions inspired by classic ragas and traditional Indian folk-style music.

lior

Belonging to a rare group of creators who have achieved both considerable success and recognition while preserving their artistic independence, Lior is one of Australia's most respected musicians to ever grace the countries music landscape.

Lior burst on to the Australian music scene in 2005 with his stunning debut album - ‘Autumn Flow’. Recorded and released entirely independently, and spearheaded by ‘This Old Love’ and subsequent singles ‘Daniel’ and ‘Autumn Flow’, the album became one of the most successful independent debuts in Australian history.

Lior took up residency from Tuesday 19 September to Sunday 24 September and performed live as our first artist for debut series '...in the glasshouse' on Saturday 23 September.

We launched our inaugural Artist In Residence Program (July '21 – March '22) to provide an immersive seven day wellbeing experience to facilitate the creative process of uncovering a brand new musical response for seven leading contemporary musical creators.

In it's first year, the program provided a unique wellbeing experience to facilitate creative expression for artists transitioning out of the trials and challenges of COVID19 in Victoria. Whilst exploring our natural surrounds, artists were encouraged to create a new body of work from our Dome studio space. In reflection of their experience, our seven artists mastered spectacular, unique and contemporary sounds documented through video content illuminating their creative process and experience.

The artists who joined us as part of Artist in Residence: Season One were Charles Jenkins, Kutcha Edwards, Pérolas, Sam Anning, Charm Of Finches, Ben Opie, and Sianna Lee.

If you would like to be involved in Artist in Residence: Season Two, we invite you to register your interest and contact us for more information.