Special Guests Archives | Page 4 of 4

CANCELLED - All or Nothing At All - Alana Macpherson

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19 restrictions, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of this show.

Ticket holders for the show will receive a full refund from Perth Theatre Trust.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at wayjo.com/support

Full statement: wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

* A World Premiere, commissioned by WAYJO *

WAYJO are proud to welcome home to Perth saxophonist and composer Alana Macpherson, leading the Wednesday Night Orchestra from the front of the band.

Her new music draws on influences from her recent composition study in Austria, under WAYJO favourite Ed Partyka, and living in Europe.

Alana’s music is powerful, emotional and full of heart. Join us to celebrate the triumphant return of one of WAYJO’s recent success stories.

Alana visits us from Austria thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Alana by Simon Reithofer

WAYJO presents All or Nothing At All
featuring saxophonist Alana Macpherson and the WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestra
Fri 4 & Sat 5 September, 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth Theatre Trust

by WAYJO Marketing

CANCELLED - Come Together - Andrew Murray & Mace Francis

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19 restrictions, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of this show.

Ticket holders for the show will receive a full refund from Perth Theatre Trust.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at wayjo.com/support

Full statement: wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

* A World Premiere, commissioned by WAYJO *

What happens when two big band tragics get to write new music for the MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra?

We don’t know either, but we are excited! Our artistic director Mace Francis and alumni Andrew Murray will bring MNO new music fresh off the press!

Expect bombastic brass, swirling saxophones and a raucous rhythm section. The music is fun, joyful, and a great way to celebrate this wonderful young band as led by WAM Award winner Ricki Malet.

Andrew visits us from Melbourne thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Andrew by Josh Braidner

WAYJO presents Come Together
featuring Andrew Murray, Mace Francis, and the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra
Fri 3 June, 7.30pm & Sat 4 June, 3.00pm & 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth theatre Trust

by WAYJO Marketing

CANCELLED - Young Women in Jazz 2020

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of young Women in Jazz for 2020.

Ticket holders for this show; Ellington Jazz Club will process a refund.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at https://wayjo.com/support

Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

The WA Youth Jazz Orchestra’s pioneering Young Women in Jazz workshops, presented in partnership with the Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA), are aimed at developing skills and building confidence of young women interested in exploring the world of jazz and improvised music.

Supported by their mentors, some of Perth’s most inspiring and accomplished Jazz artists, this concert is the culmination of 8-weeks intensive workshopping. We invite you to support these talented young women as they demonstrate their newly acquired skills in a fun and inspirational afternoon of jazz.

Run in Perth since 2014, and developed in 2002 by Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) and Dr. Sandy Evans OAM, the Young Women in Jazz workshops are specifically designed to inspire young women (aged 14 to 25) to play jazz and pursue a future in music and improvisation.

Young Women in Jazz is presented in association with the Sydney Improvised Music Association and supported by the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. WAYJO acknowledges ongoing program partner St John of God Health Care for their continued support.

WAYJO presents Young Women in Jazz 2020
Sun 21 Jun, 6.00pm
The Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Tickets only from Ellington Jazz Club
http://bit.ly/WAYJO20-YWIJ

* NOTE: Registrations to participate in the workshops and concert close Fri 24 Apr 2020, 5.00pm at wayjo.com/young-women-in-jazz

Young Women in Jazz 2019

by WAYJO Marketing

CANCELLED - My Favourite Things - Judy Bailey

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19 restrictions, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of this show.

Ticket holders for the show will receive a full refund from Perth Theatre Trust.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at wayjo.com/support

Full statement: wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

Judy Bailey is nothing short of a national treasure.

She has been composing music for big band, orchestra, television and film for decades. Her music is both familiar and forward thinking, mixing sophistication and raucous swing.

Expect everything from Basie style swingers, film soundtrack imagery and reinventions of jazz standards, all delivered with her trademark wit and dry humour.

These are just a few of our favourite things.

Judy visits us from Sydney thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Judy by Jim Rolon

WAYJO presents My Favourite Things
featuring Judy Bailey and the WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestra
Fri 5 & Sat 6 June, 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth Theatre Trust

by WAYJO Marketing

CANCELLED - Polka Dots and Moonbeams - Kristin Berardi

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of Polka Dots and Moonbeams in May.

Ticket holders for this show; Perth Theatre Trust will process a full refund back to the credit card making the purchase, and be in touch with those who paid by cash or other methods.
You do not need to do anything.
Please allow up to 15 business days for the refund to be processed.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at https://wayjo.com/support

Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

The sublime sound of Kristin Berardi’s voice will sweep you away to a world of polka dots and moonbeams. To hear Kristin is to smell new roses or summer rain on freshly cut grass.

Kristin’s virtuosity, versatility, charisma and creativity are the reasons she is one of the most in demand jazz vocalists in the country. Winner of the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival’s International Jazz Vocal Competition, the 2007 Freedman Jazz Fellowship and 2012 National Jazz Award.

This is the rare opportunity to hear Kristin in front of a big band singing her favourite songs and delightful original compositions.

Kristin visits us from Brisbane thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Kristin by Metaxia Coustas

WAYJO presents Polka Dots and Moonbeams
featuring Kristin Berardi and the WAYJO Tuesday Night Orchestra
Fri 1 & Sat 2 May, 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth Theatre Trust

by WAYJO Marketing

CANCELLED - Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom.

Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

One of Perth’s lost treasures, for over 50 years the Embassy Ballroom hosted hundreds of performances by the cream of WA’s entertainers and performers, as well as sublime international guest artists.

Kicking off our Homegrown season, WAYJO will whisk you back to a bygone era of style and glamour with the most beloved big band jazz music of its time.

Special guest vocalists Victoria Newton and Anita Wardell will join all three of WAYJO’s famed orchestras to croon, swing and melt your heart.

Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom
with the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, Tuesday & Wednesday Night Orchestras, plus very special guests Anita Wardell & Victoria Newton
Fri 27 Mar, 7.30pm
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets only from Perth Theatre Trust

by WAYJO Marketing

WAYJO Kicks off 2020 with a Tribute to the Embassy Ballroom

PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom.

Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.

Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom, on the main stage of His Majesty’s Theatre Friday 27 March, will whisk you back to a bygone era of style and glamour with the most beloved big band jazz music of its time.

Special guest vocalists Victoria Newton and Anita Wardell join all three of WAYJO’s famed orchestras at His Majesty’s Theatre to croon, swing and melt your heart. These two vocalists, who were singing together in London during the 1990s, will entertain you with their style, vocal virtuosity and humour.

Victoria Newton states “I am so looking forward to the ‘Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom’ show because I get to work with the phenomenon that is WAYJO. The bands are so brilliant and it’s always such a joy to sing with their magnificent sound and swinging grooves behind you!”

“I can’t wait for this show” says Anita Wardell. “I’m so looking forward to making music with the amazing WAYJO orchestra and together share this wonderful art form with the audience… What an honour for me to sing with that lush and super swinging sound behind me.”

Tickets for this, and all season shows, are on sale now at Perth Theatre Trust.

For more information on WAYJO’s 2020 season, please visit wayjo.com/season

#WAYJO2020

**Photograph of the Embassy Ballroom by Fred Flood (c1940)**.
Opened as ‘Temple Court Cabaret and Tea Rooms’ in 1928, it was located corner of William St & The Esplanade in Perth until 1982.
*City of Perth’s Fred Flood Photograph Collection.*
*State Library of Western Australia image: slwa_b3010984_9.*

by WAYJO Marketing

WAYJO Announces 2020 Season with an All-Australian Guest Artist Program

The West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) launches its 2020 season, Homegrown, celebrating the depth of talent Australia has produced in the jazz scene, with a suite of Australian guest artists in an exciting program.

After a 2019 focus on the birthplace of jazz, the USA, featuring numerous sell-out performances, WAYJO brings a stunning array of Australian artists from interstate and abroad to perform with the company’s three 18-piece jazz big bands. As part of the Homegrown season, WAYJO have also commissioned a number of new compositions, presenting the World Premiere of nearly three hours of new music.

WAYJO recognises the importance of showcasing Australian musicians and the successes of over 35 years of WAYJO alumni on the Australian and international scenes. Our vision to “build the future of Australian jazz” is the cornerstone rationale behind the 2020 program, offering outstanding opportunities for young Western Australian musicians and providing WAYJO’s growing audience with fresh perspectives and experiences.

Homegrown kicks off with a tribute to one of Perth’s legendary and much missed venues, with Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom. From 1928 to 1982, the Embassy hosted many of Perth’s swinging jazz legends as well as artists from across the ocean, and WAYJO will remind nostalgic audiences of the music of those years on the main stage at His Majesty’s Theatre. Featuring all three of WAYJO’s big bands and guest vocalists Anita Wardell & Victoria Newton this will be a concert event for young and old alike.

Jazz at The Maj returns from May to October, featuring stunning concerts in the beautifully intimate Downstairs at The Maj. The season begins in May with WAYJO welcoming vocalist Kristin Berardi (Qld) in Polka Dots and Moonbeams. Kristin wowed Perthaudiences at the 2019 Perth International Jazz Festival with her sensuous voice and joins the WAYJO Tuesday Night Orchestra.

In June, WAYJO is proud to present a true legend of Australian jazz, pianist Judy Bailey (NSW) to perform My Favourite Things. A force of nature, Judy joins the WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestra, Perth’s premiere big band in performing new jazz composition, for two unmissable concerts.

July sees WAYJO debuting our first major commissions for 2020. WAYJO alumni Andrew Murray (Vic) joins Artistic Director Dr Mace Francis to present Come Together. For the first time, the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra will perform works composed specifically for this ensemble, a rare challenge for the most junior WAYJO band. However, with well-known music like The Beatles’ “Come Together” receiving a whole new jazz arrangement audiences are sure to be surprised and enchanted in this World Premiere event.

One of WAYJO’s recent success stories, Alana Macpherson, alumna and former WAYJO Assistant Music Director, joins WAYJO in September for the second major commission of the year, All or Nothing At All. Alana, 2018 WAM Award winner as Best Brass/String/Woodwind Instrumentalist, studies her Masters of Jazz Composition at the MUG University of Music and Performing Arts, Austria, and brings her saxophone and composing skills to bear with the Wednesday Night Orchestra.

Toshi Clinch (Vic) offers his unique arrangements of classic Hollywood films to WAYJO in October to close out the Jazz at The Maj season with A Golden Age of Jazz on Film. Following the success of WAYJO’s 2019 concerts, Jazz at the Movies, these reimagined works of Quincy Jones, John Williams and more will be a family favourite.

WAYJO’s guest artist program is proudly supported by the Minderoo Foundation in their second year of partnership with WAYJO.

Punctuating the Homegrown season will be the return of the King Street Corner Pocket Jazz Festival in 2020. Showcasing the depth of talent in Western Australia, over 50 performances by the state’s emerging and established jazz acts will feature across the three days of the Festival. From big band to smaller intimate ensembles and solo musicians, King Street Corner Pocket is the most accessible and fun way to see multiple acts in the same night in easy walking distance. WAYJO will also present The Debut Collection during the Festival, featuring commissioned works from the company’s Composer-in-Residence program. King Street Corner Pocket is supported by the City of Perth.

The sell-out Jazz for Juniors returns as part of WAYJO’s ongoing Act-Belong-Commit education program, which also features dedicated schools concerts Downstairs at The Maj, and South-West and Geraldton Regional Tours.

Homegrown continues WAYJO’s focus on supporting the growth of jazz in the State and furthering the representation of female artists, with five of the seven guest artists programmed outstanding women in the field.

WAYJO’s 2019 season saw continued audience growth, with the Jazz at the Maj season reaching 92% of ticketed capacity, a 10% increase in audiences at Corner Pocket, and box office targets exceeded by 12%.

WAYJO is the small company that has WA’s arts community buzzing, with an exciting 2020 on the horizon.