The Idea of North

WEB JOURNAL #3 - February/March 2003

Photo Series: Christmas Hair

trish & snarlin' hubby, duncan

For me, one of the most rewarding things about this ‘job’ is the people and experiences that I get to be involved with. All over the world there are people with a passion for sharing all the good stuff that can come through music….open hearts and homes, the sharing of life experiences and different cultures, the give and take of ideas musical and otherwise. And this sentiment is the basis for the ‘Spellbound’ event, as echoed in the Maori phrase that the festival is named after;

"Te ihi, te wehi, te mataku, te mana, a Maori expression that translates
loosely into the word 'spellbound', is a marvelous description of the
artistic process. In its purest form, that process is a circular one, as
energy producing emotions are shared from artist to audience (te ihi), and
then back again from audience to artist (te wehi), continually enhancing
itself as it grows, with any luck, to a considerable depth. The result of
this cyclical process is the creation of surprise and wonderment (te mataku),
and, ultimately, a shared uplifting or enlightenment (te mana)."

I love it.
Certainly something our world can benefit from in these times of tension.

I think we all would have been happy to stay in Rotorua for at least another week – so many adventure sports, so little time – but the opportunity to support all of those affected by the recent fire storms in Canberra was one that we didn’t want to miss. So we flew back to Oz early to join with James Morrison, Ross Wilson, Mental as Anything and a whole heap of other great acts on Stage 88 in Canberra to raise money for the bushfire relief fund.

andrew: new hair, new pout

Other exciting news… We have just received word that our application for an Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Study Grant has been accepted! This grant will give us the opportunity to study with masters of the a cappella and jazz vocal styles in Europe and the USA both as a group and individually. A couple of the tutors nominated by us at this stage are The Real Group (Sweden), and The New York Voices (USA).

We will have the chance to absorb some of their considerable talent and experience with the aim of bringing those skills back to Australia to share with others through our concerts and workshops. More on this amazing opportunity as the trip gets closer…

trish & goldilocks

AND we are back in the studio – this time Studio 227 at the ABC in Ultimo – recording the first of what we hope will be many CDs for the ABC Classics and Jazz label. This particular project sees the ABC introducing us to its audience through an album exploring our musical journey so far.

We are re-visiting songs from the group’s early repertoire, plus a few from more recent years, as well as some new, never before recorded material. It looks like the album will be released in June sometime, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Phew…and it’s only March! Time to grab a quick nap I think…
Till next time, take care of you and yours and check back in sometime soon for more updates in the life of ‘The Idea of North’.

Trish x

OLD JOURNALS: #1 | #2

best viewed when listening to 'the idea of north'...

*WEB JOURNAL #3 - February/March 2003* Photo Series: Christmas Hair

*trish & snarlin' hubby, duncan*		Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday we were finishing our 2002 working year by letting our hair down (or putting it up (see pics)) at our ‘North and partners’ Christmas party. Great food, great wine, great company and loads of fun before we headed off to a well deserved , if I do say so myself, Christmas break with our families and friends. And just as well we took some time out because if we thought that 2002 was a winner, 2003 is shaping up to be HUGE for the group. It started with a bang…..sell out concerts at two of our all time favourite venues - The Basement in Sydney and Tilleys in Canberra – before heading across the Tasman to headline the bi-annual Rotorua A Cappella Festival, which is part of the ‘Te Ihi Te Wehi, Spellbound’ Rotorua Festival of Arts. The group had the pleasure of performing at the inaugural event in 2001, so it was a thrill to be back and to see the development of the a cappella scene in New Zealand even in those 2 short years. It was even more of a thrill to be back with our NZ friends (Roger, Graham and Philippa: wonderful as always…bring on 2005!) and to make some new ones (a huge thank you to Megan for the chauffeuring! And keep up the good work Andrew, Sonia, David and Fiona).

*'aaargh, i'm surrounded by the grinning people!' - TION & James Taylor in Sydney, Feb 3*		Now, those of you who are pretty familiar with the group would know that all four of us are huge fans of singer/songwriter James Taylor. Well, we joined with the thousands of Sydney fans who flocked to his recent concerts at Sydney’s State Theatre to be wowed by this legendary performer. And, like hundreds of those fans, we ran back to the stage door after the show, tickets in hand, hoping to grab a signature. He looked so laid back and approachable in his ‘post show, incognito’ gear (floppy fisherman’s hat, glasses and khakis) that Nick’s wife Nina seized the opportunity to introduce the group and we launched into ‘The Irish Blessing’ to send him on his way! Can you believe it…we sang for James Taylor! What a buzz.

Other exciting news… We have just received word that our application for an Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Study Grant has been accepted! This grant will give us the opportunity to study with masters of the a cappella and jazz vocal styles in Europe and the USA both as a group and individually. A couple of the tutors nominated by us at this stage are The Real Group (Sweden), and The New York Voices (USA). We will have the chance to absorb some of their considerable talent and experience with the aim of bringing those skills back to Australia to share with others through our concerts and workshops. More on this amazing opportunity as the trip gets closer…		trish & goldilocks

AND we are back in the studio – this time Studio 227 at the ABC in Ultimo – recording the first of what we hope will be many CDs for the ABC Classics and Jazz label. This particular project sees the ABC introducing us to its audience through an album exploring our musical journey so far. We are re-visiting songs from the group’s early repertoire, plus a few from more recent years, as well as some new, never before recorded material. It looks like the album will be released in June sometime, so keep your eyes and ears open. Phew…and it’s only March! Time to grab a quick nap I think… Till next time, take care of you and yours and check back in sometime soon for more updates in the life of ‘The Idea of North’. Trish x

OLD JOURNALS: #1 \| #2