Festival of the Piano

Let’s celebrate Araluen’s new grand piano and the power of music to enrich our lives.

A Yamaha concert piano was fundraised for the Araluen Art Centre when it opened in 1984. It was played by beginning, developing and brilliant players. By 2020, after much use, the tuning was permanently unstable and the piano beyond repair in a number of ways. Yamaha provided a quote and Friends of Araluen set about raising the necessary $50,000 to buy a new C7 Grand Piano. Friends of Araluen applied for grant money, requested donations and held fundraising events. Thanks to the generous support from the Alice Springs community, Friends of Araluen eventually notified Yamaha that the money had been raised - the only problem being that, due to inflation, the same piano was now valued at $90,000. However, Yamaha said it was the first time they’d seen the combined efforts of a community achieve this goal & honoured the original quote!

The Festival of the Piano will be a grand celebration of the piano, this town and the joy of music, held over three fabulous events that will showcase the diversity of the piano.

Scaling up
Friday 13th September 

A concert that will celebrate upcoming & established Alice Springs musical talent. A fantastic night of entertainment, that will put our new grand piano through it’s paces... Classical, contemporary, folk, country, rap + more!

Featuring performances by Marg Collins, Harshini Bhoola, Ivory & Blue (feat. Dan the Underdog) & a very special performance by Alice Springs Chamber Orchestra

Tickets: $25 (full), $15 (student, concessions), $50 family, members $20, $10 (students over 12), Under 12 free.

Our Forte
Saturday 14th September

A concert showcasing the very best of the Alice Springs music scene - featuring performances from: The Wanted Gems, Casii Williams, Dave Crowe, Kemy Ogendi, Darcy Davis, Marcel Angles & special guest Alma Zygier + band

Tickets:
Full $40, Members & Concessions/Student (18 yrs +) $32,
Family (2x adults + 2x under 18 yrs) $80, Students (12-17 yrs) $25,
Under 12 yrs free, Festival Pass $70

Living Histories - 'The Piano Duet' Martin Tucker & Natalia Laska
Sunday 15th September - Witchetty's

Martin Tucker - The Traveling Tuner
Martin shares his 40-year story of tuning pianos from the bottom to the top of the continent... with the last 18 years spent on a faithful mission to keep Northern Territory pianos alive!

Natalia Laska - Filmmaker
Natalia talks about her 7 years as a fly on the wall documenting Martin's life and work. She will share insights into the making of the ABC’s Compass about Martin & the upcoming feature-length documentary film about Martin's recipes for healthy pianos and the act of listening.

Tickets: $15 (all)
Festival pass - Adult $70