Wongawilli On Tour in Europe, June 2005

The Wongawilli Band now in its 18th year will be playing for the first time at a number of festivals and venues in Europe from June 3 to July 4 2005. Wongawilli is one of Australia's premiere traditional bands. This follows a very successful tour of the band to Beijing, China in May 2004. The band was asked to perform their as part of the Australian Film Festival. The Wongawilli band performs traditional style Australian bush songs and tunes - reels, jigs, polkas, schottisches, mazurkas and waltzes. The band takes great pride in presenting authentic songs and tunes from the bush of Australia along with songs pertinent to Australia's current multicultural population. The band is very lively with 3 singers, a combination of lead instruments - accordion, fiddle, mandolin, banjo - and a strong rhythm section of guitar, vamping piano, bodhran, percussion and the traditional Australian percussion instrument - the lagerphone.   The band can perform as a concert band in a hall, pub, tavern, restaurant and even teach some Australian 'bush' dances. Our performances can range from 1 hour to 4 hours if needs be. Click here to hear the band Click here for media pictures Click here to download the tour poster pictured left (180kB) Click here to download an A4 information sheet pictured right(230kB) Click here to read the Trad&Now Australian folk magazine article, Issue 11, March to May 2005

What the band can offer:

Concerts - the Wongawilli Band performs traditional, original and contemporary folk and bush songs and instrumentals. "Bush Music' is a term used to describe the traditional music of the settlers to Australia with influences from Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe. The band has over 100 Australian songs from contemporary and traditional sources in its repertoire and over 500 tunes from various sources - Australian, Celtic, European, Italian, North American. They are mainly reels, jigs, polkas, step dance tunes, waltzes, mazurkas, varsovianas, schottisches, hornpipes and quadrille tunes. Tavern / Pub Concert - a concert of up to 3 hours comprising lively Australia bush and folk songs and instrumentals, music to drink to! Bush Dances - the band can present a 'bush dance' up to 4 hours. Wongawilli is regarded as one of Australia's leading dance music bands. All the dances are taught and walked through and from a selection of circle, line, longways sets, quadrilles and couples dances. The band is well known for its dance music and Australian dance repertoire, with over 80 dances in the band's repertoire. Performances have been provided for the National Folk Festival on a number of occasions, Bush Music Club, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide Colonial Balls. The following is a selection the band can teach and present. Quadrille formation dances (4 couples in a square set) Santoys Quadrille Galop Quadrille Lancers Quadrille Polka Cotillion Waltz Cotillion Wombat Quadrille The Grand March, danced traditionally at the start of the evening and before a quadrille Couples Dances Berlin Schottische Pride of Erin Frangipani Waltz Prince of Wales Schottische Varsoviana Kings Waltz Princess Polka Brown Jug Polka Dutch Hoe Waltz Barn Dance Manchester Galop Longways sets dances Country Bumpkin Haymakers Jig Flying Pieman Sandhurst Diggers Double Sir Roger de Coverley Bullockies Ball Virginia Reel La Galopade Circle Dances Adelaide Race Day Circle Waltz Circassian Circle Pt 2 Jubilee Jig Stockyards Blackwattle Reel Jacaranda Dance Circle Galop Other formations The Tempest Waltz Country Dance Spanish Waltz Jolly Miller Waltz Devil's Triangle La Gursa Dashing White Sergeant Workshops - members of the band can provide workshops on traditional Australian dance tunes, Australian style fiddle and music. One of the members of the David De Santi can also present a workshop on Italian traditional tunes that have travelled to Australia! The band members play a range of instruments featuring piano, violin, accordion, guitar, mandolin, bodhran and the icon Australian instrument - the lagerphone. Click here to hear the band.  Click here for media pictures

The Band  Click here for media pictures

Graeme Murray - vocalist, lagerphone, whistle, percussion Chloe Roweth - vocalist, mandolin Jason Roweth - vocalist, acoustic guitar Reg Murray - banjo

Jane Brownlee - fiddle Tania De Santi - piano David De Santi - piano accordion and special guest Samuel De Santi (8 year old) - bodhran

Tour Schedule

The tour is in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. Please contact David De Santi if you are interested in the band performing at a concert, school, community, dance or workshop in these areas.

Thursday 2 June - Arrive in Copenhagen Friday 3 to Sunday 5 June - HALKAER FESTIVAL, near Nibe, Denmark Performances: 8pm Friday, concert; 3pm Saturday Bush Dance; Midday Sunday, concert Monday 6 June - 10am, Ejsing School and Community Concert, 11am Monday 6 June - Holstebro community concert in front of the town hall, 4pm, Denmark Tuesday 7 June - 8pm concert and bush dance, Kalo, Landbrugsskole, Ronde, Denmark Wednesday 8 June - 8pm concert Cafe Ellegaard, Jels,  Denmark Thursday 9 June - Available to perform in southern Denmark Friday 10  June - 9pm start, Cafe Bagergarden, Cityparkeringen, Korsoer, Denmark Saturday 11 June - 1pm start, Cafe Bagergarden, Cityparkeringen, Korsoer, Denmark Sunday 12 June - 2pm afternoon concert, Okseoe Island (near Flensburg), Denmark Monday 13, Tuesday 14 June - relaxing at Okseoe Island Wednesday 15 June - Concert Okseoe Island, 7.30pm Wednesday 15 June - Shamrock Irish Pub, Flensborg, 10pm to 2pm, Germany

Thursday 16 June - Hagges Musik Pub, Tonder, Denmark, 9pm

Friday 17 June - Bush Dance, Naturskolen, Kamstrupvej, Roskilde, Denmark

Saturday 18 June - Degeberga Folk Festival, Sweden, near Kristianstad, concert ay 8pm, bush dance at 10pm

Sunday 19 June - Degeberga Folk Festival, concert at 2pm

Monday 20 June - Stockholm

Tuesady 21 June - day trip to Aland Islands, part of Finland

Wednesday 22 June - Skansen Museum, Stockholm, 2pm

Thursday 23 June  - House Concert with local Dalarana musicians, Hjortnas, 8pm

Friday 24 June - See the Leksand Midsummer Concert and Maypole raising

Saturday 25 June - Midsummer Concert, Hjortnas Brygga, next to Lake Siljian, Dalarana area, performances at 8pm and 11pm

Sunday 26 June - Travel to Motala

Monday 27 June - Ystad, Australian Theme Night, Marina Restaurant, Ystad Festival, 7pm to 11pm

Tuesday 28 June - Limey's Restaurant, Ystad, Midday to 2pm

Tuesday 28 June - Bush Dance next to the Marina, Ystad, 6.30pm

Wednesday 29 June - Hals Musik Cafe, Denmark, 7.30pm

Thursday 30 to Sunday 3 July - SKAGEN FESTIVAL Performances: 5.30pm Thursday Torvescenen; 10.30am Friday Torvescenen; 11am Saturday Havnescenen; Sunday sessions

Sunday 3 July - available to perform in north eastern area of Denmark

Monday 4 July - Afternoon concert, 4pm to 6pm, at Axeltov, city park near Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen. Thanks to Austrade, Denmark

Tuesday 5 July - End of tour.

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Last updated 28 June 2005 by David De Santi