Katie Noonan writes song for Woodford Folk’s 30th
Katie Noonan has written a song to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland.
She will perform the song, United In Sound (listen below), at the festival’s Welcome Ceremony on December 27 at its Woodfordia site. She will be joined for the performance at the amphitheatre by the 40-person Sunshine Coast Orchestra, with some extra guests. The orchestra members were selected from the Sunshine Coast Region, under the direction of musician and composer Andrew Vievers.
United In Sound gets previewed at a free show alongside the Sunshine Coast Orchestra in Caloundra on Friday December 18. The sunset concert will be held outdoors beside the beach, kicking off at 6.15pm.
The event showcases a visual installation of a giant Woodfordia heart crafted as part of the festival’s Flower Fields project. The installation has been intricately crafted with 10,000 flowers made by members of the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay communities.
With lines about “the gathering of the spirits”, Noonan said of the inspiration behind the clap-along song’s lyrical themes: “Woodford Folk Festival is an experience like no other! Woodford is my special place and I wanted to try and evoke the spirit of this iconic event – a true community celebration where everyone plays a vital part.
“I have been going to Woodford for 20 of its 30 years – either as a performer or a punter – and was honoured to be asked to help commemorate this milestone event. I can’t wait to hear all our voices raised in song together in the amphitheatre …united in sound!”
Festival Director, Bill Hauritz added, “Katie is one of those musicians who I have consistently admired throughout her musical career. We’ve had her performing in the programme a number of times over many years and she has been very obliging to accept our request to create a song. It encapsulates much of the Festival’s spirit – our expectations are exceeded.”
Noonan is also performing with her band Vanguard at the festival on December 28 and 29.