2011 FESTIVAL OF VOICES A HUGE SUCCESS

The 2011 FESTIVAL OF VOICES has proved to be the most successful thus far in the seven year history of the event, with more concerts presented than ever before and many of them selling out - Ghost Story at MONA, There is An Island at St David’s Cathedral, Big Wide Song and Voices of Vice at the Peacock Theatre and Brighter Day at City Hall all sold out.

Ticket sales for the 2011 Festival were up 54% on past years, and there was a 54% increase in ticket income. The Festival attracted over 550 workshop participants over an expanded fiveday program. Although the number crunching is still being done the Festival enticed 25 choirs to participate with over half travelling from mainland Australia, with more than 750 choristers plus carers and friends and family staying in Hobart for the Festival week.

Festival Artistic Director Kris Stewart said, “I’m thrilled with the enthusiastic response to the 2011 Festival from not just interstate and overseas visitors who attended for the workshops, but also from our local audiences. We added more concerts and offered courses in other areas like hip-hop and musical theatre – the festival was much more diverse in 2011 in musical styles and options. We were very disappointed that due to weather conditions we had to cancel the iconic Saturday bonfire and move the Firesong activities into Princes Wharf shed.  We had to turn away hundreds of audience members for this unfortunately.

“I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Festival for its success, as well as all our volunteers, the tireless Festival staff and our wonderful Board. Thanks also to all our partners including Hobart City Council, Hotel Grand Chancellor, the University of Tasmania, floatingworld, Friends School, Tasman island Cruises, Knight Frank, Salamanca Arts Centre, Avalon, Tasmanian Rain, 936 ABC Hobart, the Mercury, artshub, Sauce, Limelight, Southern Cross Media, the State Theatre and especially the Tasmanian Government and Tourism Tasmania, whose support and enthusiasm for the Festival is invaluable.

“I’m very much looking forward to building on the success of this Festival for an even bigger and more diverse event in mid-winter 2012.”