Below is a selection of Artist in Residence projects that Llew and Mara, Mara! band and Martenitsa have undertaken since the millenium:

North Queensland Music Centre, Townsville 2007

Llew and Mara held a weekend Choral workshop for 40 singers on Magnetic Island followed by a weeklong series of workshops  .  working with local musicians and singers. They held sessions on early instrumental music, recording techniques, repertoire development and vocal health, and Gospel, Bulgarian and Early vocal music culminating with a finale concert involving many of the participants.

Homeland Choirs, Berlin, 2003

Mara and Llew workshopped and rehearsed with Canto Melange and Lutenitsa choirs in Berlin for 10 days prior to the season of "Homeland" for the LiteraturWERKstatt festival in June 2003, then were joined by Mara! and Martenitsa principals for the season at LiteraturWERKstatt Festival.

 

Vocal and orchestral work for Brisbane Festival 2000

Mara and Llew  ran voice workshops for Queensland University of Technology's Music Department, Queensland State and Municipal Choir, the Brisbane Home Land Choir and Tony Backhouse's Gospel Workshop group.

Mara! and 12 of Martenitsa flew up for 6 Home Land performances with Legs on the Wall and the world premiere of the orchestral work "Towards the Unknown" (see pic and below) . For Home Land, Brisbane based singer Ann Bermingham worked with the Brisbane choristers for 6 weeks, teaching them “Sezoni”.  Mara and Llew put the final touches to the repertoire and sound. Mara! and Martenitsa also performed 2 lunchtime concerts in the Queen St. Mall, and Mara! performed at the QPAC “Spring” series.    

"Towards the Unknown" orchestrated by Paul Cutlan and Llew Kiek especially for the Brisbane Festival, was conducted by David Measham, from the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. The text, by Bulgarian-Australian poet Marcia Malinova-Anthony, passionately describes a journey through a harsh landscape. The music ingeniously reflects this  and the two premiere performances had a profound effect on many of the audience members. The QPO, QSMC, and Mara! were joined by soloists Silvia Entcheva, Jenny Dornan, Mara Kiek and Jarnie Birmingham.

Ten Days on the Island- artistic directors of "Choral Island", Tasmania 2003

Mara and Llew spent 12 weeks in 2002 and 2003 working with more than 20 vocal groups from all parts of Tasmania. Workshops involved vocal health lectures, repertoire assistance, rehearsal techniques, writing vocal arrangements, teaching vocal technique and intensive work on tuning. Repertoire covered by the various choirs included classical, gospel, world and folk music, jazz, Broadway, early music, children's and contemporary pop.

With the coordination team headed by Peter Tanfield and Maria Lurighi, the choirs participated in a finale to the project at Port Arthur Historic site on Sunday March 30 2003. All regional choirs were bussed, accommodated and fed at Port Arthur by Ten Days. Many areas on the site became performance spaces for the 2 shows, where each choir presented their work. The event ended with a truly inspiring finale concert on the main stage where 300+ choristers and thousands of audience members sang together.

Mara with Humming Birds -Arts North West (NSW) 2003 see Humming Birds

 Pics: The Mara! band rehearse the "Homeland Choirs" for the Berlin Poesiefestival season of Homeland 2003

David Measham conducts Qld Philharmonic, Qld State and Municipal Choir, Mara! and Balkan style quartet - Silvia Entcheva, Jenny Dornan, Mara and Jarnie Birmingham in "Towards the Unknown".  Photos: Jasper Daams

Mara and Llew with Zulya Kamalova at Port Arthur for "Choral Island" 2003