"Atkins draws his audience in so that you almost feel that you are sitting round a fire listening to his stories, stories told in music and in voice. He is a master storyteller, has a warm sense of humour, and he has music in his soul. The audience was entranced, moved one moment, laughing out loud the next."
Australian Stage Online

"Atkins' concert had me awe struck."
Kristy Edmunds, Artistic Director Melbourne International Arts Festival


Acknowledged as one of Australia's finest didgeridoo players, Mark Atkins is also recognised internationally for his collaborative projects with some of the world's leading composers and musicians. Now for the first time in a career spanning 30 years, Atkins performs a solo concert, Grungada: A Journey of Music and Song.

A descendent of Western Australia's Yamitji people, as well as of Irish/Australian heritage, Atkins draws on his rich and diverse background to offer an eclectic mix of original and new compositions featuring didgeridoo, guitar and harmonica, accompanied by a superb visual arrangement.

Grungada is a chance to experience the music of Mark Atkins as never before - intimate and live.

Grungada was a commission of the Melbourne International Arts Festival and World Premiered in 2007.

Mark Atkins
Mark Atkins is one of the few players able to work across most styles of music, as a soloist and ensemble player, he has incorporated the didgeridoo sound into some unlikely musical environments, adding its primal pulse to orchestral works, theatrical productions and dance presentations.

His iconic didg has also been heard on a number of symbolic occasions, including the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralympic Games 2000, Commonwealth Games 2002, and the Queens Jubilee Concert in London. He also performed on the sails of Sydney's famous Opera House for its 20th anniversary celebrations. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonic, The Philip Glass Ensemble and founded the cross-cultural groups Kooriwadjula (black man/white man) and Anakala.

As both a soloist and ensemble player Mark Atkins is best known for his collaborations with many of the world's leading composers and musicians including Philip Glass, Peter Sculthorpe, John Williamson, Sinead O'Connor and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page.

Mark co-wrote Voices for didgeridoo and organ with Philip Glass which was subsequently performed at the Lincoln Centre in New York and toured to Amman, Jordan in 2006. A film documentary about his life and work, Yamaitji Man: Geraldton 6350 via New York, was screened on SBS in 2003.

Mark is currently a collaborative performer with the Black Arm Band Murundak.

Contact:
Kate Bradstreet
Marguerite Pepper Productions
91 Canal Road
Lilyfield NSW 2040
Tel +61 2 9560 9267
Fax +61 2 9560 9397
kate@mpproductions.com.au
www.mpproductions.com.au