Silkweed

Silkweed was conceived for what was to be a one-off performance at the Cygnet folk festival in 2002 with the creation of our first multi-media presentation "From the Diaspora to a place in the Heart" playing to a packed house.

The glorious collaboration of strings - cello and violin - vocals, keyboard and flute, ensured that the quartet continue their popular association.

In Silkweed , strings, keyboard, flute and vocals weave and merge to create a sound described at one festival as ‘silken magic'. The band was formed from several previous collaborations....Erin and Susan in "Moon Muses", Erin and Anna in "Bandecoute" and Marjorie and Erin in "Saltarello", and continuing with "Czardas"

At one time band members were living in four different locations in three states! These days things are somewhat simpler with only Susan as an occaisonal Tasmanian (other times she resides in NSW and emails music files a lot!)

"From the Diaspora to a place in the Heart" has been performed at Festivals and select concerts including benefits for refugees and for Amnesty International.

Silkweed hthen developed a musical, narrative and visual history of Maria Island on the East Coast of Tasmania. “Maria-- Island of Dreams” was enthusiastically received at performances to date, culminating in performances at the 2007 Ten Days on the Island Festival.

Following the Success of "Maria-Island of Dreams" Silkweed were funded to develop a show based on the history of Jane Franklin. "Jane Franklin-An examined Life" was featured at the 2008 and 2010 Cygnet Folk Festivals, the National Folk Festival, Junction 2010 Festival and a Regional Arts tour in 2010.

Silkweed have just been awarded funding to write "Letters from a Broken Heart" based on letters written by Erin's father in Japenese POW camps and also from asylum seekers in Australian detention centres.

This will be premiered at the 2012 Cygnet Folk Festival.

"Silkweed have played for dance performances, artist's installations and multimedia events as well as concerts and festival performances.

Silkweed are: