Zulya and the children of the underground April 15, 2010

Zulya Kamalova brings her beautiful and haunting gypsy sound with unusual instrumentation to Riverside Theatres on Thursday April 15 at 7.30pm. Kamalova presents a unique and versatile Tartarstan sound, distinctly Russian song writing and the extraordinary musicianship of the band, Children of the Underground.

Zulya and the Children of the Underground are Australian-based and this special performance is one of only two Sydney shows as part of a tour that takes Kamalova and her band around Australia. The adventurous music is melancholic and dramatic. The sound is in a similar vein to other popular gypsy-sounding bands such as Australia’s Monsieur Camembert, Michaelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen and weaves through a combination of musical styles.

Zulya Kamalova, originally from Tatarstan in central Russia is the leading proponent of Tatar and Russian music in Australia as well as one of the most versatile and accomplished vocalists on the world music scene today. She is familiar to audiences throughout Australia as a performer of traditional and original music derived from her Tatar and Russian cultural roots. Kamalova has developed a totally original approach as an affirmation of her unique identity – an affirmation that takes her Tatar and Russian background to totally new places and in completely new ways with a highly developed sense of melody, rhythm and texture. In 2001, Kamalova was awarded Female Artist of the Year 2001 by Australian World Music Awards and in 2002 the Best Live World Music Artist by Australian Live Music Awards.

The superb musicianship of Australian based Children of the Underground is a reflection of the talented band members. Percussionist, Justin Marshall graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2001 and has done a variety of chamber music including work for Musica Viva, Next Wave Festival and Lygon St Festival and His work with The Counterfeit Gypsies has taken him to the National Folk Festival and the Illawarra Folk Festival. Marshall has composed music for performance and screen. His work on Adam Robb’s 2001 animation, Shhhh contributed to the film receiving an AFI in 2002 for best animation.

Bassist & Harpist, Andrew Tanner has toured around the world with a number of groups. Tanner has written and composed with groups spanning genres as disparate as death metal, latin, free improvisation, gypsy, punk, cabaret, classical and jazz. Guitarist, Lucas Michailidis received first prize in the international acoustic guitar competition ‘Open Strings’ held in Osnabrueck, Germany. The win landed him European distribution with Acoustic Music Records and a solo spot at the following 2002 festival. Michailidis’ work has captured the attention of leading American fingerstyle authority, John Stropes who has since published Michailidis’ work in the United States

Zulya and the Children of the Underground released their latest album, 3 Nights in Australia in April 2007. 3 Nights has been awarded the prestigious ARIA award for the best world music album in Australia and spent four months in the top 10 of the European World Music Charts in 2007.

Zulya and the Children of the Underground
VENUE: Riverside Theatres, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
DATE & TIME: Thursday 15 April at 7:30pm
SINGLE TICKET PRICES: Adults $39, Conc $35, 30 & Under $31
3 Plus Discount: Adults $35, Conc $31, 30 & Under $27
BOOKINGS: Riverside Box Office 02 8839 3399 or riversideparramatta.com.au