BEMAC presents Culture Train live in Brisbane

Catch the five-piece culturally diverse musical ensemble live in Brisbane for one night only, when the artists from Culture Train 2018 close off Queensland Multicultural Month with an intimate performance at the QMC (Queensland Multicultural Centre) on Friday, August 31.

Like a torchbearer that weaves its way through the regional and remote areas of the state, Culture Train will once again be an integral part of Queensland Multicultural Month celebrations, visiting 15 locations throughout the state where the travelling collective of culturally diverse musicians will be delivering FREE performances and workshops to audiences.

Kicking off on Friday, August 17 with a workshop and performance in Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island, as part of Quandamooka Festival, Culture Train will set off with its cast of five culturally diverse musicians on its journey through the heartland of regional Queensland.

In partnership with Queensland Government, BEMAC’s award-winning Culture Train is hitting the road again this August in celebration of Queensland Multicultural Month.

Made up of Sarah Calderwood (Ireland), Marcelo Rosciano (Brazil), Gertrude Benjamin(Torres Strait Island/ Philippines), Minh Nguyen (Vietnam) and Ben Kashi (Iran), Culture Train 2018 will deliver a unique fusion of musical influences and instruments, performed by an exciting mix of emerging and established musicians whose cultural heritage may lie in far-flung countries around the globe, but who all call Queensland home.

This dynamic world music tour aims to illuminate and celebrate Queensland’s cultural diversity through music and storytelling, while promoting inclusion and the many benefits of intercultural communication and collaboration.  In addition to shining a light on the value of cultural diversity, Culture Train aims to bring communities together to collectively celebrate their multiculturalism and in so doing build positive relationships in regional, rural and remote communities.

Don’t miss this exciting, award-winning music tour when it delivers its final performance at QMC on Friday, August 31.

Sarah Calderwood

Sarah Calderwood is a multi-award nominated singer-songwriter who has been performing since she was a child. Following a path that began as a flute player with the Queensland Youth Orchestra that took her touring through Europe, to becoming an accomplished vocalist with renowned bands Súnas and RedCrow. She has toured extensively in Australia and overseas, played at most folk and roots festivals and released four critically acclaimed albums. The most recent Súnas album and Sarah’s first solo record, As Night Falls, (both produced with the ABC) charted in the ARIA world/roots Top Ten, and still receive continued worldwide airplay, and RedCrow’s debut release was shortlisted for the 2017 Australian Roots Music Award for Best EP.

Sarah received an ARIA Award nomination for Best World Music Album for ‘As Night Falls’, and tracks from the album have been played on YouTube over 500,000 times. She also occasionally moonlights in a contemporary folk duo that has performed everywhere from coffee shops to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as support for US Billboard chart toppers Celtic Thunder in front of 15,000 people. Sarah has also headlined the Celtic Spectacular concert series at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and performed with legendary British band The Waterboys at the Sydney Festival.

Chong Ali

Chong Ali is a Vietnamese Australian Indie Rapper from Brisbane, Australia. Playing stages such as ‘Woodford Folk Festival’, ‘Valley Fiesta’, the iconic ‘Stylin’ Up Festival’ and the ‘BrisAsia Festival’, Chong has earnt the reputation as a fierce live emcee performing with the rap groups ‘EMR’ and ‘Pistola Ave’. He made his long awaited debut as a solo artist in 2017 with the internationally acclaimed single ‘My Cool‘ which he immediately followed up with the summer party anthem ‘100 Shots Deep‘.

His latest single ‘Rose Coloured Tint‘ was nominated as a finalist in the prestigious 2018 Queensland Music Awards and has been celebrated by not only Hip Hop junkies but by music lovers in general.

Marcelo Rosciano

Hailing from Brazil, Marcelo Rosciano was born listening to Samba beat from Samba schools that used to rehearse in his childhood neighbourhood.

In Australia since 2001, he has played with several different bands and venues throughout his extensive career as a Brazilian percussionist. He is the founder of the first Brazilian Band in Queensland, Afrobeat Brazilian Carnival Band, which was the first authentic Brazilian band to perform as part of Queensland Music Festival (2011).

His experience includes a performance at the G20 in Brisbane (2014), and performances at prestigious venues like Brisbane Jazz Club, Cloudland, Conrad Jupiter’s, Marriott, Sheraton, Twin Towns, Brisbane State Library, Warwick Jazz Festival, Toowoomba Empire Theatre and much more.

Ben Kashi

Ben is an accomplished and talented musician who has performed for over 20 years at many state and interstate festivals. He’s also performed in various bands at the Woodford Folk Festival, Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Conservatorium and Roma St Parkland.

Ben is self-taught and plays a variety of traditional Persian instruments including the santoor, daf, tombak, tar and darabuka. He discovered the healing power of music while navigating through a dark period of his life, and now regards music as his temple. Ben has developed his own style that allows the music to flow through him; which he sees as a divine communication whose expression reaches beyond the limits of language.

Gertrude Benjamin

A proud descendant of the people of the Torres Strait Islands and the Philippines, Gertrude Benjamin was born and raised in Atherton FNQ to musical parents and a family of musicians. A chance coffee at a quaint, bespoke Cafe, Tirra Lirra, saw the creation of Miss Gertrude and the singer-songwriter began to thrive in the booming coffee culture of Ipswich.

A Singer, Songwriter and Performer, Gertrude has gained popularity and a cult following ever since.

With a musical style self-defined as ‘SOULK’ – a delicious blend of soul and folk – that resonates and connects with audiences of all ages, Gertrude has moved away from the café scene that launched her, to take on bigger stages on the festivals and events circuit, corporate and private events.