Sounds of Yarra (Live & Streamed)

Sounds of Yarra (Live)

A celebration of life through music and dance

Sounds of Yarra is a celebration of life through music and dance showcasing the vast range of cultural influences that have gathered in the Yarra Valley and Melbourne, with a unique performance that blends traditional sights and sounds from all around the world.

Led by musical director Dr Sarita McHarg and featuring 15 musicians and dancers from Indian, Turkish, Arabic, Celtic and Spanish backgrounds, the concert is a unique blend of East and West combining traditional songs and new compositions, right here in the artistic melting pot of Melbourne.

The concert, which will be live-streamed across the world, is dedicated to Sarita’s father and guru, Pundit Hira Singh Borliya (Borliyaji) of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. Born in 1934, Sarita’s father has devoted his whole life to collecting, performing and preserving the folk songs of his region, especially the Kabeer and Malwa traditions, and Sarita wishes to honour his contribution by continuing to celebrate and help preserve traditional cultures everywhere. The concert will also serve as an appeal to raise funds for the artistic community in Sarita’s home town Ujjain in north west India, who are severely affected by a second wave of COVID-19, and facing a dire health and financial outlook. For this purpose, we are working with Ujjain Wale (Ujjain People), a network of over 150,000 members who, over the last three years, have helped coordinate jobs for unemployed youth, provide donations of blood in emergency situations, interest-free micro-finance loans and helped coordinate food for the needy. Ujjain Wale’s current focus is their “Pranavayu” (Oxygen) campaign, helping to fund much needed medical oxygen supplies, including the distribution of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators and helping fund a new, 30 cubic metre oxygen production plant, enough to cater for a 100-bed hospital. To date, the campaign has received about half of the 1,000,000 Rupees ($17,350) required. You can donate to the appeal on this page or through Sarita's fundraiser at  gofundme.com

In this page you can purchase tickets for the live show. If you are looking for tickets to the online stream, please click here.