Please note the Federation Bells regular program will be suspended from midday to make way for the 2 Worlds Festival which takes place at Birrarung Marr on Saturday 14 March. We will resume our regular programming on Sunday 15 March.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2020 the Federation Bells will feature a special playlist of compositions for the bells by women composers.
These pieces are a diverse showcase featuring Australian and International composers.
The below playlist will play from 8-9am, 12:30-1:30pm, and 5-6pm:
Composer |
Title |
| Deborah Cheetham | Eternal Birrarung |
| Susan Hull | Pointed Bone |
| Chiara Costanza | Bells |
| Karen Berger | I Climb |
| Rose Lang | Wake |
| Mahdis Golzar Kashani | Isfahan |
| Celeste Moore | Ripples |
| Valentina Maxwell Tansley | Peregrine |
| Cassandra Fixter | Happiness and Joy |
| Kirstin Honey | The Edge Of Beginning |
| Peggy Polias | Garden of Bronze |
| Stina Tester | New Monument |
| Holly Sellers | Daydream |
| Christina Finch | Temprament2 |
| Catherine Duc | The Bells of Birrarung |
| Silvia Simons | Silence in SoundSpace |
| Xenia Konstadinidou | Mediterranean’s Lamentations |
| Celeste Moore | Ripples |
| Susan Hull | Pointed Bone |
For exact times of each piece please visit the What’s Playing page.
Please note the Federation Bells regular program will be suspended to make way for the Australian Open Festival which takes over Birrarung Marr from January 14 to February 6. We will resume our regular programming from Feb 6.
Friday 15 November, 8pm – 11pm
Melbourne’s iconic Federation Bells are set for a techno reimagining as electronic producer Elisabeth DIXON premieres an exclusive commissioned work with a free outdoor bush-doof in the city alongside the Yarra. Layering meditative drones beneath dark industrial beats, Dixon’s approach to sound design is rooted in both hypnotic, trance-inducing experience and the aggressive frenzy of industrial techno. Hear Dixon steer this public sound sculpture into wild new territory with a ground-breaking original set, supported by the hard-hitting drum and bass infused electro of NERVE and bass-heavy melodic techno of DJ-RMR.
Free admission, 8pm – 11pm
This performance will be held at Middle Terrace, Birrarung Marr as part of Night Noodle Markets. Please note there will be bag checks at all entries, no alcohol in our out of the venue and IDs will be checked at the bars for anyone who looks 25 years or younger. For more information visit the Night Noodle Markets website. Visit goodfoodmonth.com/melbourne/night-noodle-markets for more information.
ELISABETH DIXON is a producer/live performer (Melbourne, Australia) specialising in experimental techno/EDM. Layering meditative drones beneath dark industrial beats, her approach to sound design is rooted in both hypnotic, trance inducing experience and the aggressive frenzy of industrial techno. Having performed steadily since her emergence in 2015, Dixon has played dance floors from the Mercat to Revolver, abandoned warehouses to Lounge, alongside respected artists like Daze, Chiara Kickdrum, Sleep D & OAKE (Berlin). Elisabeth Dixon’s debut LP, entitled ‘LP1’, is slated for release on October 5th 2016 on vinyl/digital through Trait Records (Melbourne) and Instruments of Discipline (Berlin).
https://instrumentsofdiscipline.bandcamp.com/album/lp1
NERVE is the solo moniker of Melbourne electronic artist Joshua Wells. NERVE has released three EP’s of drum and bass infused electro on Moopie’s esteemed A Colourful Storm label while contributing remixes and recordings to Steeplejack, Vienna Press & Nice Music. As Nerve, Wells has frequented the Australian live circuit, performing alongside Legowelt, Samuel Kerridge, Container, Beau Wanzer, Regis, Marshstepper & My Disco.
https://acolourfulstorm.com/album/sharpshooter
RMR (Rachael MacRae) is a Melbourne based techno & electronic music DJ. She grew up listening to metal, punk rock & playing the bass guitar. Her love of loud music & bass evolved into dark, bass-heavy melodic techno. She relates to music and dancing as a form of therapy through which we can reconnect with the present, body and other. Performing since 2012, she’s shared the decks with international techno artists including Blush_Response, Borusaide, Prosumer and Nastia Reigel, and played alongside local talents including DJ Kiti, Λ / Π, Chiara Kickdrum and Adrian Bell.
https://soundcloud.com/dj-rmr
Set times:
The Federation Bells are set for a spaced-out re-imagining as cosmic electronica genius Cale Sexton premieres his new original work “Sustain” commissioned by City of Melbourne.
Hear the iconic outdoor sound sculpture like never before as Sexton combines the Bells with fresh realms of cinematic electro-synth and interstellar ambient techno in this very special free outdoor concert.
Sexton’s most recent album “Melondrama” (Butter Sessions) received rave reviews and has set him up as one of the true innovators in contemporary Australian electronica.
Don’t miss the world premiere of this new commissioned work as Sexton melds with Melbourne’s computer-controlled music robot to present a truly unique sonic experience.
Listen to the historical patterns of Melbourne’s waterways with Undertow, a data-inspired musical installation at the Federation Bells by sound artist Bridget Chappell. Stop by the Bells during Melbourne Knowledge Week for a sound journey through the city’s original network of rivers, creeks and marshland.
This captivating new work draws on the City of Melbourne’s OpenData platform, which tracks the city’s water management, to paint an aural picture of the Birrarung River (the Yarra) and Narrm Bay (Port Phillip) over the last 185 years – the duration of European colonisation of and drastic reshaping of the region’s waterways.
For more information visit mkw.melbourne.vic.gov.au
For the 2019 Australian Open there will be the AO Festival located at Birrarung Marr.
During this period there will be no bell schedule.
There will also be limited access to the Federation Bells, as the area will only be accessible with an Australian Open ticket.
Normal scheduling and interactive sessions will start again on 2 February.
All the clubs’ themes will be featured in an end of season ladder countdown on Friday 28th September at 12.30pm and 5.00pm. And of course the two competing Grand Final teams’ songs will be played on Grand Final day (Saturday 30th September), and the 2018 AFL Grand Final Winner’s theme will be featured on Sunday 30 September.
So come along and celebrate the AFL Grand Final week, and hear your club’s theme as never heard before.
For a full schedule of times and what’s playing visit the schedule page.
| Adelaide | Greg Champion |
| Brisbane | Harry Williamson |
| Carlton | Matt Archer |
| Collingwood | Adam Starr |
| Essendon | Tony Pain |
| Fremantle | John Coutts |
| Geelong | John Coutts |
| Gold Coast | Chris O’Neill |
| Greater Western Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| Hawthorn | Rob Jennings |
| Melbourne | Dennis Wilkinson |
| North Melbourne | Ariel Valent |
| Port Adelaide | Chris O’Neill |
| Richmond | Rob Jennings |
| St. Kilda | Fabian Acuna |
| Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| West Coast | Matt Archer |
| Western Bulldogs | Peter Knight |
World-class local pianist and composer, Barney McAll, premieres Trilogy of Cycles at Birrarung Marr’s Federation Bells.
Presented by the City of Melbourne for its premiere at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the composition will feature live interactive improvisation with the bells, an ensemble of musicians and McAll masterfully leading the interplay on keyboards and his self-made instrument “Chucky” (various music boxes, glockenspiel, kalimba and electronics), creating an unforgettably ethereal soundscape on the banks of the Yarra River.
More information:
CLING CLANG is a compilation of new original dark electronic works specially commissioned for the City of Melbourne’s extraordinary outdoor industrial sound sculpture the Federation Bells.
Ear-shearing techno, pounding EBM, experimental electronics and minimal wave atmospherics will meld with the exotic sounds of this peculiar public percussion robot: creating a world-exclusive sound art / dark dance hybrid – perfect for music nerds, electro goths and techno enthusiasts alike.
This outdoor electronic music event will also be the launch of the LP version of the project, released in November 2017 by Heavy Machinery Records in a limited pressing of 300 copies.
Zanias was born in Melbourne and raised in the sweltering rainforests of Southeast Asia by a tropical biologist. She found her voice in the now-defunct projects Linea Aspera and Keluar, and, as a member of the body music collective / record label Fleisch, she found her social and musical niche in Berlin. That city remains her base, although Victoria (and more specifically Anglesea) will always be her home. Her compositions are an exploration into human fears, desires and absurd imperfections – an electronically synthesized shamanic summoning and catharsis. Lyrics and melodies are crafted with strict intention, to induce an inward journey to the core of what it means to exist and to feel.
Alex Akers is a designer, music producer and creator of live electronic act Forces. His background in 3D animation, synthesis and interface design has informed various projects, often exploring modes of sound production and composition that utilize both mechanical and digital elements. A veteran of composition with the Bells (Forces were previously commissioned to compose for the instrument in 2012), here the Melbourne producer offers us a fresh new composition, reflective of his recent creative development in his adopted home of Berlin.
Melbourne audio/visual duo friendships (Nic Brown and Misha Grace) play chaotic future sounds – storming drum ‘n’ bass, post-Warp slammers and searing, ear-shearing techno. Their live show features the projection of dark and brooding visual imagery that explores primal elements of life; animals, the human body, paint, pattern and faces.
Naretha Williams is a First Nations experimental interdisciplinary artist with a primary focus on music and audio arts practice. A Wiradjuri woman of mixed lineage (born and based in Melbourne, on the Sovereign Land of the Kulin Nation, Victoria AUS), Naretha’s process-based work intersects installation and contemporary music, exploring themes around identity, place and the unseen world. Her major experimental composition project CRYPTEX – Bio Templates & Ceremonial Frameworks for Contemporary Composition utilises the source code of the body by analysing DNA sequences to create mathematical templates to work with in a musical context.
Otherworldly downtempo electronic producer Ok Sure is a burgeoning force in Australian techno. Highly sought-after as a remixer and producer, she’s also renowned for her dark, moody and melodic original compositions. Her sound combines industrial, techno and deep house to produce her own unique production aesthetic.
Kangaroo Skull (Rohan Rebeiro of MY DISCO) has firmly established himself as a powerhouse of rhythmic experimentation in Melbourne’s electronic underground. His live sets are crafted around a masterfully manipulated TR 808 augmented with digital soundscapes pulled from his painstaking exploration of MaxMSP. The resulting sound walks the line between analogue grit and digital precision – an experience that has rightly earnt him a reputation as one of Melbourne’s most sought-after live electronic acts.
As Vacuum, Andrea Blake (Chrome Dome / ASPS) and Jenny Branagan (Nun) curate a collection of ‘found sounds’ from car parks and empty construction sites. Utilising the cyclical patterns found in analogue machinery as a rhythmic device, the duo aim to destroy and rebuild constantly.
Australian electronic music pioneer Ash Wednesday has always been determined to innovate and explore. Emerging in the seventies with a mixture of so-called punk rock, tape recorder experiments and an analogue synthesiser, Ash was a founder member of seminal groups JAB, The Metronomes and models, and was a central figure in the development of Australian electro music throughout the eighties. In 1992 he travelled to Germany where he was later to work with Nina Hagen and the legendary Einsturzende Neubauten.
The Bells of Peace song will be performed by school children and choirs from the Yarra Ranges and played by the Federation Bells at Birrarung Marr on the International Day of Peace.
The song was commissioned in 2015 by the Dandenong Ranges Music Council (DRMC) to commemorate the Anzac Centenary and was originally composed for handbells. The inspiration for the song Bells of Peace came from Dame Nellie Melba ringing the Lilydale Fire Station bell to let the people of Lilydale know that WW1 had ended.
In 2017 the creative development of the song has involved choral arrangements by Kate Sadler, and arrangement for the bells and composition of the new piece, War Bells, by Karen Berger.
The International Day of Peace is observed around the world each year on 21 September, ‘commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples’. The 2017 U.N. Peace Day theme is ‘Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All’.
Presented by the Dandenong Ranges Music Council. Supported by the City of Melbourne
In 2013, Museum Victoria commissioned internationally acclaimed composer/percussionist Steve Falk to compose a piece for the Federation Handbells on the theme of ‘welcome’.
Come and hear the piece performed on the Federation Handbells as part of the launch ceremony for the Inflatable Refugee on Saturday 17 June. Then, hear the work arranged on the Federation Bells in Birrarung Marr throughout Refugee Week.
Welcome Song will play on the hour from 8am – 6pm each day
We welcome Circus Oz to Birrarung Marr once again for their Melbourne performances of Model Citizens under the Heated Big Top.
Model Citizens seamlessly blends the risk and beauty of breathtaking physical improbability with theatricality, choreography and Circus Oz’s distinct brand of Australian humour.
Before each performance the Federation Bells will play a special pre-show 30 minute playlist to ‘ring in’ the show. So be sure to get to your performance in plenty of time to catch some bell action as well!
For more information about shows and tickets, please visit www.circusoz.com
Daily 8-10.30am, 12-2.30pm, 4.30-7pm
Performance: 11 May 11:59pm (40 mins)
Circle is a moon-drenched sound bath and live activation of the large scale sculptural instrument Federation Bells.
Set on the high ground of the Birrarung Marr, Circle is the public initiation of Naretha Williams’ current composition project CRYPTEX.
CRYPTEX – Bio Templates & Ceremonial Frameworks for Contemporary Composition; utilises the source code of the body by analysing DNA sequences to create mathematical templates to work with in a musical context. In this piece, song cycles are informed by the traditional seasons of the Kulin Nation, recognising 6 distinct phases of the year and bringing attention to our celestial knowledge systems.
This performative installation is the first outcome of a larger body of work in which the artist further unpacks her signature practice around identity, place and the unseen world.
Circle is a midnight ritual of sound environments, unusual harmonics and textural listening-scapes.
This modular artwork will also play throughout YIRRAMBOI as a stand alone installation, within the Federation Bells curated program.
Acknowledgements
Presented By YIRRAMBOI and Federation Bells. With thanks to Australia Council, M.E.S.S., Auspicious Arts Projects, Matthew Gingold and Aunty Fay Stewart Muir.
Renowned Chinese Australian composer Julian Yu has arranged two traditional melodies for Melbourne’s iconic Federation Bells.
Hear Julian’s arrangement of Plum Blossom, a piece written for the ancient Qin, and Ba Ban, the ‘seed melody’ to hundreds of variant Chinese folk melodies.
Played every hour between 9am and 9pm throughout Cultural Diversity Week.
Plum Blossom
This melody, called Mei Hua San Nong (literally “Three Takes on Plum Blossom”), was discovered in China engraved on ancient bamboo strips dating from about fifteen hundred years ago. It was a piece written for the ancient qin, a seven-stringed zither played by Chinese intellectuals as part of their meditation. The music was written in tablature notation, meaning that it did not directly tell what notes were played; instead, the notation showed tuning, finger positions, and stroke technique, thus comprising a step by step method and description of how to play the piece.
Qin music is the earliest notated music of the east. It is more authentic than Chinese folk music, which has been either lost or distorted from its original form. Its significance is demonstrated by the fact that a sample qin piece was one of the relics sent up in the Apollo spacecraft as a symbol of the culture of mankind.
Ba Ban
In traditional Chinese instrumental music, Ba Ban is considered to be a “seed melody”. Over the centuries, it has given rise to hundreds of variant folk melodies as it was passed down and embellished from one generation to another. Almost anyone who took up a Chinese folk instrument would learn to play it in some form or other.
This piece which I have written for the Federation Bells consists of three versions of Ba Ban. The first is quite simple; the second is moderately embellished; and the third adds still further ornamentation. The piece concludes with a return to the slow, simple beginning of the seed melody.
Melbourne’s iconic 39 bells will open and close White Night Melbourne 2017.
The federation bells will perform a 15-minute selection of compositions, at both 6:45pm and 7am.
All Bells That Ends Well by James Henry
Purple Daze by Daryl Wallis
The Birrarung Rag by John Coutts
Eternal Birrarung by Deborah Cheetham
And As We Open the Musicbox by Jordan Gilmour
Throughout the night come along and play the bells with your own phone.
The federation bells will be in ‘interactive’ mode for the duration of White Night from 7:00PM to 7:00AM.
Install the free Federation Bells App on your phone or tablet, then come down to the bells and connect to the wifi to ring the bells by tapping on your screen. You can even choose selected songs to play or have a game of Simon Bells.
Find out more and download the Federation Bells App.
Pioneering indigenous performer Bart Willoughby is celebrating the release of the first single Woodskin Funk off his forthcoming album Resonance due for release early 2017 with a performance incorporating the Federation Bells.
A labour of love, the album is a progression from Bart’s earlier album We Still Live On. A combination of atmospheric recordings from the Kimberly’s Bungle Bungle Ranges and the Melbourne Town Hall grand organ. On this occasion Willoughby plays with the Federation Bells, melding the resonating sounds captured within the vastness of nature with the grandeur of the City of Melbourne’s grand organ.
Personally it was a chance for Willoughby to connect his father song-lines to the Gija people through stories told and collaboration with elder song man Uncle Gabe on two tracks.
For the single launch at the Federation Bells, Willoughby will be jamming on his woodskin along with the Bells accompanied by:
The atmosphere of the Bungle Bungle ranges are placed at Birrurung Marr in urban Melbourne through soundscapes recorded by Nick Harrison and visual imagery by artist Frances Loriente.
To help set the festive mood the Federation Bells will be featuring a couple of classic German drinking songs, specially arranged for the bells:
These songs will be heard alongside a selection of other bell ‘hits’ on the hour and half-hour throughout the festival.
So come along, grab a Bier und Wurst, and sing along with the Oktoberfest bells!
For more information and tickets visit melbourne.oktoberfestinthegardens.com.au
All the clubs’ themes will be featured in an end of season ladder countdown on Friday 30th September at 12.30pm and 5.00pm. And of course the two competing Grand Final teams’ songs will be played on Grand Final day (Saturday 1st October), and the 2016 AFL Grand Final Winner’s theme will be featured on Sunday 2nd October.
So come along and celebrate the AFL Grand Final week, and hear your club’s theme as never heard before.
For a full schedule of times and what’s playing visit the schedule page.
| Adelaide | Greg Champion |
| Brisbane | Harry Williamson |
| Carlton | Matt Archer |
| Collingwood | Adam Starr |
| Essendon | Tony Pain |
| Fremantle | John Coutts |
| Geelong | John Coutts |
| Gold Coast | Chris O’Neill |
| Greater Western Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| Hawthorn | Rob Jennings |
| Melbourne | Dennis Wilkinson |
| North Melbourne | Ariel Valent |
| Port Adelaide | Chris O’Neill |
| Richmond | Rob Jennings |
| St. Kilda | Fabian Acuna |
| Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| West Coast | Matt Archer |
| Western Bulldogs | Peter Knight |
In this workshop series led by Dylan Martorell, you will experiment with sound techniques using Ableton and Fruity Loops to create a series of compositions and sound designs for the Federation Bells.
Investigate touch and vibration based electronics, play with robotics and work with experimental sound methods.
Your compositions will be performed at the Fed Bells on sunset to a live audience.
Workshops: Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 September (Spring School Holidays), 10am to 4pm each day at SIGNAL.
Performance: Saturday 8 October 7pm at Federation Bells, Birrarung Marr
SIGNAL is located on Flinders Walk, Northbank behind Flinders Street Station.
Workshops are free and open to young people 13 to 25 years.
Bookings for the free workshop are essential. BOOK NOW
This project is presented in collaboration with SIGNAL.
Transience, improvisation and collaboration form the basis of Dylan Martorell’s music-based art practice. Housed within the conceptual framework of a musical diaspora, his work is drawn to ways in which music travels through space and is affected by changes in geography, climate, culture and materials to become an agent for cross-cultural reciprocation.
Martorell’s works typically involve a highly disciplined and refined level of detail intertwined with an ad hoc improvisation and bowerbird aesthetic. Inspired by his global travels, major interests for the artist are the natural world, human ritual, ethnography and mythology. This interest manifests in his art through an almost synesthetic combination of colour, pattern, sound and line. Focusing on the use of site-specific gleaned materials and incorporating elements of upcycling, DIY culture, robotics, and alternative power sources, Martorell’s recent projects conducted in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia have focused on concepts of transience, portability and sustainability.
SIGNAL is a creative studio for young people 13 to 25 years located on Northbank in the heart of Melbourne. The program offers young people the opportunity to work alongside professional artists in a collaborative way, through mulit-artform workshops and mentoring.
SIGNAL provides emerging and established artists with opportunities and spaces for exploration, creation and showcasing.
During September, the Federation Bells will feature the AFL club theme songs. Listen out on days that finals matches are played at the MCG and in the lead-up to the Grand Final on 1 October.
Also note that there are changes to the morning ringing times from Monday 12 September to Friday 7 October, due to AFL activities. See the calendar for full details.
As part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, home-grown jazz piano luminary Barney McAll is back from New York and celebrating with two specially-commissioned new works for the Federation Bells.
McAll will play the bells along with his self-made instrument called Chucky and members of the Australian Symbiotic Improvisers Orbit:
Throughout the festival a specially commissioned work of McAll’s will also play on the bells every hour on the hour of the festival.
This is a free event, so come down to the Federation Bells for a very special Melbourne International Jazz Festival aural feast!
For more information visit melbournejazz.com
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2016 the Federation Bells will be playing a special playlist of compositions by women composers.
These pieces are a diverse showcase featuring local and overseas composers, book-ended by Deborah Cheetham’s Eternal Birrarung.
The below playlist will play from 8-9am, 12:30-1:30pm, and 5-6pm:
| Title | Composer |
| Eternal Birrarung | Deborah Cheetham |
| Pointed Bone | Susan Hull |
| Bells | Chiara Costanza |
| I Climb | Karen Berger |
| Wake | Rose Lang |
| Ripples | Celeste Moore |
| Peregrine | Valentina Maxwell Tansley |
| Happiness and Joy | Cassandra Fixter |
| The Edge Of Beginning | Kirstin Honey |
| Garden of Bronze | Peggy Polias |
| New Monument | Stina Tester |
| Daydream | Holly Sellers |
| The Bells of Birrarung | Catherine Duc |
| Silence in SoundSpace | Silvia Simons |
| Mediterranean’s Lamentations | Xenia Konstadinidou |
| Eternal Birrarung | Deborah Cheetham |
For exact times of each piece please visit the What’s Playing page.
Come along and play Melbourne’s iconic 39 bells with your own phone on White Night Melbourne 2016.
The federation bells will be in ‘interactive’ mode for the duration of White Night from 7.10PM to 6.40AM.
Install the free Federation Bells App on your phone or tablet, then come down to the bells and connect to the wifi to ring the bells by tapping on your screen. You can even choose selected songs to play or have a game of Simon Bells.
Come along to the Federation Bells over this weekend to hear the incredible variety of pieces that were submitted for the 2015 Composition Competition.
Seventy-two compositions from Australia and around the globe were submitted for the competition, with John Coutts’ piece Call to Prayer taking the honours.
Check the schedule for a complete listing of all the pieces to be played on these days.
The City of Melbourne is delighted to announce the winners of the 2015 Federation Bells Composition Competition.
John Coutts – Call to Prayer
John, a mechanical engineer from Melbourne, says of his piece:
“The idea I had in mind while writing “Call to Prayer” for the Federation Bells was one of calling people together to appreciate the world they live in, regardless of their beliefs or origins. I hope as people stand and listen to the Islamic and Christian (and perhaps a touch of gamelan) themes on Aboriginal ground they will feel a sense of oneness and take delight in their diversity and marvel at their beautiful surroundings.”
This is John’s second competition winner after also taking last year’s first prize for his piece “Whispers”. For more information about John and his composition, download the Call to Prayer notes, where he talks about the inspiration for the piece, his background, and what it means to win the competition.
Trevor Adelson – Parkville Suite
Amy Bennett, Creative Learning Producer at Arts Centre Melbourne
Councillor Rohan Leppert, Chair of the Arts and Culture portfolio at City of Melbourne
Ariel Valent, Curator Musical Instruments for the City of Melbourne
Seventy-two compositions from Australia and around the globe were submitted for the competition. The judges were very impressed with the standard of entry and many of the works submitted will go into regular programming.
The Federation Bells will feature the winning works from Friday 18 December, and play complete playlists of all entries over January 2-3, 2016.
Make sure you check the schedule to come down and hear your favourites.
Entries were due on 26 October 2015. The next competition will be run in 2016. However, don’t wait until then – we welcome submissions at any time.
To help set the festive mood the Federation Bells will be featuring a couple of classic German drinking songs, specially arranged for the bells:
These songs will be heard alongside a selection of other bell ‘hits’ on the hour and half-hour throughout the festival.
So come along, grab a Bier und Wurst, and sing along with the Oktoberfest bells!
For more information and tickets visit melbourne.oktoberfestinthegardens.com.au
The Federation Bells are playing their part in AFL Grand Final Week with original arrangements of all the Football Club theme songs.
All the clubs’ themes will be featured in an end of season ladder countdown on Friday 2nd October at 12.30pm and 5.00pm. And of course the two competing Grand Final teams’ songs will be played on Grand Final day (Saturday 3rd October).
So come along and celebrate the AFL Grand Final week, and hear your club’s theme as never heard before.
For a full schedule of times and what’s playing visit the schedule page.
| Adelaide | Greg Champion |
| Brisbane | Harry Williamson |
| Carlton | Matt Archer |
| Collingwood | Adam Starr |
| Essendon | Tony Pain |
| Fremantle | John Coutts |
| Geelong | John Coutts |
| Gold Coast | Chris O’Neill |
| Greater Western Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| Hawthorn | Rob Jennings |
| Melbourne | Dennis Wilkinson |
| North Melbourne | Ariel Valent |
| Port Adelaide | Chris O’Neill |
| Richmond | Rob Jennings |
| St. Kilda | Fabian Acuna |
| Sydney | Daryl Wallis |
| West Coast | Matt Archer |
| Western Bulldogs | Peter Knight |
Federation Bells @ Birrarung Marr at 1 PM
Hear the Federation Bells play original compositions in support of World Peace Day.
Walk amongst the 39 computer controlled bells as they chime the dawn of a new age of peace. Then play the bells yourself as part of a spontaneous group composition, led by the City of Melbourne’s Curator of Musical Instruments, Ariel Valent.
To be part of this unique experience, download the Federation Bells App.
For more information about World Peace Day visit www.australiansforpeace.org.au
City of Melbourne is proud to launch the 4th Federation Bells Composition Competition. Whether an experienced creator or novice tune-maker, you are invited to submit an original piece of music for the Federation Bells. There are a range of prizes to be won, with the grand prize-winner receiving $2000.
Compose your masterpiece for the Federation Bells and publish it before 26 October 2015
There are a number of ways to compose your piece, and for the first time you are also able to enter the competition using the new Federation Bells app, with a new special prize awarded for the best composition on the app.
There will also be special information sessions at the bells to help you compose and refine your piece.
Visit the Competition 2015 page for full details and terms & conditions.
The Federation Bells will ring out for Universal Peace day at 9:15 am on Thursday 6th August, which commemorates the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Eight years ago the Riverside Church in NYC began tolling its bells at the exact moment of the bombing. Since then more and more sets of bells across the world have rung out at this time, including across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, Eastern Europe and throughout the US including 9 churches in New York City.
This year on 6 August Reprise by Kristian M. Roberts will ring out on the Federation Bells at 9:15AM (8:15AM in Japan).
After the ringing of bells, there will be a minute’s silence for Prayers for Peace and then an arrangement of John Lennon’s Imagine will premiere on the Federation Bells, as it is sung across the world.
For more information about Universal Peace Day visit www.universalpeaceday.org
The Long Walk is a charity inspired by Michael Long’s walk to Canberra to get the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. The Long Walk raises awareness to improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make Australia a better place for all Australians.
The annual commemoration of Michael Long’s walk to Canberra is held in Melbourne in conjunction with the AFL’s Dreamtime at the ‘G clash between Essendon and Richmond.
The Federation Bells will play the theme songs from the competing clubs as well as two original works by Indigenous composers as the Long Walkers pass by the Federation Bells.
All Bells That Ends Well by James Henry and Eternal Birrarung by Deborah Cheetham will feature between 5.30pm and 6.30pm.
For more information about The Long Walk visit www.thelongwalk.com.au
Tall Trees and Tributaries is a guided walking art project though Federation Square and Birrarung Marr along the edge of the Yarra River. Be led from the beating heart of the city to the tranquility of the Yarra Valley’s forested mountains and waterways through installation, performance, song, music (including the Federation Bells) and storytelling.
Sunday 19 April
4.30pm – 6.30pm
Commences at Federation Square
The Federation Bells are undergoing maintenance from Monday 16 to Thursday 19 February 2015. Pieces may not play as scheduled, and and some bells may be missing.
Apologies for the inconvenience.
If you are looking for something fun, creative (and cool) to do these holidays, book into Bellissimo!
First, learn how the Bells work, then create your own musical masterpiece and walk to the Bells to hear your composition played live! No musical experience is required. For ages 9+
Limited capacity, so don’t delay.
Friday 16 January, 2pm
at the Digital Learning Hub, Arts Centre Melbourne
(now located in Hamer Hall)
Book here (session also available 9 April)
Take your device (iOS only at present) to the Federation Bells and you can make the bells ring simply by tapping on your screen. Create your own masterpiece, collaborate with others, play a game of Simon Bells and have fun.
In your Settings, connect to the Federation Bells Wi-Fi network.
The app allows you to play the bells, to record and playback your own music, to play a game and to share your experiences.
To help set the festive mood the Federation Bells will be featuring a couple of classic German drinking songs, specially arranged for the bells:
These songs will be heard alongside a selection of other bell ‘hits’ throughout the afternoon and evening. To see a complete list of what’s playing when, visit the schedule page.
So come along, grab a Bier und Wurst, and sing along with the Oktoberfest bells!
For more information and tickets visit melbourne.oktoberfestinthegardens.com.au
The Long Walk is a charity inspired by Michael Long’s walk to Canberra to get the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. The Long Walk raises awareness to improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make Australia a better place for all Australians.
The annual commemoration of Michael Long’s walk to Canberra is held in Melbourne in conjunction with the AFL’s Dreamtime at the ‘G clash between Essendon and Richmond.
The Federation Bells will play the theme songs from the competing clubs as well as two original works by Indigenous composers as the Long Walkers pass by the Federation Bells.
All Bells That Ends Well by James Henry and Eternal Birrarung by Deborah Cheetham will feature between 5.45pm and 6.20pm.
For more information about The Long Walk visit www.thelongwalk.com.au
The Federation Bells will play a special schedule as part of the Walk for Justice on Tuesday morning.
The program will feature the piece All Bells That Ends Well by James Henry. The bells will ring from 7:45am – 9:00am, with All Bells That Ends Well played a number of times. The walkers are due to walk past the bells at around 8:00am.
James Henry has written composition notes for his piece, talking of using traditional and contemporary aboriginal music as inspiration:
“When asked to compose a piece for the Federation bells representative of my Aboriginality, I thought I should do so from a perspective I knew more about than most, but which people could also relate to. So I decided to compose a piece inspired by traditional and contemporary Aboriginal music…” Read more.
More information about the Walk for Justice can be found on the Justice Connect website.
The City of Melbourne is delighted to announce the winners of the Federation Bells Composition Competition.
John Coutts Whispers
John created a spacious work of beautiful shimmering textures that ebbs and flows. It makes excellent use of the Federation Bells’ dynamic sensitivity and has an extra mesmerising quality when standing amongst the bells in Birrarung Marr.
John wins $2000 and a double pass to the opening of Melbourne Music Week 2014.
Chris O’Neill Mantra
A melodic work with momentum that is both dramatic and delicate.
Chris wins 2 hours of Professional Learning at the Digital Learning Hub at the Arts Centre Melbourne.
Will Larsen A Festival Fanfare
Fast and furious, this work has a catchy main theme and uses accents and syncopation to great effect.
The judges awarded a special prize to Will of 2 hours professional development at RMIT’s Audio Kinetic Experiment Lab.
Jessica Nicholas, Music critic for The Age and broadcaster for ABC Jazz
Darrin Verhagen, Sound designer, composer and lecturer at RMIT
Ariel Valent, Curator Musical Instruments for the City of Melbourne
More than seventy compositions were submitted for the competition. The judges were very impressed with the standard of entry and many of the works submitted will go into regular programming.
The Federation Bells will feature works submitted for the competition during March and April 2014. Make sure you check the schedule to make sure you come down to hear your favourites.
Entries were due on 3 February 2014. The next competition will be run in 2015. However, don’t wait until then – we welcome submissions at any time.
A rare opportunity to discover the iconic Federation Bells. Learn how to use computer software to create original compositions for performance on the bells. A resource kit will be available for download that gives you the opportunity to compose for the bells in your classroom.
Contact the Digital Learning Hub for more info and to sign up.
For more information and other Online Professional Learning sessions, visit the Arts Centre Melbourne website.
Melbourne’s iconic 39 bells will open and close White Night Melbourne 2014.
The federation bells will perform a 20-minute selection of shortlisted entries, at both 7pm and 6:40am, of works submitted for the recent composition competition. View the bell schedule to see detailed timings of pieces being played.
Cumbia Train by Bryan M Phillips
Occupy, My Heart by Edward Gould
Mantra by Chris ONeill
A Festival Fanfare by Will Larsen
Captain Cook by Dennis Wilkinson
Fed Bells by Sam Gill
Federation Celebration by Robert Ashbridge
Curn 2 by Archer Moore
Whispers by John Coutts
The Birrarung Rag by John Coutts
And As We Open the Musicbox by Jordan Gilmour
I Climb by Karen Berger
Suspended Animation by Rob Jennings
Throughout the night, visit the Federation Bells to enjoy newly installed dynamic coloured lighting.
The Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture from across the nation.
The festival presents a diverse range of art forms and experiences for all ages, including Indigenous theatre, music, literature, film, cabaret and dance.
As part of the festival the Federation Bells will feature two works by Indigenous composers played hourly from 9am – 9pm:
For more information and to download a Festival Program visit the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival website.
Tuesday 28 January, 3pm – 7pm
A chance to refine your composition before the deadline and learn from the experts. Learn more.
The iconic Federation Bells will be part of the City of Melbourne’s Christmas celebrations when well-known Christmas songs get rung out from 29 November 2013.
The Federation Bells maestro has arranged pieces including ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘Good King Wenceslas’ to be woven amongst other original compositions created for the Federation Bells.
View the current schedule to see what’s playing.
Saturday 16 November, 7pm-8pm
Melbourne Music Week 2013 celebrates the full spectrum of Melbourne’s vibrant music scene, showcasing the best and brightest home-grown talent alongside remarkable international artists.
The Federation Bells will be a feature this year. Notably, German-techno minimalist musician/producer and Melbourne Music Week headliner Pantha Du Prince will take control of the iconic Federation Bells, ringing out his ethereal soundscapes and sending shining bell textures shimmering through the twilight air.
This mesmerising once-only performance will be supported by Melbourne art-rockers Glasfrosch, who will incorporate the Federation Bells into a live performance that crosses pop, jazz and ambient textures.
Free Event All Ages
The pop-up home of Melbourne Music Week is The Residence. The Federation Bells will ring out for full hour to salute the conclusion of The Residence programming each night.
City of Melbourne is proud to launch the Federation Bells Composition Competition. Whether an experienced creator or novice tune-maker, you are invited to submit an original piece of music for the Federation Bells. There are a range of prizes to be won, with the grand prize-winner receiving $2000. You can also get a head start on your composition with a Federation Bells Composition workshop, at the Art Centre’s Digital Learning Hub.
More information on composing for the Federation Bells
Saturday 23 November, 2pm-5pm
Think you’ve got what it takes to write a piece for the Federation Bells? The Melbourne Music Week With Bells On workshop is your first pit-stop on the road to success. Learn how to write for the bells using a digital audio workstation under the expert guidance of an experienced composer, and at the conclusion of the session hear your work played on the bells.
Whether you write sweet pop songs, classical symphonies or electronic music, this tutorial will allow you to unleash your creativity through writing for the iconic Federation Bells.
Further workshops will be held throughout December, January and February to help you refine and perfect your composition. Competition entries are due February 2014.
Held at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s, Digital Learning Hub (but meet at the Bells)
$15 per person. Book at digitallearning@artscentremelbourne.com.au Limited places available
Arts Centre Melbourne and City of Melbourne present the Federation Bells Composition Project. A rare opportunity to discover the iconic Federation Bells. Use computer software to create your own compositions and hear them performed live on the Bells.
This is a full day workshop offered to school groups in 2013 and 2014.
WHERE: Arts Centre Melbourne, Digital Learning Hub, Australian Ballet Centre Level 4
WHEN: 9.30am – 2.40pm, dates subject to availability
COST: $15 per student
BOOKINGS: dlhenquiries@artscentremelbourne.com.au
More information: Watch a video about this project with the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Amy Bennett.
On 21 November 2004 former Essendon footballer Michael Long embarked an historic trek, walking fromhis home in the suburbs of Melbourne all the way to Parliament House in Canberra – more than 650 kilometres away.
After returning home from yet another Indigenous funeral, Michael decided that something needed to be done about the plight of his people. He took it upon himself to get Indigenous issues back on the national agenda and resolved to meet with Prime Minister John Howard to discuss his concerns… even if he had to walk all the way to Canberra to do it.
Today Michael Long and his supporters continue to promote the story of The Long Walk in all communities. More than 10 000 people are expected to walk from Federation Square to the MCG for the annual “Dreamtime at the ‘G” clash between Richmond and Essendon on Friday 25 May 2013.
As the Long Walk passes the iconic Federation Bells in Birrarung Marr the unique instrument will celebrate two of Australia’s finest Indigenous musicians. Deborah Cheetham’s Eternal Birrarung and James Henry’s All Bells That Ends Well will ring out between 6pm and 7pm.
From dusk ’til dawn White Night Melbourne transformed the city into an all-night wonderland with over 80 free events celebrating music, food, film, art and light. An estimated 300 000 people participated.
The Federation Bells rang in and rang out the celebrations. Purple Daze by Daryl Wallis rang at 7pm on Saturday 23 February and then again at 7am on Sunday 24 February.
City of Melbourne announces the winners of the Federation Bells competition competition.
“Purple Daze” by Daryl Wallis.
He wins $2000 courtesy of City of Melbourne
“The Dreamer” by Anthony Barnao.
His prize is entrance into a short course at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne.
Congratulations to all 43 entrants.The winner and runner-up can be heard on the hour 9am to 9pm Thursday 30 August to Sunday 2 September.