Seymour Centre Courtyard Sessions
Last Friday the Seymour Centre in Chippendale, in association with the City of Sydney, kicked off the fifth instalment of their annual Courtyard Sessions.
Since its inception the main idea for the Courtyard Sessions has always been to provide an event which showcases emerging musicians from around Sydney, NSW or the nation more broadly in a relaxed and free outdoor setting. Over the years the event has stuck to this mantra while looking to improve it where possible. Event director Larry Heath explained: “the idea [for the event] has very much stayed the same since the beginning, we’ve just added things along the lines of performers, such as magicians and dancers that add to the environment and experience.”
As this is a very community focused event it has always been important for the organisers to keep the Courtyard Sessions open to as many people as possible, hence why it has remained a free event open to all ages and is even dog friendly. Heath explained that the response from the community has been very positive: “the community has been great, we have hundreds of people come every week to the event.”
For artists, this dedication and support from the community has not gone unnoticed. As Heath said: “every artist we spoke to wanted to be involved, it was just a matter of timing”. Having such a loyal community following has made the event highly attractive to artists because they don’t have to stress about drawing a crowd of their own fans, which allows them freedom to try new material or get back into the saddle of performing.
The program for the Courtyard Sessions has been in development for many months in order to ensure that all of the artists chosen are able to “embrace the outdoor setting” and create a “really enjoyable, relaxed Friday afternoon event”. Heath added: “it’s an opportunity at the end of the week to sit down, relax and listen to some great music in the beautiful leafy surrounds.”
Artists performing throughout the course of the program include ILUKA, Jordan Millar, Microwave Jenny, Fanny Lumsden, William Crighton and HOWQUA. Each act will perform three thirty-minute sets throughout the evening, so you will be able to hear them perform whenever you are able to get there. For the first time this year the Seymour Centre will also be experimenting with a Sunday afternoon event on February 21, with a lineup of DJ’s performing throughout the day.
Every Friday 6–9pm, until Mar 18. Seymour Centre Courtyard, cnr of City Rd & Cleveland St. Chippendale. FREE. Info: seymourcentre.com
