Cultural Infusion is producing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 63rd annual United Nations DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization) conference to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 30th of August to the 1st of September 2010. The not-for-profit organisation will also produce the welcoming concert on the 29th of August.
Cultural Infusion was chosen to produce the celebratory ceremonies not only because it has an impressive track record in crafting events with an intrinsic understanding of Melbourne’s cultural diversity, but also because it is an organisation dedicated to promoting community wellbeing through cultural advocacy and the arts.
The ‘Advance Global Health – Achieve the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)’ conference will discuss fostering global health and aims to strengthen relations between the UN and non-governmental organisations.
Creative Director and founder of Cultural Infusion, Peter Mousaferiadis has over 20 years of experience in the arts as a director and producer.
Recently Peter and his team produced the opening and closing ceremonies as well as plenaries for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which brought notable spiritual and religious leaders such as the Dalai Lama to Melbourne.
For Peter, “Events aren’t just about a celebration… [It’s about] how that event can be an exercise for scholarship, public education and community cultural advocacy. It’s about how we can strengthen our identity as a nation made up of many different cultures… how can we not only conserve traditions but how can we revitalise them?”
The “In Melbourne – We are all Connected” concert on the 29th August will feature a cast of over 300 performers. The concert will feature an original score and choreography including a crescendo of more than 120 drummers and solo percussionists from all over the world. Australia’s newest ensemble, the ‘Australian International Music Ensemble’ which has been created with the support of VicHealth’s Arts About Us initiative, will blend sounds of the Chinese mouth organ, Japanese shamizen, African kora and mainstream popular instruments.
Artists that feature in the performances come from a variety of backgrounds and include the internationally acclaimed Bollywood dance group Shiamak, Laserman and sand animation artist Zorba Haitham Dawood interpreting the Eight Millennium Development Goals in sand.
The opening ceremony will be a display of old and new expressions of Indigenous culture. It will feature Don Bemrose, Indigenous baritone, performing a preview of a piece from the first Australian Indigenous opera, ‘Pecan Summer’, written by internationally acclaimed soprano and composer Deborah Cheetham, which is set to premier in October.
The closing ceremony will be a representation of unity, featuring more than 100 children.
