Castlemaine State Festival presents

ALLARA

Over moody double bass and hypnotic loops, Allara’s spoken-word compositions pull you in by your collar. The Yorta Yorta woman pays respect to ancient oral traditions with her percussive style, adding samples from nature to reflect her commitment to environmental empowerment and rejection of colonial land management. Allara’s career began in 2016 when she accompanied Archie Roach at the Sydney Opera House. In 2019, she received the International Women’s Day First Peoples Emerging Artist Fellowship.

Allara’s approach to music is inspirational to other musicians and First Nations people. Finishing her Bachelor of Music Performance in 2016, she kicked off her music career accompanying Archie Roach at the Sydney Opera House, at the time being the youngest on stage at 22 years old. It has been a huge year for Allara (2019), starting off by receiving the International Women’s Day First Peoples Emerging Artist Fellowship supported by Helen Marcou from Bakehouse Studios and Briggs from Bad Apples Music. She has performed across multiple states in so-called Australia and was a nominee on the Longlist for the Corner Award 2019. Ending the year as a nominee for The Music Victoria Awards 2019: Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent, Allara is on the cusp of a brilliant career and a must-see artist in 2021.

Her sound is unique and soul-stirring. – TRIPLE J

Presented with special support from the Water Dragon Endowment.