Australian musician Lina Andonovska continues collaborations with Timorese community and musicians

Talented young Australian musician Lina Andonovska continues her two month musical visit to Timor Leste this week, exploring collaboration with Timorese musicians and community. Lina’s skill as a flute player has seen her play in Europe and Asia in the last months, interspersed with her time in Timor.  Lina was invited to visit Timor by host organisation Many Hands International, who have been working to promote development in and through culture in Timor since 2009. Many Hands staff and visitors work from the Lautem Cultural Centre, the first government community cultural centre established in Timor. 

This is Lina’s third project in Timor, where she has shared skills and expertise with community members and musical experts. (FInd our more about her previous work in Timor here). This month she hopes to continue her creative explorations, using collaborative skills with traditional oi-oil (bamboo flute) players in the Lautem district. Many Hands staff have introduced Lina to traditional cultural experts they met in a recent research project documenting the endangered cultural heritage of the Fataluku people.  There are only a very few remaining players of the oi-oil, a unique instrument played either as single or double instrument.

Lina will also continue her visits to the village of Kakavei, where she has been leading music workshops with local children. Last month she performed some flute music before leading children on participatory workshop of singing, movement and harmonica playing. Friends of Lospalos group from Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia have donated additional harmonicas and recorders instruments that will enable all the school students to play together during this visit. 

Lina will also use her skills in classical composing and performing in a collaboration with Dili-based musician and educator Savio Freitas. Savio has recently returned from music education studies in Japan to start up a classical music school for young children in Taibessi. Lina brought with her donations of instruments and music textbooks from Australian musicians to support the new music education enterprise. Lina and Savio have been sharing music to create a concert to be performed in Dili in late January.

Lina’s Asialink Arts Residency Project is supported by Creative Victoria, Australia. Lina is the third Asialink resident to work with Many Hands, following a community music project led by Gillian Howell in 2011 and a theatre project led by Catherine Simmonds in 2012.

For more information:  call Lina on +670  7754 9539, or visit http://www.linaandonovska.com