Coolum musician Andrew Veivers is the recipient of a Regional Arts Development Fund grant and will be using the grant to produce new guitar compositions. Photo: Trevor Worden
SUNSHINE Coast Council’s latest Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grant recipients are set to deliver an exciting array of creative projects and Coolum musician Andrew Veivers is one of the lucky grant recipients.
Andrew said he was ecstatic to secure the grant and will use it to write and tour reimagined Spanish guitar compositions.
“I have been a full-time musician, composer and workshop facilitator based on the Sunshine Coast for 20 years and I have been very fortunate to receive RADF funding to assist in a couple of composition/production projects over the past decade.
“Arts funding is an incredibly competitive environment and I feel an affirming blend of gratitude, accomplishment, and creative anticipation with this recent grant win,” Andrew said.
The 14 RADF grant recipients will share in almost $90,000 to further develop their practice which will enable their unique talents to entertain, inspire and teach us.
Andrew stated that the grants afford creatives the ability to share their vision.
“A successful RADF grant allows an artist the ability to create time and space in an increasingly busy world to elevate their creative pursuits and this invariably fosters innovation.
“The grant represents an opportunity to realise and share artistic visions, bridging passion with meaningful contributions.’’
Andrew is bringing to life his new project right now with a group of talented collaborators.
“My project of working with composer/arranger Michael Patterson and the brilliant Black Square Quartet to realise 10 new arrangements of my original compositions for guitar with string quartet is going to be an epic journey of collaboration.
“The compositions developed during my project ‘Guitarra y Cuarteto’ will enjoy seeing the light of day for the first time during a series of performances on the Sunshine Coast in May 2024.”
Those performances will be presented by local events company Red Chair as part of their Compass Project concert series.
“We are incredibly excited to be a part of that programme and hope Coolum audiences come along to one of our shows and enjoy the fruits of our labour and say ‘hi’.”
Sunshine Coast Council Arts Portfolio Councillor Rick Baberowski said Council was proud to be supporting even more artists to hone their skills.
“The arts make such a compounding contribution to creative life here on our Sunshine Coast and it’s vital we support both our emerging and established creatives to flourish,” Cr Baberowski said.
“These grants create momentum and encourage opportunities to help build a supportive environment where the arts can successfully grow and prosper.”
ABOUT RADF
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a joint partnership between Arts Queensland and 59 local government areas across Queensland. Arts Queensland is proud to partner with local government to support quality arts and cultural experiences across Queensland through the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF).
RADF promotes the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of diverse and inclusive communities and strong regions. RADF invests in local arts and cultural priorities, as determined by local communities, across Queensland.