Julia Deans joins Botanic Beats line-up
Award-winning singer-songwriter and former Fur Patrol frontwoman Julia Deans will join Project Prima Volta to perform at next month’s Botanic Beats at the Napier Botanical Gardens.
To be held on January 16 from 6pm to 8pm, Botanic Beats has been a popular addition to the free events Napier City Council organises for the community.
Napier City Council Event Manager Kevin Murphy said having a singer of Julia’s calibre here adds something special to what has become a popular summer evening event.
"It’s a great use of this garden space and we hope to see even more people come along this time."
The past decade has seen Julia transition from sassy rock chick to glorious songbird, including making her debut operatic performance as Lola in Festival Opera’s Cav + Pag.
Deans’ critically acclaimed solo albums Modern Fables (2010) and We Light Fire (2018) both earned nominations for the Taite Music Prize, the APRA Silver Scroll and the NZ Music Awards.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Fur Patrol’s much-loved album Pet, featuring the now-classic number one single Lydia.
Deans has also worked with Neil Finn, The Adults and SJD, performed in arts festival shows paying tribute to the likes of Joni Mitchell, David Bowie and Jacques Brel, and worked with the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras. This year she was invited to be the Musical Director of the Silver Scroll Awards show.
The gifted young artists that make up Project Prima Volta (PPV) will once again provide a mixture of music, from operas to pop.
PPV, which means 'first time' in Italian, is a weekly run mentoring programme for young people from all over Hawke’s Bay, with a focus on finding voices and shaping futures through music.
PPV and Deans' performance will be followed by The Tramps, a great group of local musicians who are also performing at the New Year’s Eve concert at the Soundshell.
The event is weather dependent – the council will be posting updates on their Facebook page
Coffee and food will be available for purchase at Botanic Beats, or you can bring your own picnic to enjoy along with the music.
