Lineup 2023 – whitestickfest

Kirsten Busby

Kirsten pictured in a long cream and colourful full-length dress and jacket, ready to perform against a dark background with purple roses.

Kirsten Busby Is Back

WhiteStickFest is proud to confirm Novacastrian Kirsten Busby a rising star in the world of classical music, will return to grace our 2023 international stage.

Kirsten’s impressive performances includes:- partaking in the Opera Australia Rising Stars Concert in 2014.

In 2015 she performed in Judith Clingan 'Songs of Passion and Compassion’, the ‘High Court Christmas Party’.

In 2016 she played Cosette in the Gungahlin College production of ‘Les Misérables’

and again, also a chorister in the Canberra Symphony Orchestra production of ‘Beethoven Symphony No 9’.

Kirsten, a frequent performer with the Gondwana Choirs since 2015, is well on her way to realising her dream of singing at the Opera House

and appears destined for further operatic honours.

Click the link below for a listen to Kirsten’s stellar classical playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/@kirstenbusby-soprano

Lara Nahkle

Lara pictured on the Carols By Candlelight stage last year on Christmas eve seated at a grand piano wearing a beautiful sparkly dark blue dress, singing and playing the piano.

Lara Nahkle Sparkles On The WhiteStickFest 2023 Stage

WhiteStickFest is thrilled to confirm Australian Fan Favourite Sydney based singer / songwriter Lara Nahkle will return to our 2023 international stage.

Lara’s career highlights include reaching the top 48 on The Voice AU 2017, singing at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney

plus, a guest performance at the 2021 Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony on Australia Day not to mention her debut on Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight in 2022

Lara is now delving into advertising and media becoming the voice of the Suncorp brand AAMI Jingle

Lara continues to go from strength to strength and we couldn’t be more blessed to have her back for a 4^th year.

Not sure what all the fuss is about? Have a listen for Lara’s vibrant vocal musical essence to sway the depths of your soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPMs3CzkKTE

Summer Giddings

Summer Giddings to debut on our virtual stage in 2023.

Legally blind from a young age and living with Cerebal Palsy, Summer not surprisingly lets very little get in the way of her dreams and aspirations.

Summer has sung at many prominent events over the last few years around Sydney. She is also a Para athlete and has represented Australia in 2018 in Spain where she set the T35 world record in long jump. She has also recently represented Australia at the IBSA World Games in Birmingham UK in blind tennis were she reached the quarter finals. Summer is going from strength to strength, and in June 2023 released herfirst original song, ‘Fantasia’, which has already had over 20,000 views on Spotify.

The team at WhiteStickFest are thrilled to bring her unmistakeable talent to the world!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5nlP4JLkpQ&list=PLRm37CE2VxnWlgik2B8tm6mcPkW6KkU1S&index=1

The Wiggles

A Photo of the current 4 wiggles in trademark purple, yellow, red & blue.

WhiteStickFest Showcasing The Wiggles for White Cane Day in 2023

For the 4th White Cane Day in a row, we will feature the world’s top charting children’s band, The Wiggles!

The Wiggles have been entertaining millions of families across the globe for over 30 years.

The band has sold over 30 million albums and DVDs, 8 million books, as well as accumulating over one billion music streams and 2 billion views on YouTube.

More than 70 album and DVD releases later, The Wiggles have earned 18 gold, 13 platinum, 3 double platinum, and 10 multi-platinum awards, and have been awarded 13 ARIA Awards for Best Children’s Album (making ARIA history as the most awarded ARIA winner in one category), and been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome them back again in 2023 and thank them for their huge support for WhiteStickFest over the past few years.

View some Wiggly fun below on their YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@thewiggles

Miles Hilton-Barber

A photo of Miles in a blue parker against a blue-sky background

Miles Hilton-Barber to open WhiteStickFest 2023

WhiteStickFest are incredible honoured to confirm world renowned blind adventurer and gifted motivational speaker Miles Hilton Barber will open our proceedings on October 15^th International White Cane Day

For those who aren’t familiar, Miles piloted a microlight aircraft from the UK to Australia completely blind and at age 50.

Since this feat he has notched up an incredible number of mind-blowing achievements including but not limited to:

First blind aviator to break sound barrier- attaining speed of Mach 1.4/1,060 MPH during vertical climb to 50,000 feet in just 90 seconds in an English Electric Lightning fighter jet.
Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt. Blanc- Africas/Europes highest mountains
Running the 11-day Ultra-Marathon race across China from the Gobi Desert to the Great Wall
Completing the Coldest Marathon on Earth- the Siberian Ice Marathon
Crossing the entire Qatar Desert non-stop day/night in 78 hours
Circumnavigating 38,000 miles around the world using 80 different forms of transport
Setting the Malaysian Grand Prix lap record for a blind driver in a 230kph Lotus
Setting a new British high-altitude record for a tandem microlight (20,300 feet) with -55 Centigrade open-cockpit temperatures
White-water rafting down the Zambezi River
Cage-diving with Great White Sharks
Deep Sea Scuba Diving
First blind pilot to undertake a sortie of extreme aerobatics in a +600 MPH Hawker Hunter fighter jet with an ex-Red Arrows co-pilot
Becoming the first blind person to do the solo kamikaze skeleton run down the 5G Olympic bob-sleigh track in Lillehammer, Norway
First blind person to pilot a 340 BHP performance rated Zap Cat power boat in ocean time trials
First blind person to participate in a drag-racing event, driving a supercharged machine at Britain’s Santa Pod drag track

For more information about his adventures please see his website below.

https://www.mileshilton-barber.com/

Tonal Vision

photo of Jugpreet Bajwa Sing, wearing a blue and white shirt and dark blue pants standing back to back with Justine Ongreen, waring a red

Tonal Vision set for global debut at WhiteStickFest 2023

The pop duo from Canada consisting of Jugpreet Bajwa Singh and Justine Ongreen will be bringing there unique dynamism and vocal harmonisation to the WhiteStickFest stage in 2023.

It’s been an incredible journey for this versatile Indian classical trained vocalist, who can sing in 16 languages.

His vocal training began around the age of 4, and by 6 years-old he had his first performance in Squamish on ‘Canada Day’.

Jugpreet Bajwa, was only a few months old when he lost both his eyes to retinoblastoma cancer. By the age of 2 his passion for music was in full swing.

“Music became a huge part of me, it was an escape… Every time I sang it was a healing power in terms of how I look at the world, to see the world through music.”

In 2007, he performed his own exclusive sold-out concert in Vancouver Canada and in 2016 Bajwa made it through over 150,000 contestants

to gain global popularity as one of three finalists in India’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – translated as Do Re Mi Fa So –

equivalent, if not larger of competitions such as American Idol, with the show broadcast in 165 countries.

Juggy has spent the last couple of years singing the national anthems at Canucks home games and describes his relationship with Justine an equally successful recording artist, singer and songwriter in her own right as a brother sister like relationship that formed into a project just over a year ago.

Releasing their debut single ‘Kissed your lips” in July earlier this year, much to the delight of the duo the song has been an resounding success and Tonal Vision appear to be going from strength to strength in what we anticipate to be a global success for many years to come.

Check out there YouTube Channel below for more of their music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFI2sXhB3jM

Mark Erelli

Mark Erelli joining WhiteStickFest 2023

WhiteStickFest is ecstatic to welcome internationally popular songster and guitarist Mark Erelli for his debut show on our 2023 virtual stage.

A gifted American singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,^[1] and touring folk musician, Mark released his debut album in 1999 the same year that he won the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Award.

His first recording for the Signature Sounds label, Compass & Companion, spent ten weeks in the Top Ten on the Americana Chart. Erelli has worked as a side musician for singer songwriters Lori McKenna and Josh Ritter. He has performed at various music festivals and shared the stage with John Hiatt, Dave Alvin, and Gillian Welch. Erelli's song “People Look Around”, which he co-wrote with Catie Curtis, was the Grand Prize winner at the 2005 International Song writing Competition. His songs have been recorded by Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, Antje Duvekot, and Red Molly.

During a performance in summer 2020, Mark Erelli looked down at his guitar neck and couldn’t believe what he saw. Or rather, what he couldn’tsee: his fingers on the frets.

Soon after, a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease, would bring some answers, but it also yielded new questions.

Does diminished eyesight correlate with lesser insight? Does your songwriting change when your perception of the world around you changes?

His many questions to face his adversity are at the heart of his new album Lay Your Darkness Down (released Feb 2023 on Soundly Music).

Throughout Mark’s latest album, he contains a sense of spiritual resolve and relatability united with harmonious shadow and light dynamics

which uniquely signifies his songs. Erelli makes clear that this album isn’t about blindness. Rather, these tracks document an artist's reinvigorated lust for life.

“I could not have accessed the emotions and the observations that inspired these songs without realizing that I was losing my sight.”

He adds, “In some way, I am grateful for that.”

Mark continues to spread awareness and joy in his music globally and has proven to be an incredible spokesperson for the blind and low vision community even taking part in Foundation Fighting Blindness’s last ‘music to my eyes’ livestream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnnDqYb0jG8

Lydia Beech

Lydia Beech to debut for WhiteStickFest 2023

The team at WhiteStickFest absolutely loves sharing with our international audience young up and coming blind or low vision talent and Lydia doesn’t disappoint.

Lydia wowed the judges during her appearance on The UK Voice Kids 2020 at just 13 years old, singing a stunning rendition of Your Song,

inspired by Ellie Goulding's cover of the Elton John song which left those watching in complete awe.

Blessed with what appeared to be an effortless vocal repertoire and charisma, the audience and judges undoubtedly was taken aback by her maturity and stage presence well beyond her years.

We can see a bright future ahead of her and are thrilled that she has agreed to join us to celebrate international white cane day 2023 as part of our growing line-up for WhiteStickFest 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0yxNfhB6LE

Kimié Miner

Picture of Kimie Miner in a beautiful maroon dress wearing a dark pink rose headdress with long brown hair, smiling, against a green tree background that is out of focus.

WhiteStickFest is extremely pleased to announce GRAMMY nominated Producer, Singer-Songwriter, Recording Artist and Music Publisher Kimié Miner, will be debuting as our Headline Performer on our 2023 International Stage.

Hawai'i's beloved and award-winning song bird,Kimié, is of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent, and at 14-years-old taught herself to play guitar and began writing her own original music, or as they call it, 'mele'. In 2018, she won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for 'Female Vocalist of the Year' and 'Song of the Year' for her original song “Bamboo”, she also won 'Female Artist of the Year' at the Island Music Awards.

Kimié champions the idea that one should remain true to who they are and to approach their experiences with the pride of their heritage. Her songs regularly evoke the Hawaiian concept of the Piko: the “naval” or “center” which represents a home base to which one can always return. She notes that “As Hawaiians, we have our roots and our routes. We know who we are, and we take that knowledge with us when we navigate and explore the rest of the world.”

She has written and co-produced four incredibly successful albums, sits on the Board of Governors for the Recording Academy (Pacific Northwest Chapter) and the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts and is also a Recording Academy district advocate for music creators’ rights.

Kimié takes pride in being a hardworking entrepreneur and mother of three young children whilst leading as CEO of Haku Collective, established in 2016. The mission of Haku Collective is to support Hawai’i-based music artists and to offer comprehensive support to build a sustainable music career. Established by artists for artists, Haku Collective is a Native Hawaiian boutique music and immersive product company located on the island of O’ahu, united by their shared love of music and their community. They offer products inspired, designed and curated to connect you to the rich culture found in the music of Hawai’i. In her spare time she is renowned for giving to many worthwhile causes worldwide and supporting young up and coming artists in Hawaii.

WhiteStickFest couldn’t be prouder to have her as an advocate and headliner for this year’s concert.

Can’t get enough of Kimié’s music check out her YouTube channel and across all streaming platfor and @playkimie
https://linktr.ee/KimieMiner

Blind Joe

Blind Joe is back for WhiteStickfest 2023

The rowdy non-stop rebel soul that is ‘Blind Joe’ is as infectious as a night of Jack Daniels and a hoot of country music hits on the jukebox.

Coming from nowhere Joe rose to prominence with his southern charm, power-driven country voice and charismatic stage presence, after dazzling the judges

& worldwide audience on season nine of America’s The Voice, in what he describes as a “truly blind audition”.

Fast fwd a few years of nonstop wowing fans with his dynamic showmanship, Joe is currently one of the most celebrated solo musicians in the North Dakota / Minnesota area.

Joe has shared the stage with numerous top local and regional acts, as well as national recording artists

such as:- David Allan Coe, Craig Morgan, John Anderson, James Otto, Collin Ray, Buddy Guy, Bret Michaels of Poison, and many more.

Dare you to have a listen to his link below and not be able to resist adding Joe to your fav’ playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCKV5qS8AWA