ARTICLE There is something beautiful about the communal nature of music – of the powerful ability it has to bring people together and make them think and feel. To connect you with a time and a place. Whether consciously or subconsciously when growing up, we are constantly exposed to the music of past generations. It could be from hearing our grandparents or parents playing their favourite hits on record, cassette or a more modern medium, or through soundtracks to movies and television shows. Furthermore, the way we consume music has dramatically changed. Once upon a time we purchased the entire album, even if it was just to hear the one song on repeat. During the process of obsessing over said song you’d begin listening to the others, too lazy to change tracks on the record, fast forward or rewind the cassette, or skip on a CD. Subsequently the other songs would grow on you and result in you becoming a fan of the singer not just the song. Things have changed with streaming and downloading, needing only to purchase the one song, not being exposed to the rest of the album.Today more effort seems to go into promoting what a performer is wearing, what they ate for breakfast, product endorsements, who they share a bed with, instead of their music and the sounds they produce. artists they have not only grown up hearing, but whose repertoire they have grown up learning and practising. What further enforces this is that these hits have become part of society’s ‘musical fabric’ and are frequently included in movies and television shows. The fact that filmmakers are choosing this music over newer music is very telling of how engrained they now are in us, regardless which generation we are part of. I wanted to know more about Bernadette – who she was, what she had achieved. Through my research I was delighted to discover this dazzling cabaret star from Melbourne is renowned for her transformative power to embody those luminaries of the past we all know and love. Portayals of Edith, Ella, Aretha and Judy – bring it on! A successful performer in her own right, Bernadette’s past includes multiple sell-out seasons of her one-woman musicals Songs for Nobodies and Pennsylvania Avenue. She received rave reviews for both shows including:“The audience is on its feet with a standing ovation” (The Age),“Bernadette Robinson’s performance is theatrical alchemy” (Herald Sun) and “Beyond virtuosity to the sublime” (The Australian).After he saw Songs for Nobodies for the second time, Barry Humphries is quoted as saying “Bernadette is a major talent and a spellbinder.” I can’t wait to see and hear Calling All Angels at Riverside in July. I can’t wait to enter the theatre, close my eyes and be transported back in time to that golden age when music was beautiful in its simplistic nature. I can’t wait for that celebration of the voice without technology changing it. I can’t wait to hear Bernadette Robinson’s transformation bringing the incredible, timeless voices back to life. “WEARECONSTANTLY EXPOSEDTOTHEMUSICOF PASTGENERATIONS.” “TODAYMOREEFFORTSEEMS TOGOINTOPROMOTING WHATAPERFORMERIS WEARING,WHATTHEYATE FORBREAKFAST,PRODUCT ENDORSEMENTS…” When Bernadette Robinson’s show Calling All Angels came across my desk I was immediately excited. I’d never heard of Bernadette before but I instantly connected to the music she performs. Her concert includes favourites from the ‘Golden Age of Music’ including Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose and Judy Garland’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I’ve always loved the performing arts and I’m a musical theatre buff. I’ve worked at Riverside for 6 years and met my now fiancé, a singing coach, here – it’s safe to say I have a great appreciation of music. It was Bernadette’s upcoming show that got me thinking of the sheer magnificence that music has in its ability to withstand the tests of time, but more importantly to be shared by multiple generations.Why we are still obsessed with luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and how songstresses like Streisand still have audiences flocking to their shows? Why are performers opting to sing past hits rather than write their own music? After discussing it with my fiancé we concluded there’s a lot more to it than the incredible hardships these stars overcame, their style of music and singing technique. These gorgeous songs were written and recorded in a time when more care and time was taken with lyrics and melodies. I feel classic tunes have become more ‘marketable’, often because of the sense of nostalgia they bring.Two examples of musical success stories: Human Nature - talented Australian performers who have their own original hits, but have also toured the world in sell-out concerts performing the jukebox hits of the past that we all love.They use the nostalgia of the past to sell their music of today. Postmodern Jukebox - a band made up of musicians, singers and dancers have taken a different approach. Using various musical styles of the past and applying them to well-known contemporary songs, each week the band posts a new video of another cover sometimes featuring tap dancing! Their brilliance is their ability to use that feeling of nostalgia, memories and the past to sell the contemporary. Look them up on YouTube. It’s little wonder singers are opting to perform covers or tribute shows. It’s not just us who identify with the classics, but also the singers themselves. These are 27