MUSIC CONSULTANT

(DIVERSE MUSIC & PERFORMANCE)

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

MUSICIAN

sebflynn@gmail.com

0414 986 240

Specialising:

In World, ethnic and folk music and diverse dance programming, as both agent and organiser.

Sourcing, organising, referral and contracting of professional and community music artists.

Experienced festival director, artistic program director and professional musician (violinist).

Working at all levels of events from solo artists and groups for concerts, weddings and intimate gatherings, citizenship ceremonies and community occasions and large and small festivals events.

Previous Directing & Programming:

Queensland Multicultural Festival - Director

National Folk Festival (Canberra) - CEO and Managing Director

Queensland Government (Multicultural Affairs) - Events Manager

Woodford Folk Festival - Performance & MC

Queensland Music Festival - Programming

Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC) - Programming

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) World Music Cafes and Concerts - Programming & Production

MOSAIC Festival Roma Street Brisbane - Manager

LUMINOUS Lantern Parade South Bank - Manager

I was Chair of Subud International Cultural Association (SICA) from 2014-2018, working to nurture human values through art, culture and creativity programs throughout the world.

I have been an ongoing member over several years of the judging panel for the Australian Event Awards.  

I have also been a board member of the Music Council of Australia. 

My Experience

I was Director of the Queensland Multicultural Festival from 2006-2009 – delivering four highly successful events on behalf of Multicultural Affairs, Queensland Government. I was also responsible for the Premier’s Multicultural Photographic Awards, Queensland Multicultural Awards, Diversity Rocks Education program, Diversity Writes Literary Event and Diversity Talks on ABC Radio.

I was Managing Director of the National Folk Festival, Canberra, Australia, delivering four successful events from 2010-2013, winning the Canberra and Capital Region Tourism Award for Best Festival Event in 2011 and 2012, a Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) Award for the 2012 festival media as well as a coveted Canberra Critics Circle Award for my programming and theming of ‘For the Fallen’ presented in collaboration with the Australian War Memorial for ANZAC Day 2011.

I have worked for many years in the multicultural sector as Senior Manager, Major Events with Multicultural Development Australia (MDA) Ltd, delivering major annual events: MOSAIC Multicultural Festival, LUMINOUS Lantern Parade and World Refugee Day Events, as well as a diverse range of program launches and MDA regional Queensland events.

My interest in music as a professional folk violinist led to a career as a major festival director and diverse arts programmer, managing events with artists from many different cultures to support the programming of major events. As a musician I am aware of standards across a wide range of genres and am well placed to source exactly the kind and calibre of professional and community artists as required.

I have programmed and presented diverse artists for Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC), Brisbane City Council (World Music at Midday Concerts in City Hall, Australian Capital Tourism (Canberra Centenary Celebrations), Queensland Government Dept of the Premier & Cabinet and Multicultural Affairs, Parliament House and Multicultural Australia.

As part of my work directing the National Folk Festival, I developed an interest in education, studying the musical instrument collections of the Horniman Museum in London, and the Smithsonian Institutions in Washington DC and New York exploring how musical instruments and music performance can lead to the understanding of different cultures and provide a valuable aid to education.

I was the founder and violinist for the 10-piece Ensemble Diaspora in Brisbane, working with artists from diverse backgrounds and far-flung musical traditions. I continue to work with The Stowaway Collective in Brisbane, developing performance opportunities, especially where diverse music can be combined with literature to create programs that explore education.

A good example of this was organising the book launch of ‘A Country Too Far’ by Thomas Keneally, of Schindler’s Arc fame, featuring writings of asylum seekers. I also designed, created and presented ‘The Book of Rhythm’ presented in St John’s Cathedral Brisbane as part of the G20 cultural program in Brisbane, combining World music with cameos readings from classic literature.