Gina Williams is one of those rare performers who connects and captures audiences through the power of song.
Teamed with guitarist Guy Ghouse she brings a fresh modern interpretation of ancient music and stories, singing in the language of her Noongar people - connecting one of the world's oldest languages with our youngest audiences.
During a recent performance at the Perth Festival, the duo performed a stunning suite of children's songs and lullabies in Noongar from their new album Koorlangka, which was officially launched at the event. They were accompanied by string quartet Dolce Ensemble and pianist Russell Holmes.
Gina and Guy excel in writing songs that connect with both Noongar and non-Noongar speakers of all ages. The duo are passionate about increasing the number of Noongar speakers with a simple but powerful idea Gina calls #fivewords, an invitation to all Australians to learn 5 Noongar words.
Koorlangka was developed as part of the Australian Government funded project Kalyakoorl (Forever). More than $163,000 was provided through the Indigenous Languages and Arts program over two years for the production of works scored and performed with Russell Holmes and the Dolce Ensemble.
Hear more from Gina in our video filmed at the Denmark Festival of Voice.
