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Musicians to perform in aid of endangered handfish

Newsroom

Music and rare fish may have little in common, but the two will be the focal point of a special one-hour event at The Hedberg on August 19.

The University of Tasmania School of Creative Arts and Media is hosting a benefit concert for the Handfish Conservation Project.

The 50-minute concert in the Ian Potter Recital Hall will feature students, staff and alumni from the Conservatorium and brings exceptional music to the local community.

Event stage manager and performer Gianni Posadas-Sen (pictured above) said interest in the concert followed on from the success of the Concert for Ukraine earlier this year.

“We wanted to do another concert and we decided to support the Handfish Conservation Project because of its connection to our University,” he said.

“Engaged with this performance are several performers who were able to tie their work into the topic and theme. My work is about kunanyi, linking to the concept of climate action and the impact climate change is having on a local level to the survival of the handfish, while Sarah Jack’s performance will be Ravel’s Jeux d’eau which is a piece about water play, which will be performed in front of inspiring imagery of the environment in which the handfish lives.”

Fellow performer Kade Renshaw said he found out about the threat to the handfish when he visited Seahorse World in Beauty Point last year.

“I was always fascinated by the handfish species and how it was only found in Tasmania,” he said.

“The fact that we have this opportunity as students to promote these valuable causes with our own creative means was the gateway to starting this concert.”

The concert will feature performers from the Ukraine concert, as well as some new faces. Tickets are free, but registrations are essential as seating is limited. Digital and cash donations will be collected on the day at the concert, with all proceeds going to the Handfish Conservation Project.

The project was established in 2018 to implement a recovery plan for the critically endangered handfish – the Red Handfish, Spotted Handfish and Ziebell’s Handfish.

Register for tickets to the Benefit Concert for the Handfish Conservation Project, which is on from 1pm-2pm on Friday, August 19, at the Hedberg, Hobart.

Picture of Gianni Posadas-Sen courtesy of Osborne Images

Spotted handfish by artist Helen Barnard
Spotted handfish painted by Tasmanian artist, Helen Barnard @Thelittlewren. Together with Wild Island Tasmania, Helen made a joint donation of $950 for the sale of the artwork to UTAS' Handfish Conservation Project, to provide equipment for researchers to observe the egg guarding and defence behaviours in 2018.