Gloves to carrots – he plays ’em all
Australian community music advocate and innovative instrument maker Linsey Pollak is visiting Hamilton this week as a result of a joint initiative by Music Education Waikato, Creative Hamilton and the Hamilton Men’s Shed.
Pollak has spent the past 20 years working as musician-inresidence in communities from Hobart to Broome.
He established the Multicultural Arts Centre in Western Australia and has worked as an instrument maker with an eye for creating new and unusual woodwind instruments.
He has specialised in the design and construction of marimbas and other tuned percussion instruments and has a reputation for making and playing such things as rubber gloves, carrots, watering cans, chairs, booms, bins and other found items.
His solo shows have led him to embrace modern digital technology and develop performances including Knocking on Kevin’s Door, Playpen, Cycology and the larger outdoor environmental performance Bim Bam Boom.
More recently he has used a midi wind controller to play and loop samples of everything from voices to frogs.
Pollak will host workshops on marimba playing, improvisation and composition and support at Glenview Primary School from 4pm till 5pm tomorrow (SUBS: Thursday June 14), a Make it, Play it, Record it, workshop at the Hamilton Community Men’s Shed, Ward Park Arts Centre, 1.30pm till 2.30pm and a family concert at Hamilton YMCA at 7pm on Saturday.