Vivid LIVE: Solange
Friday 1 June – Monday 4 June 2018
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House today announced that Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, artist and activist Solange Knowles will perform her acclaimed breakthrough album, A Seat at the Table, for the first time in Australia exclusively at Vivid LIVE in June as part of Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas.
For four nights only, the young R&B queen will fill the Opera House Concert Hall with her superb voice and unique aesthetic, including cinematic sets and spectacular dancers. Solange will perform in the round, offering audiences a 360° view of her cutting-edge choreography and bold staging. The performances, as part of Vivid LIVE, mark Solange’s debut at the Sydney Opera House and are her only scheduled 2018 Australian shows.
Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music and Vivid LIVE Curator, Ben Marshall, says: “Solange Knowles is having her moment on the world stage right now. With A Seat at the Table’s exploration of black American identity, empowerment and the complexities of black womanhood, she is at the molten-hot intersection of effortlessly cool music and thoughtful activism. Solange’s brilliance in combining spectacular performance with politically-charged music to create a precisely choreographed, fun and riveting neo-soul show, points to the future of R&B. She is the perfect artist, in every sense of the word, to occupy centre-stage at Vivid LIVE, this year celebrating 10 years of ambitious and rigorous contemporary music taking over the Sydney Opera House. Catch this rare, dazzling appearance of Solange while you can; she is the artist 2018 needs.”
The release of Solange’s third album, which she co-produced with legendary musician and bandleader Raphael Saadiq, catapulted her to R&B stardom in 2016. A Seat at the Table charted #1 on the Billboard 200, earned a Grammy award for Best R&B Performance and was named best album of 2016 by Pitchfork, Spin and Vibe. “It already seems like a document of historical significance,” Pitchfork said of the album. “Not just for its formidable musical achievements but for the way it encapsulates black cultural and social history with such richness, generosity, and truth.”
Since her debut album Solo Star in 2002, Solange has continued to refine her unique sound, blending jazz, funk, electronica and R&B/soul elements in Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams released in 2008, followed by her True EP in 2012. Now with her fourth release, A Seat at the Table, Solange has created a sonic landscape that redefines R&B as we know it both musically and lyrically.
The ballot for Solange’s exclusive Vivid LIVE performances follows sold-out ballots to see world-class shows including Morrissey (2015), Kraftwerk’s The Catalogue in 3D (2013), and Anohni’s immersive and sense-shifting Hopelessness (2016). Now in its 10th year, Vivid LIVE’s commitment to present the most ambitious and innovative local and international talent through one-off commissions and exclusive performances is stronger than ever. The full program for Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House will be announced mid-March with the full Vivid Sydney program.
IMPORTANT TICKETING INFORMATION
An application process has been implemented for Solange’s only Australian shows at Vivid LIVE, in anticipation of high demand and to ensure everyone has an equal chance to make applications over a seven-day period. This will minimise website congestion and distribute tickets to fans across time zones, states and countries. Successful applicants will be notified via email with a link to purchase tickets between 10am – 4pm (AEDT) Thursday 8 March. Unsuccessful applicants will not receive a link to purchase, however will be notified in the event of a later release of tickets.
Tickets can be applied for anytime between Monday 26 February 2018 (7:00am AEDT) and Sunday 4 March 2018 (11:59pm AEDT). Successful applicants will be chosen at random from within the allocations designated for visitors and locals. To apply go to sydneyoperahouse.com/vividlive
ONLY ONLINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. APPLICATIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED OVER THE PHONE OR IN PERSON.