EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE
'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan with live score by Ben Walsh’s
Orkestra of The Underground Ben Walsh’s 10-piece band Orkestra
of the Underground perform a live score to projected images from
Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival.
World respected percussionist Ben Walsh randomly discovered The
Arrival in a bookshop. He fell in love with the work and immediately
imagined the whole story brought to life in sound. For three years,
Ben has dreamed of realising this musical vision and The Sydney
Opera House Graphic Festival provided the vehicle for his Orkestra
of the Underground to breathe musical life into Shaun Tan’s
beautiful illustrations.
The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images
that seem to come from a long-forgotten time. This masterpiece of
visual storytelling has inspired superlative reviews and awards
from across the globe. Sequential narrative, devoid of text, places
a renewed focus on the illustrations to tell the story. The Arrival’s
sepia toned work is some of the most compelling work produced -
straddling the line between graphic novel and picture book. Ben
Walsh is a musical chameleon straddling genres, styles and performance
mediums effortlessly and with aplomb. |