Music and Culture

Liew Kiek

Regarded as one of the key contributors to “world music” in Australia, Llew’s career has encompassed rock, folk and medieval music. Winner of World Music instrumentalist of the year 1999 at the inaugural Australian World Music Awards, Llew’s work has won two Australian Recording Industry Awards (ARIAs) for the Mara! CDs “Ruino Vino” and “Mara! Live in Europe”, and 7 ARIA nominations for other CDs on which he performs or has produced. 

Llew began his study on piano and became musical director of the Student Theatre while studying drama at Flinders University, Adelaide. From 1976-8 he studied guitar under Don Andrews and George Golla, and in 1987-8 and 1995-6 Turkish lute with Sabahattin Akdağcık. In 2013 Llew began a Master of Music (Composition) degree at Sydney Conservatorium of Music and graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts in 2022. 

Since 1982, Llew has performed extensively with acclaimed Australian folk/jazz ensemble Mara!, having toured in 21 countries on the group’s many international tours. Key performances with them have included WOMAD Festivals in Singapore, Auckland, Adelaide, Reading, Morecambe and Hannover; folk festivals across UK, Europe, Canada and Asia, two WDR Radio festivals (Germany), the 2000 European Broadcasting Union Festival in the Czech Republic, touring in China for Radio Australia; and tours to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Laos for Musica Viva Australia. 

Mara Kiek is recognised as one of Australia's leading authorities on Bulgarian traditional singing and music, completing her Masters by research into the Bulgarian Singing technique in 2008, at the Centre for Applied Research, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney University (M.App.Sci Music Performance). Best known for her work with internationally acclaimed world/jazz ensemble Mara!, Mara is acclaimed as a leading light in Australian world music, winning the Best Female Artist in the Australian World Music Awards 2000. As the founder director of Sydney’s Bulgarian style choir Martenitsa, she has toured Australia with Bulgarian superstars Trio Bulgarka, performed and recorded with Mara!, Clarion Fracture Zone, David Hobson and David Hirschfelder and recorded three CDs in their own right. Mara has over 30 years performing for Musica Viva Australia In Schools with Mara!, Girls In Your Town, Humming Birds and Eastwinds, touring throughout Australia, Singapore, Brunei & Hong Kong.