Loosely Woven
An introduction to Loosely Woven

By Wayne Richmond
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2007

“The Loosely Woven phenonemon is rather unusual. In fact, there is really no such group as ‘Loosely Woven’ – it is merely the name given to whoever I am able to round up for a particular concert.” So explains founding member Wayne Richmond.

“It all began back in the mid 90s. A few of us would get together every now and then to participate in a live-to-air concert on the local community radio station. After one of the more successful of these Judie suggested we put on a public concert. A couple of months later we did and having decided that we should give ourselves a name a friend who had recently heard a rock band called ‘Tightly Packed’ suggested ‘Loosely Woven’. Since that time Loosely Woven has performed three to four major concerts each year at various venues on Sydney's northern beaches. The group's main home is now Humph Hall, formerly the Allambie Heights Uniting Church, but now the private residence of Loosely Woven's coordinator, Wayne Richmond. Mainly through word of mouth, Loosely Woven's reputation has grown over the years and now up to 120 people come along each concert, eager to lap up whatever it is that we have prepared for them.

“The nature of any particular concert is a direct reflection of the people who happen to be involved at the time. Invitations to participate are circulated followed by a planning meeting during which everyone has an opportunity to contribute to the program. A number of us then set about arranging the items and preparing the music for the first rehearsal a few weeks later."

“One important characteristic of Loosely Woven concerts is that they are performed strictly acoustically. Apart from the keyboard amp (an unfortunate necessity) no other amplification is used. Not only does this mean that the audience has a rare opportunity to actually hear the sound of vocal chords and violin strings vibrating (instead of the usual speaker membrane!) it also finds itself on an equal footing with the performers when it comes to the many opportunities provided for joining in. There are always lots of opportunities for audience participation in a Loosely Woven concert and when they do it sounds fantastic for all of us!"

Any instrumentalist or singer who would be interested in participating in a future Loosely Woven event should get in touch with Wayne Richmond on 9939 8802 or (0400) 803 804. Download a brochure or visit the group's web site for more information.

To be notified about future Loosely Woven concerts send me an email and ask to be put on the group's audience listserv.