Keith Preston

Keith Preston
37 Lorraine Avenue, Lockleys SA 5032
0418 839 264
Artbeatkp@
________________________________________

#Arts Project Manager & Coordinator, Performer Folk, Traditional & World Music, Community Arts Development, Multicultural Arts, Puppetry & Theatre, Regional arts, Committed to accessible arts, relevant, affordable, community based, supporting cultural heritage, living traditions, involvement of youth, multicultural Australia

# Arts Admin/Funding and Reporting/Project coordination, Events Management, Programming, Community Liaison and Development, Community performance, Arts policy, Collaborations and partnerships

Manager - Arts Development Programs
Migrant Resource Centre of SA 2006 - present

• Directed Africa Jambo Arts Program, A 3 yr program to support African arts in SA.
• Presented 6 Major Community Concerts in Her Majesty’s Theatre & Dunstan Playhouse: Songs of Journey, Spirit Song, Africa, Sudan, Rumi, Freedom Song Celebration of Journey
• Program Manager of Nowruz Middle Eastern Festival at Adelaide Festival Centre 2011-15
• Directed Magic Waterhole African Theatre for Come Out Festival 2010, Toured production to Queensland and regional SA
• Developed Silk Road & Sufi Soul music projects with Afghan & Indian musicians in SA presenting over 15 concerts including Adelaide Fringe events/Mainstream and Indian community.
• Coordinated SA Refugee Week Calendar of Events 2008-2014
• Coordinated Refugee Youth Photography Projects & Touring Exhibitions: Hand in Hand / Underxposed
• Coordinated SA Refugee Week Schools Poster Project Awards and Exhibition Hawke Centre Uni SA 2011-2015
• Responsible for Grant Applications and Reports
• Supported a range of community performance, workshops and cultural activities for newly arrived communities from South Asia, Middle East and Africa.
• Manager Youth Leadership Program. Including Youth Camp Coordinator. Coordinator Youth Parliament Program/ Leadership Monthly Training Sessions
• Settlement Case Manager for 8 months on HSSS National Humanitarian Settlement Program
• African Festival Committee Member 2014/15
Manager - Performing Musical Arts
Dya Singh Music Group 1992-2006
• Coordinated Adelaide world music group Dya Singh
• Coordinated and Tour Managed 8 overseas tours including to Japan, Canada, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, UK, Germany, Ireland, Kenya. Extensive performance tours of up to 16 weeks at a time at festivals, venues, universities, Indian community venues and events.
• Key events included Royal Albert Hall (UK) Smithsonion Institute Washington DC (USA), Chicago World Music Festival, California World Music Festival, Penang World Music Festival, Singapore Arts Centre, Berlin Indian Embassy.
• Arranged CD launches, annual Australian tours and festival performances, marketing material, funding applications, contracts and performance coordination.

General Manager
Folk Federation of SA 1995 - 2003
• Coordinated Office and membership based Organisation
• Supervised Bookkeeper and Casual Festival Staff, Arts Placements and Office Volunteers
• Developed and Directed Victor Harbor Folk Festival 1995-2001, SA’s major folk arts festival
• Developed and Directed SA Medieval Festival at Birdwood National Motor Museum and Carrick Hill 94-03
• Established and directed SA Folk Centre at Thebarton 2000-2003
• Coordinated over 350 concerts featuring International, national and SA folk music performers. 1988=2003
• Responsible for Grant Applications and Reports
• Responsible for Programming, Marketing, Festival Operations, Sponsorships, Team Management, Finances.

Coordinator
Adelaide Community Music 2008-2015
• Based at Lion Arts Centre in Adelaide Fringe Office. Funded by Australia Council for The Arts
• Coordinated annual Program of music performance and development
• Directed and Coordinated Rhythm of Soul Festival, Thebarton Oval with City of West Torrens
• Coordinated weekly diverse music performance project. MusicWorks, 175 performances in total.
• Supported development of Adelaide A’capella Association
• Coordinated community programs such as annual Prospect Fair, Adelaide Central Market Music Program
• Supported development of SA Folk Festivals prior to FFSA receiving funding
• Responsible for Grant Applications and Reports

Manager & Presenter
Puppet Palace July 2006 - 2015
• Coordinated an annual puppetry performance venue in The Garden of Unearthly Delights during the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Presenting 12 shows each year with a total of 200 performances.
• Presented a range of puppetry companies from SA, interstate and overseas including France, Iran, Taipei, NZ
• The project supported the development and promotion of SA puppetry performance and opportunity for local artists to develop shows
• Coordinated Program, Prepared marketing material, Liaised with artists, Arranged overseas artists, Coordinated schools performances, Managed puppetry venue.
• Presented 2 Puppet Palace weekends as part of Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival 2011/2013
• Developed & Directed the First Port Adelaide Puppet Festival 2015 as part of Port Arts Festival, Port Adelaide October 2015

Co-Founder, Board Member, Programmer and Festival Director of:
HATs Inc (Heritage Arts & Traditions)
Jan 2011-Present
• Developed Award Winning Regional Arts Venue in Auburn, Clare Valley
• Program Director - annual Clare Valley Carnival of Music
• Responsible for Programming, Grants and Media releases
• HATs Inc received Ruby Award for the Arts/State Community Group of the Year and State -wide Australia Day Event of the Year.
Including:
Programmer: Award winning Clare Valley Carnival of Music annual music festival 2011-15
Coordinator: ‘New Songs of Adelaide’s Past’ Sold-Out Concerts in Ayers House for History Festival 2015 . Subsequently booked at SA and National Music Festivals.
Presented :Mystic Mill in Harts Mill Port Adelaide. Indian Music “Warehouse Concert’

Folk Alliance Australia (Australia’s National Umbrella Organisation for Folk Music)
2008-Present
Treasurer and Executive Board Member
Coordinator National Folk Music Conferences 2003 at SA Folk Centre Adelaide and 2004 at the National Library of Australia, Canberra.
Responsible for Grant Applications and Reports/Organisational & Strategic Development

Bookshop & Red Shed Theatre Manager 1982 - 1985
• Managed Alternative/Progressive Bookshop & Theatre Venue
• Presented an ongoing program of concerts, plays, community events, exhibitions, poetry nights, book launches and social programs in one of Adelaide’s iconic and intimate venues, used by groups such as Flinders University Drama Centre, Red Shed Company, Handspan Theatre (Melb) First S. African Theatre to perform in SA.
• Printed and Produced an Adelaide alternative ‘WhatsOn’ Broadsheet ‘Artbeat’

OTHER:

Freelance Artist:
Writer
• Bash Street Kids Street Theatre 6 plays 1977-79
• Basement Theatre 7 plays 1979-2004
• Red Shed Theatre Co 2 Children’s Plays 1988/89
• Noarlunga Youth Theatre 1988
• Backstairs Theatre 2 plays 1989/90

Director
• Elizabeth Repertory Company 1974
• Spectrum Theatre Company 1974/75
• Bash Street Kids Street Theatre 1978-80
• Basement Theatre 1979-84

Actor
• Elizabeth Repertory Company 1972/73
• Theatre 62 (2 Statewide tours) 1973/74
• Spectrum 1973/74
• Flinders University Student Drama 1977/78
• SA Creative Workshops 1978
• Bash Street Kids Street Theatre 1978-80
• Basement Theatre 1979-84
• Junction Theatre Company 1985/86
• SA Trades &Labour Council Theatre Tour 1986
• Mainstreet Theatre 1986/87

Musician
• Bash St Kids Radical folk Band (guitar, vocals, songwriter) 1979/83
• Basement Band (guitar, mandolin vocals, songwriter) 1983/84
• Faces In The Street Bushband (guitar, mandolin vocals, songwriter) 1983
• Local Import world music group (guitar, mandolin vocals, songwriter) 1983-87
• Cirkids Composer performance music 1985
• Amada world music and dance group 1987 - 2000
• Shoor Jahan Bangadeshi world music (bouzouki) 1992- 2006
• Dya Singh Sikh world music group (bouzouki, santoor, management) 1993 - 2006
• Bouzouki Dreaming Project 3 concerts at Festival Centre with Dimitri & Con Dalagiorgos. Curated by Jacinta Thompson (bouzouki) /Bouzouki Dreaming/ Tandoori Bouzouki 2006/07/08
• Silk Road Indian/Afghan world music (bouzouki, santoor, management) 2008/14
• Sufi Soul Indian/Afghan world music (bouzouki, santoor, management) 2008/14

Puppeteer 1994 - 2014
• Performed traditional Punch and Judy Puppet shows since 1994 with over 1,000 performances around Australian Festivals, events and venues. Have performed in Singapore, Iran, Pakistan, USA and UK. Currently present Australia’s only Punch and Judy Show with live music.
• Have developed a variety of collaborations and presented ‘de-constructed’ and experimental versions of Punch and Judy shows at interstate festivals and in the Adelaide Fringe: Gothic Punch/Dickensian Punch, Punch and Judy Take Afghanistan. Beautiful Day for a Hanging.
• Commissioned to write and perform Celtic puppet show Molly & Mulligan for Turning Wave Festival NSW 2008. With live music by impaired vision musician Tony Doyle.
• Only performer in Australia (and worldwide) presenting Punch and Judy with live music. Developed this originally with sight impaired musician Tony Doyle 2006--2009 and toured to festivals in Singapore and UK. Currently my musician is daughter Shivani Preston.

Concert Presenter 1985- 2010
• Have coordinated tours, cultural visits and Adelaide Concerts for a range of overseas artists in venues fron Adelaide Town Hall to smaller community centres including Bisserov Sisters(Bulgaria) Subramanium (India) John Martin (UK) Inti Illimani (Chile)

Festival Coordination/Programming
• Festa L’Unita Adelaide Peace Festival 2005
• 21st National Folk Festival , Flinders University 1991
• Rhythms of Life Festival Thebarton Oval 1993
• SA Multicultural Festival Elder Park (Programmer) 1990- 95
• SA Multicultural Festival Rundle Mall 2013
Freelance Project Work for companies
• Country Arts SA
• Tony Doyle Visions Disability Arts
• Adelaide Fringe
• Nexus Arts
• Artists in Schools Program
Member
• Creative Communities Network (Councils Community Cultural Development Network)
• UNIMA Australia (International Puppetry Association -UNESCO)
• Arts Industry Council of SA
• Folk Federation of SA
• Folk Alliance Australia
• African Festival Committee Unmasked Africa



________________________________________
Educational
Attended Grammar School in England Kings School Peterborough
Elizabeth High School Yr 9-12
Salisbury Teachers College 1973
Flinders University 1976 -79 Major :Arts (Drama & Philosophy)
Additional
Frontline Management Certificate
First Aid Advanced Certificate
Community Services Diploma

Admin and Clerical Skills
Desktop Publishing
Spreadsheets
Report and Grant writing
Sponsorship Documents
Media release
Contracting artists/services

Interests
Reading
History/Cultural Studies/Arts/Politics/Spirituality
Travel and Cultural tourism
Football (Adelaide United)
Golf (played for South Australia) Played Pennant for Highercombe, Riverside & North Adelaide (North Adelaide Champion 80/81/82)
Environmental Issues

References available upon request