Katie Noonan To Focus On Indie Artists As New Queensland Music Fest Artistic Director

Following this week's news that Australian singer-songwriter Katie Noonan will take on the prestigious role of Artistic Director for the Queensland Music Festival, the four-time ARIA Award-winning artist has confirmed she will put an emphasis on the state's independent artists. 

Speaking to theMusic about her new appointment, Noonan said, "It’s a huge honour and I'm thrilled for the opportunity to dream up some big ideas and work alongside a fantastic team here at QMF, who have been doing this for fifteen years now."

"I'm really excited about bringing some fresh youthful energy into the festival and shining light on the awesome independent music that’s being made in Queensland…"

The Brisbane-born musician went on to say she is looking forward to working closely with some of the country's emerging artists.

"We’re living in the age of independence in terms of where the really interesting music is being made, I believe, so I look forward to being able to empower those musicians with awesome gigs, but also challenge them by asking them to create new works, mentor them with people they admire and see what comes of the results," she said. 

Noonan will take over the role from jazz musician James Morrison, making her not only the first female to take on the gig, but the youngest as well.

Meanwhile, adding to an already-huge week, Noonan has announced she will be teaming up with UK group, Brodsky Quartet, for a national tour in support of their collaborative effort, With Love & Fury.

The tour will kick off in Noonan's hometown of Brisbane this April, before moving on for shows in Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney, Albany and Perth.

General on sale tickets will be available from 9am on Friday, 29 January, while tickets for Sydney, Albany, Perth and Canberra are on sale now. 

For more details, check out theGuide.