CONNECTING BALLARAT
MENTAL HEALTH GALA DINNER AND BALL
A night of entertainment and live music with special Guest Speaker, Dr Lauren Burns OAM and MCs Jody Dontje and Jeremy Forbes.
Saturday, 15th of October 2022
The Goods Shed, Ballarat
Red Carpet Gallery
Guest Speaker, Dr Lauren Burns OAM
Joining us at E2E’s Mental Health Gala Ball, “Connecting Ballarat,” is special guest speaker Dr. Lauren Burns OAM. From winning the Olympic Gold Medal for Taekwondo in 2000 in Sydney to earning a PhD in lifestyle and mindset, Lauren applies passion and drive to all aspects of her life.
As a professional speaker, she weaves her stories into lessons and life skills that are entertaining and relevant. Whether it’s an audience of 10 or 10,000, Lauren excels at getting the audience involved. Laugh, be inspired, and see how you can use the lessons she’ll share to safeguard the mental health of our community.
laurenburns.com
instagram.com/laurenburnsgold
facebook.com/laurenburnsolympian
MC Jeremy Forbes
E2E’s Mental Health Gala Ball – Connecting Ballarat is fast approaching. To help get the ball rolling is President and Co-Founder of HALT (Hope Assistance Local Tradies) and MC Jeremy Forbes. HALT is a national grass-roots suicide prevention charity that lets “blokes” know that it’s okay to be vulnerable and seek assistance if and when they need it.
Jeremy has travelled across Australia visiting schools, sporting clubs, private businesses, and government departments to raise awareness around issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention. With over 20 years of experience as a qualified painter and decorator, he is well aware of the physical, mental, and financial ups and downs that come with the building industry.
Purchase a ticket to keep the conversation going. Talking about mental health can be difficult, but as Jeremy says: “The pain of regret is far greater than the pain of hard work.”
MC Jody Dontje
Joining us on the night is MC Jody Dontje, an inspiring and confident public speaker. Jody is in the Top 28 Speakers of the World and strives to empower leaders to own their voice with confidence and become effective and authentic speakers and communicators.
Jody also runs her own not-for-profit movement, The Help Nepal Appeal. Her humanitarian efforts allowed her to be a voice of change, speaking in front of members of both the United Nations and the European Union.
She can’t wait to share with Ballarat her mission of bringing curiosity and humanity back into conversations. As we reconnect with the Ballarat community, Jody reminds us to “be brave, be vulnerable, and be kind.”
jodydontje.com
facebook.com/jodydontjespeaking/
linkedin.com/in/jodydontje/
Ballarat Vocal Studio
Jason Wasley and Sarah Landy of Ballarat’s Vocal Studio are two incredibly talented singers and voice coaches who’ve performed live in opera, musicals (one on roller skates), and ballet. Ballarat Vocal Studio is a boutique singing school in Soldiers Hill. The studio is founded and run by the pair, industry professionals who have a love for singing and love sharing their extensive knowledge.
Jason Wasley
Jason Wasley commenced his training at the age of 17 with Robert Lemke. In 1991, he received the Sleath-Lowery Award while studying at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Jason is a Green Room Award recipient and was the youngest male ever awarded the prestigious Herald-Sun Aria. He went on to win the national heat of the Placido Domingo World Operalia Contest and represented Australia in Vienna. Jason studied Italian at the Bertrand Russell Institute of Languages in Padova. He then moved to London, where he was accepted into the National Opera Studio.
Jason has performed professionally in Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece, Singapore, China and around Australia with companies such as Glyndebourne festival opera, British Youth Opera, Pegasus Opera Company, D’Oyly Carte Opera, Welsh National Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, State Opera of South Australia, Melbourne Opera, Victoria State Opera, Victorian Opera, and Opera Australia.
Jason has performed a wide and varied repertoire over his long career, starting as a baritone with notable roles including Papageno from The Magic Flute, Figaro from The Marriage of Figaro, Escamillio from Carmen, the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Peter in Hansel and Gretel, Belcore in The Elixir of Love, Sid in Albert Herring, and Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia. He performed the title role in the British premier of Kullervo by Aulis Sallinen and Marcello Shaunard in La Boheme (under the baton of Richard Gill).
In 2006, he moved to tenor in Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the title role in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, and Handel’s Messiah and performed the roles of Don José in Carmen and Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Alfredo in La Traviata, Florestan in Fidelio, the title role of Wagner’s Rienzi, Rodrigo in Othello, Max in Der Freischütz, Calaf in Turandot, and the title role of Wagner’s Tannhauser.
In 2015, Jason moved to musical theatre, performing in Women in War (Athens, Greece) and starring alongside Delta Goodrem as Old Deuteronomy for the Australasian tour of CATS.
Sarah Landy
At the age of three, Sarah began her ballet training at the Victorian Ballet School under the tutelage of RAD examiner Dianne Parrington. She also studied character and flamenco with some of the most highly regarded teachers in Australia.
Sarah went on to study at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, majoring in voice, and studied privately under voice teacher veteran Kevin Casey to complete Grade 8 in the AMEB.
Returning to her first love, dance, she auditioned and received a scholarship to train at Dance World 301, graduating with a Diploma of Performing Arts and receiving the Distinction Award.
Sarah made her professional debut with the Production Company in 2001, performing in “Mack n’ Mabel” alongside Caroline O’Connor, then immediately relocated to Germany to star as “Ashley” in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s skating spectacular “Starlight Express” for over three years.
Sarah then moved to London, where she was handpicked by internationally renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips to play “Sophia” in the original production of “Saturday Night Fever” on London’s West End, covering and playing the lead role of “Annette” regularly.
On returning to Australia, Sarah was cast as Ellen in the Australian tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s “Miss Saigon” and has gone on to perform the national tours of “CATS” (Bombalurina), “Billy Elliot” (Lesley covered Mrs. Wilkinson), and “Mary Poppins,” where she performed the coveted roles of the “Birdwoman” and “Mary Poppins.”
Sarah toured Australia in Mamma Mia! the Musical, where she was the understudy of all three Dynamos. She was lucky enough to be performing the role of Donna when superstar Celine Dion was in the audience! Celine said Sarah’s rendition of Slipping Through Her Fingers “reduced her to tears” and that she “should be cloned.”
Sarah has taught voice and musical theatre/dance at many schools around Australia, including Centrestage (Showfit) , Michelle Slater Performing Arts, Dance World Studios, The Space, and more recently, Ballarat Dance Centre, Anita Coutts School of Dance, Fed Uni, and now at Ballarat Vocal Studio!
Kassidy Jewell
Kassidy Jewell is a local Ballarat girl who attends Damascus College. Kassidy, still only 14, has loved singing since the day she could talk, appreciating all genres of music but having a real passion for country music and the stories behind the songs.
Kassidy recently had the honour of recording a development single, “Little Shadows,” now available on Spotify and BlueShamrock.Music.com. Kassidy will be performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2023 with Shaza Leigh, Lindsay Butler, and other artists from the renowned LBS Studios.
Kassidy never dreamed that being crowned the ‘Junior Winner’ at The 2021 Man from Snowy River Festival, in Corryong, would start a roller coaster of events resulting in a chance meeting with her now mentor, Shaza Leigh OWB & Lindsay Butler OAM from the renowned LBS studios.
Kassidy will be performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2023 with Shaza Leigh, Lindsay Butler, and other artists from the renowned LBS Studios. With her infectious smile and vivacious personality, Kassidy is undoubtedly a true shining star of the future in country music.
Ashleigh Dalton
Ashleigh Dalton discovered her love of singing at a young age. She has a passion for connecting with people emotionally through music and has cultivated her own sound over the last 20 years. Ashleigh pursued training in classical voice at Monash University and has been influenced by artists such as Natalie Cole, Carole King, and Eva Cassidy.
With a blend of rich, soulful resonance and pure classical undertones, Ashleigh’s vocals have been as much at home with the rolling energy of Ballarat soul group “Black Cat” as they have been in the soaring ballads at the Ballarat Carols by Candlelight. Ashleigh has offered memorable performances at intimate weddings and sings regularly with her church worship team.
Alongside her passion for singing, Ashleigh is a mother of three children and has worked within the welfare sector as a family violence support worker and, more recently, as a school wellbeing officer. This has driven her to pursue a psychology degree to support the overwhelming need for mental health support within the community.’
Liam Kelly
Liam has a lot of experience in the music and education industries. The lead singer and songwriter for the punk rock band “Anyone Anyone,” formerly known as “Miss Adventure,” Liam has supported many international and Australian bands on their tours of the country, including “We The Kings,” “Dream on Dreamer,” “Ebonivory,” and “Secrets.”
Liam has also been involved in Ballarat theatre for the last seven years, with both BLOC Music Theatre and Ballarat Lyric Theatre. Having had many principal roles such as Boq in “Wicked” and Enjolras in “Les Miserables,” most recently he was onstage as Eddie in “Mamma Mia!” alongside Sarah Landy. Liam has also been a part of the orchestra, playing lead guitar in “We Will Rock You” earlier this year. Liam has also just finished up musical directing the BLOC Juniors in NEWSIES JR.
Liam teaches singing and guitar at SoundCheck Studios, BCMA, and multiple primary schools around Ballarat.
Scott Fraser
Scott Fraser is a street performer from Ballarat. He will be playing a range of contemporary guitar, preferring 80s, 90s, and 00s music, so there will be a wide range of music for you to enjoy. You can see Scott perform live music at RJM’s Wine Bar in Ballarat on the 21st of October.
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