Category: News

At 2:00pm this Sunday 5 May, the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall features the West Gippsland Chorale which celebrated its 40th Anniversary with two special concerts of music specifically chosen by chorale members, selected from the Chorale’s innovative and diverse repertoire over the past 4 decades.

The selections included works from the Baroque to present day and from blockbuster musicals. We’ll also hear stories told by Chorale members about how much their involvement as a Chorale member has meant to them.

Our broadcast was recorded at Wesley of Warragul on Friday 17 April 2024 by the 3BBR team.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

As we farewell Greg King’s “Millennium Drive”, we have a new lineup for Monday afternoons.

From 3:00pm, “The Folk Show” features mostly Anglo-Celtic, Australian and contemporary folk.

From 4:00-6:00pm we hear a mix of smooth jazz and fusion with Richard Rejmer’s well-crafted Smooth & Cool, Rare & Spicy, also heard on Wednesday evenings 9:00-11:00pm.

In case you’re wondering, Greg King will continue with “A Greg’s Breakfast” on Wednesdays 6:00-9:00am, having given up his Monday program to focus more on his volunteer work for Rotary. Thanks Greg for a year of rockin’ tunes.
 

In case you missed April changes…

Tom Beauchamp returned to 3BBR with Time Traveller; sounds from the past to the present, Wednesday evenings from 6:00 – 8:00pm. As we prioritise local voices and live programs, this meant shuffling a few programs from the Community Radio Network.

Sadly, after only two programs, Robynne D’s new program The Best of the Best did not continue for personal reasons 🙁 We’re crossing our fingers that she’ll return in the near future.

Also, have you discovered Radiowave? It’s a new program of mostly contemporary popular music presented live by Kurt Velasquez, every Saturday between 1:00 and 3:00pm.

• The AMRAP Charts Show moved to Friday night at 10:00pm
• the fabulously chilled Music for Beaches displaces The Folk Show  on Thursdays at 6:00pm (still heard at 6:00am Saturday)
• Australian Music is Bloody Great and Recorded Live move later on Friday night to midnight.
• Warragul Community House will take a break, with it’s last program on Tuesday April 2. We’ll play Australian music in its place.
• “Top of the Pops” from the BBC is being retired.

 

As always, if you have feedback about our schedule, please get in touch. Visit our contact page for the many ways you can do that.

Our full schedule is at https://3bbrfm.org.au/guide where you can also download a PDF copy to print and keep.

3BBR-FM was there for the 21st Anniversary of the multi-award winning Boolarra Folk Festival, recording every concert for Gippsland Live, our weekly showcase of local live performances.

Again, thousands of people flocked to Boolarra in early March for the festival, a completely free community event held at Boolarra’s Memorial Hall on the Friday night, and around Centennial Park throughout Saturday.

Gippsland Live (heard 8:00pm Wed & 2:00pm Fri) begins broadcasting concerts from the festival on April 10, and then fortnightly to include other recordings at local venues on alternate weeks.

First up is the stunning opening act from Friday night, the finger-slidin’ gutsy blues guitar and voice of Steph Fischer-Ivancsy with the Bad Jackets. Steph’s unique brand of blues rock is a throbbing, stomping, wailing blast cut through with a voice that will bring you to your knees.

Todd Cook and The Rufous Whistlers, Paul Buchanan’s Voodoo Preachers, guitarist Stephen McCulloch in fine voice, the amazing Tim Scanlan and Mana Okubo with Tim playing foot percussion, guitar, harmonica and singing all at the same time, plus trad. jazz fusion from Shirazz are just some of the many fine acts to follow in subsequent programs.

“Once again there were great performances, and we appreciate the help of the Festival and performers in allowing us to share the musicianship and community spirit,” said producer/engineer Garry Havrillay, “We’re also thrilled to be able to give these under-represented and emerging artists a chance to be heard more widely via Community Radio.” *

Tune in to 103.1FM on Wednesday nights at 8.00pm or Friday afternoons at 2:00pm, stream online via 3bbrfm.org.au or the Community Radio Plus App, or listen later via our audio-on-demand  service at https://3bbrfm.org.au/programs/gippsland-live.

* Special thanks go out to live sound engineer Brett van Hoorne for his generous help in catering to our needs for recording for broadcast.

Broadcast schedule for 2024 Boolarra Festival concerts
Wed April 10 @8pm Fri April 12 @2pm	Steph Fischer-Ivancsy & The Bad Jackets
	Stephen McCulloch Pt.1
Wed April 24 @8pm Fri April 26 @2pm	Stephen McCulloch Pt.2
	Paul Buchanan’s Voodoo Preachers
Wed May 8 @8pm Fri May 10 @2pm	Shirazz Trad. Jazz Band
	Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo Pt.1
Wed May 22 @8pm Fri May 24 @2pm	Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo Pt.2
	Meg Doherty & band
	Kindred
Wed June 5 @8pm Fri June 7 @2pm	Strzelecki Stringbusters
	Mast Gully Fellers Pt.1
Wed June 19 @8pm Fri June 21 @2pm	Mast Gully Fellers Pt.2
	Todd Cook & the Rufous Whistlers
Wed July 3 @8pm Fri July 5 @2pm	Smokin’ Dog Johnson
Wed July 17 @8pm Fri July 19 @2pm	The Hip Pockets
Wed July 31 @8pm Fri Aug 2 @2pm	Boneyard Blondes
	Ally Row
Wed Aug 14 @8pm Fri Aug 16 @2pm	Half-Cut Hicks
	TBA

Listen back to a special one hour ANZAC Day program, as 3BBR pays respect to the more than 1.5 million men and women who have served Australia in all conflicts, wars and peacekeeping operations.  It’s a time to remember some 103,000 Australians who lost their lives while serving.

The program produced by Paul Strickland was broadcast at 6:00am, and features Australian poetry written at the time, Gippsland history and music reflecting our remembrance.

Listen back to this program

The 3BBR-FM Concert Hall at 2:00pm on Sunday 28th April featured the recent recital by Michael Leslie (piano) and Niels Bijl (saxophones) recorded by 3BBR at Yarragon Studio on April 14, 2024.

For context, the concert prefaced the performance of Ethel Smyth’s Cello Sonata by playing a recording of her amusing reflection on Brahms, in particular protesting his attitude to women, and Michael Leslie introduces his solo performance with the fascinating story of a chaotic concert fundraiser with Beethoven “improvising” his Fantasia.

• Brahms – Clarinet Sonata in E flat major Op. 120 No.2
• Beethoven – Fantasia in G minor/B major Op.77
• Ethel Smyth – Cello Sonata in A minor, Op.5
• Robert Schumann – Adagio (Romanze) and Allegro

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

The 3BBR-FM Concert Hall on Sunday 14th April at 2:00pm featured the recent concert recording of the extraordinary young pianist, Ronan Apcar, recorded by 3BBR at Yarragon Studio on March 24, 2024.

Ronan explained the background to his intriguing and varied program throughout this fine performance of works by;

• Dulcie Holland
• J.S. Bach – F. Busoni
• Brad Mehldau
• Ronan Apcar
• Einojuhani Rautavaara
• Carter Pann

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

The 3BBR-FM Concert Hall on Sunday 7th April at 2:00pm featured the recent concert recording of the extraordinary Contra Guitar duo, Emma-Shay and Hamish Strathdee, recorded by 3BBR at Wesley of Warragul on March 16, 2024.

This fabulous concert featured a compelling program of works by;

• Domenico Scarlatti
• Johann Kasper Mertz
• Phillip Houghton
• Maria Grenfell
• Ross Edwards
• Alexandre Tansman
• Clarice Assad

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

On Sunday 24th March, the 3BBR Concert Hall broadcast Wesley of Warragul’s season opening concert with Brian Chapman (piano), Susan Pierotti (violin) and Rosanne Hunt (cello).

This superb program included;

• Beethoven: Sonata No.4 in C major for Cello and Piano, Op.102 No.1
• Frank: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
• Mendelssohn: Trio in D minor for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op.49

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR-FM… proudly supporting local fine music with exclusive concert recordings in West Gippsland.