Passing on this press release for information of IIS members and guests.
Quote:
What do astronomer Fred Watson and musician James Morrison have in common? Besides being leaders in their respective fields – they share a love of the stars and great music. What better way to start celebrating the International Year of Astronomy than listening to them both, under the same glorious roof of Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music?!
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and James Morrison and Fred Watson will be performing at the Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music to start the celebration of stars - and beyond.
James Morrison’s career has been diverse and perhaps not typical of most jazz musicians. He recorded “Jazz Meets the Symphony” with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lalo Schifrin, performed concerts at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Princess Anne. On two occasions he has performed Royal Command performances for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for US presidents Bush and Clinton at Parliament House in Australia. In 1997, James was recognised for his service to the arts in Australia and awarded a medal of The Order of Australia.
Fred Watson is the author of “Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope”, and is a regular broadcaster on ABC Radio. Fred’s latest book, “Why is Uranus Upside Down”, is based on listener questions. He is Astronomer in Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory, and an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Southern Queensland, and James Cook University.
Fred has been quoted as saying, “I’ve spent so many years working in large telescope domes that I’ve started to look like one“. His main scientific interest is gathering information on very large numbers of stars and galaxies.
In 2003, Fred received the David Allen Prize for Communicating Astronomy to the Public and in 2006 was the winner of the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting the Understanding of Science. Fred has an asteroid named after him (‘5961 Fred Watson’), but says that if it hits Earth, it won’t be his fault…
There is no doubt that the evening will be fun, informative and entertaining.
Both James Morrison and Fred Watson are available for interview through Marnie Ogg.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact Person: Marnie Ogg
Company Name: Thrive Australia
Phone Number: 0417 689 003
http://www.thriveaustralia.com.au/management
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