Adelaide Guitar Festival has today announced two exclusive ticketed events at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre in Mount Gambier, Boandik Country: Blak Country on Friday 10 October and the South Australian premiere of Australian Guitar Quartet on Saturday 11 October with tickets now on sale. These special ticketed events will complement a series of free, family friendly performances of guitar-based music in Mount Gambier across the weekend of 10 to 12 October as part of award-winning regional program Adelaide Guitar Festival On the Road.
After wowing audiences at the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival, proudly brings Blak Country to Berrin/Mount Gambier’s Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre on Friday October 10 with an exclusive international line-up. Blak Country delivers powerful First Nations voices from across generations and across the globe to the stage.
Blak Country is conceived and curated by Barkindji Songwoman, Nancy Bates. One of the finest singer/song writers in Australia today, Nancy has emerged from the wings of the legendary Archie Roach who she performed with for four years as backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist as a lead performer in her own right. Her highly anticipated new album Share Your Love will be officially launched in September 2025. In an already busy year, Nancy has been an ambassador for Adelaide Fringe Festival, is part of the award-winning documentary Songs Inside which chronicles her transformative musical work with a group of women from the Adelaide Women’s Prison, and she showcased her music at the International Indigenous Music Summit in Toronto in June.
After performing in Adelaide in 2024 as part of Adelaide Guitar Festival’s presentation of Blak Country, superstar singer, Jess Hitchcock returns for the Mount Gambier line-up. Jess brings with her an impressive musical resume which has seen her collaborate with the likes of Paul Kelly, Archie Roach, Tina Arena and Kate Miller-Heidke. Jess has a genre-defying voice and a knack for storytelling which has resonated with audiences across Australia, including her recent sold out shows at Adelaide Cabaret Festival which celebrated the songs of Olivia Newton-John in 2024 and the iconic country album Trio in 2025.
Blak Country’s stellar line-up will also feature revered story tellers Boandik Elder Yawuri Penny Bonney, Kyarna Rose of the Yuin Nation and Western Arrente songwriter Rob Edwards. Plus, in an Australian exclusive Mitchell Makoons from the Manitoba’s Metis community in Canada will join the compelling line-up of songwriters this year after being invited to perform by Blak Country curator Nancy Bates who saw his showcase performance at Toronto’s International Indigenous Music Summit. The artists will be joined on stage by a full band and imagery of the land in a powerful multi-sensory experience which celebrates stories of life, land and love.
Blak Country curator Nancy Bates: “It’s an incredible honour to be bringing Blak Country to Mount Gambier and Regional South Australia for the first time. The guitar is such a loved instrument throughout First Nations communities all around the world, because it has been central to the continuation of Songlines and storytelling. The guitar continues to carry our voices, our histories, and our truths, and therefore has strengthened generations, forming strumming and picking styles unique to our diverse communities, styles you won't hear anywhere else in the world.
“What we have to offer all Australians is something so beautiful, and that's why I cannot wait to share Blak Country. I believe that the power of song through the guitar, will bring us closer together, and at a time when we need it the most. Let's all share our ‘love of country' in a way that make us all stronger.”
On Saturday October 11, Australian Guitar Quartet will make their South Australian debut at Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre. Fresh from their debut European tour which included the iconic Córdoba Guitar Festival in Spain this exclusive Mount Gambier concert will bring together four of Australia’s most acclaimed and internationally award-winning guitarists, each renowned for their virtuosic technique and genre-defying performance; Slava Grigoryan, (Artistic Director of Adelaide Guitar Festival) Leonard Grigoryan, Andrew Blanch, and Vladimir Gorbach. Australian Guitar Quartet blends the precision of classical guitar with the flair of contemporary music from across the globe. Since performing at Sydney Opera House in January this year, the ensemble has fast become known as one of Australia’s finest musical exports, taking outstanding Australian music around the world, and performing extraordinary works by iconic composers, including Bach, Bizet, Piazzolla, and Pat Metheny.
City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin OAM: “The City of Mount Gambier is proud to support the Adelaide Guitar Festival through our Grants and Sponsorship Program. This partnership brings world-class music and free public events to our community, including performances in schools, aged care facilities, and community spaces. It's a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to experience the joy of live music and for Mount Gambier to showcase its vibrant cultural spirit.”
Minister for Arts the Hon. Andrea Michaels MP: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to support Adelaide Guitar Festival’s On the Road regional program. This year’s tour is set to deliver world class musicians, live performances and all the excitement of the iconic Adelaide Guitar Festival to our state’s South East and Limestone Coast regions. With an exceptional program of both free and ticketed events, I encourage everyone to get along to a performance and soak up the atmosphere of On the Road.”
Adelaide Guitar Festival’s On the Road is supported by Government of South Australia Create SA, Creative Australia’s Music Australia, City of Mount Gambier, John Bishop AO, the John Bishop Fund through Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, Office for Ageing Well and Seniors Card. Plus, community support from Tatiara, Naracoorte and Lucindale, Wattle Range and Robe councils.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould: “Adelaide Festival Centre is excited to be bringing world class musicians to South Australia’s South East region this October. On the Road offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our much-loved Adelaide Guitar Festival by connecting artists and audiences across the state.”
Adelaide Guitar Festival 2025 is on from September 10 to October 12. Tickets on sale now for Adelaide and Mount Gambier performances at adelaideguitarfestival.com.au and via Ticketek.
In addition to events and activations in Mount Gambier, On the Road will tour surrounding communities across the South East and Limestone Coast including Keith, Naracoorte, Coonawarra and Robe. With all details on artist line-ups and performance times for all regions including further activations in Mount Gambier to be announced in August.
High-res images, vision and media kits available here.