VELA, Irine

Irine is a multifaceted arts worker - a director, producer, composer, musician, sound designer, librettist and teaching artist.

Being a child of refugee and immigrant parents of mixed faiths – Muslim and Orthodox, informed an arts practice and a body of work that embodies the tensions and vitality that diverse and ghettoised voices and forms bring to the Australian arts.

She has collaborated with many of Australia’s finest performers, writers, directors and theatre companies and was a member of the founding ensemble of the seminal company Melbourne Workers Theatre.

Her work as producer and artistic director for Outer Urban Projects has resulted in many unique productions including 'Poetic License', Melbourne Writers Festival (2014), Darebin Arts (2015) fortyfivedownstairs (2017); 'Grand DiVisions – A Moved Urban Cantata', Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Festival (2015), Vessel Arts Censtre Melbourne (2017) Melbourne Fringe, and the The Audition (2019). Other notable collaborations and productions include Anthem for the 2019-2020 Melbourne, Sydney and Perth Festivals, 'Who's Afraid of the Working Class' (1998), ‘Do Not Go Gentle' (2010) and the music drama '1975-A Populist Opera' (2003) for which she also wrote the libretto. Her choral opera 'Little City' was acclaimed by both music and theatre critics and garnered her an Award from the Australian Music Centre for Best Composition by an Australian Composer. She is also the recipient of the Tropfest film award for Best Original Score. She was awarded a 2007 State Library fellowship to research and create the multi-media music drama 'Australia in Danger - A Slide Night'. She is a founding member of 'the haBiBis'. Their CD Intoxication received an ARIA award for Best World Music Album. Her film and television credits include: 'Head On' (feature film), 'Remembering Country' (documentary drama SBS), and the mini-series 'The Slap' (ABC). She received the 2012 APRA Screen Music Award for Best Soundtrack Album.