Orygen is delighted to partner with award-winning online music festival Isol-Aid to bring music to the homes of Australians in lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Orygen’s executive director Professor Patrick McGorry will be joining the event to lead the Acknowledgement of Country and participate in a Q&A session. Professor McGorry said Orygen was thrilled to partner with Isol-Aid.
“Our mental health and wellbeing is precious and precarious, and COVID has brought that to the front of all of our minds,” he said.
“We are searching for ways to inject some happiness and connection and joy into our lives to keep us going through this ordeal. Isol-Aid is one super way to do this.
“Young people have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Hope and a strong safety net are lifesavers,” said Professor McGorry.
Isol-Aid is an award-winning online music festival and space, where every weekend artists play 20-minute music sets streamed live via their Instagram accounts. The festival was created in the days after the coronavirus pandemic reached Australia, when it became clear that musicians and their teams would be impacted by the cancellation of their shows and tours.
Professor McGorry said the online music community not only provided relief to audiences across the country but musicians, whose livelihoods have been particularly affected by COVID-19, reap rewards as well.
“There’s a lot to gain for all of us, with initiatives such as Isol-Aid,” he said.
Professor McGorry will be opening the floor to audience questions during the Isol-Aid Q&A.
“I encourage anyone to submit questions about how to manage their mental health or how to reach out and support others – which is imperative we all do,” he said.
Following Professor McGorry’s discussion and Q&A, award-winning singer-songwriter and performer Damon Smith will be taking over Orygen’s Instagram with a special 20-minute set highlighting mental health and the lockdown experience.
Isol-Aid will be streamed live Saturday August 22 from 11.30am via @isolaidfestival on Instagram or from the festival website.
Catch Damon perform from 12-12.20pm via @_orygen_ on Instagram or from the festival website.