A Night At the Grammys

A professional theatrical music showcase for
the Australian Institute of Music.
  • The Australian Institute of Music (AIM) is Australia’s largest music and performing arts education institution. John was asked to be creative and stage director for their 2016 Contemporary Vocal showcase, “ A Night At the Grammys”. Starring a group of super talented young singers and musicians, the showcase was inspired by a Grammy style awards night complete with hosts, red carpet, backstage interviews, award categories, an inspiring In Memoriam tribute, and of course wonderful musical performances.

  • Using Grammy winners as their starting point, the AIM music department had already worked out a fantastic program of music content by category. As director, John brought all these musical ideas together theatrically, and also worked closely with the show choreographer and the performers to shape the stage performances for each category. He auditioned and scripted two show hosts to add the theatrical element of a genuine awards show, and incorporated and produced multi-media elements like backstage video crosses, themed on-screen graphics and titles, category announcements and slide shows.

  • The show was performed to full houses inside AIM’s John Painter Concert Hall, with state-of-the-art audio and lighting.

Scrapbook

Behind the scenes shots of John directing and rehearsing with the cast.

In Memoriam

“The In Memoriam tribute was one of my favourite sections in the show. In 2016 we seemed to be losing music legends at quite a rate, with Glenn Frey, David Bowie and Prince all passing in the lead up to the show. Set to Glenn Frey’s haunting song “Desperado”, a single spotlight shone on an empty stool which represented all the music greats that had left us. It was respectfully filled by our tribute vocalist as he reflected on the screen images of the departed artists and a lifetime of music. In a show full of glitz, colour and energy, it was simple and powerful moment of beauty.”
​- John Rowe

Credits

Director - John Rowe
Musical Director - Wendy Anggarani
Head of Contemporary Vocal - Katie Carr
Choreographer - Grace Hammond
Executive producers - Jamie Rigg & Julian Gough
Lighting - Matthew Tunchon
Audio production - Dave Matthews
Video production - Time Hope
Costumes - Chloe Gjedsted
"Music - the universal language....
Theatre - the universal medium."
​John Rowe