Forget-Me-Not

About the Artists

Rebeka Dragolič, voice

Rebeka Hren Dragolič is a Slovenian born in Nürnberg, Germany. She graduated with honours in classical flute and singing from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana and Zagreb, studied ethnology and cultural anthropology in Ljubljana and graduated in art therapy in Brisbane, Australia. During her studies, she won several first prizes at national and international music competitions.

For several years, she lived and worked with her family in the seaside town of Hobart, Tasmania. She is currently performing as a classical soloist or folk musician throughout Europe, Asia, America and Australia. In addition to other bands, Rebeka is also a member of two well-known music groups. The first is the Slovenian-German classical trio under the name of ‘’The Petticoat Girls’’. In 2018 the trio went on a tour under the name of Art Circle organized by the German Embassy. They successfully conquered the stages of Australia and Europe.

The second group is the Slovenian-Tasmanian folk trio ‘’Lastovke’’. The latter released their first solo album in 2022, entitled Homecoming. The album blends Aboriginal, Tasmanian and Slovenian traditional songs. The songs are for the purpose of greater recognition and understanding of all three cultures translated into both languages. Rebeka is also an author of multimedia project titled ‘’Ivanka’s forget me nots’’, which is a story of her grandmother’s life from the war times. It’s a ground breaking performance, opening troubling truth that is still not talked about very much in her home country.

 

Luke Plumb, mandolin

Trained in classical violin and piano, Luke Plumb began teaching himself the mandolin and swiftly became one of Australia’s most sought after session musicians. He spent 12 years touring with the cult acid-croft hypno-folkadelic band, Shooglenifty.

During this time he also recorded and toured three albums with his own band the Funky String Band, spearheaded a Scottish Arts funded project examining the music collected by the Scottish National poet Robert Burns, released his innovative and critically acclaimed solo album A Splendid Notion, and travelled to southern Greece to record a suite of his own compositions, Ten Titles, for the pan European, Eumelia Ensemble.

Through his work with Shooglenifty, Andy Irvine and his many collaborations in Australia, Luke Plumb has established a reputation as a driving force in acoustic music on the global stage. He has performed with the Australian Ballet, toured nationally with the theatre show Cafe Rebetika, and is a regular collaborator with Van Diemen's Band. He is also in high demand as a teacher and producer, also producing tours in his "spare time" including 2024's lutruwitan/Tasmanian tour by Greek-Turkish duo NikoTeini.

 

Khalida de Ridder, violin

Violinist Khalida De Ridder hails from a remote property in the far north of Australia born to Belgian and Dutch parents. Beginning to play at the age of four, soon after, began to perform at every major community event both as a soloist and folk musician, invited to collaborate and perform with high profile visiting folk artists. Khalida went on to receive numerous scholarships and prizes for further study, first in Sydney and eventually at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

She has performed in The Netherlands, Denmark and Spain. Khalida has worked in professional orchestras such as the Arhus Symphony Orchestra (DK), the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Khalida took the position of Concertmaster with the Frankston Symphony Orchestra (2020-2023) and has consistently performed in various chamber ensembles at major Australian venues including the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Centre. In 2019 she signed to Italy’s leading classical music label ‘Stradivarius Milano Dischi’.

Khalida graduated with a Doctorate degree in Creative Arts in 2020 at the University of Tasmania, mentored by Dr. Susan Collins and Guillaume Sutre via residency in Paris. Khalida is in demand as a guest tutor at many string camps in Australia, conducted masterclasses for various string teacher associations and tertiary level string meetups and presents her performance practice research at National and International Research conferences. She directs a chamber music festival in North Queensland and an outreach program focusing on regionally based students.

 

Katie Yap, viola

Based in Nipaluna/Hobart, Katie is known for her deeply personal performances as modern and baroque violist; and a flair for thoughtful, narrative-driven programs as a curator. She is the 2022 Freedman Fellow, a 2023-4 Musica Viva Australia FutureMaker, a 2024-5 ANAM/Ian Potter Emerging Performer Fellow, 2025-6 Van Diemen’s Band Curation Fellow, and was the founding artistic director of 3MBS’ festival ‘Music, She Wrote’. She plays with an array of chamber music groups, including the Gryphon Baryton Trio, synth/harpsichord & viola duo Bronzewing, and Wattleseed Ensemble, and with Australia’s top orchestras, from Van Diemen’s Band to the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

In her spare time, she is apprenticed in the fine arts of making Hainanese chicken rice and Dutch apple tart; and loves to watch turbo chooks chase each other down near the Newtown Rivulet.

 

Brett Rutherford, cello

Brett has been a full time cellist with both the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of the Trigon ensemble in Hobart, a string trio which broadcast for the ABC radio and television. More recently, Brett is a founding member of the Kettering Piano Quartet which has a regular concert series around Tasmania. Brett also has a very keen interest in early music and has played Viola da Gamba in several ensembles, and currently performs with the ensembles Sequenza and Van Diemen’s Band.