Prior to 2012 Cliona performed for several years with Venezuelan cuatro player Iván Vivas. They have played together as the Latin String Ensemble at the South American Festival in Bondi as well as Cafe Carnivale. Playing with a wonderful musician like Iván has given her playing so much energy. She is also indebted to Mexican harpist Victor Valdes for teaching her so much about harp music from South America.
Since 2012 she has also performed and recorded with shakuhachi flute legend Riley Lee providing several unique meditative concert performances.
Cliona has performed at Canberra's National Folk Festival, two years in a row with five piece band Folklore.
She currently performs South American-inspired music with her band Strangelove together with Wendy Twibill (vocals and ukulele) and Pierre Luniere (vocals and bass). She also plays solo harp for many corporate events in some of Sydney's leading venues.
Cliona has recorded 2 CDs, Cliona and Wendy's album Golden Apple Lullabies has been helping to relax children young and old since 2011. Cliona's first CD, Rejigged, was recorded in 2004.
In 2011 Arabesk won best instrumental track at The Australian Songwriters Awards and that year were invited to perform at Takatsuki Jazz Festival in Osaka, Japan for the first time. They performed at the 2015 Takatsuki Jazz Festival and have been invited back for the 20th Anniversary festival in 2018.
In August 2016 they released their third album 'Mr Fi' and have spent the last two years touring and playing festivals in Australia and Japan. 2016 also saw them perform at the Sumida Jazz Festival in Tokyo for the first time.
Australian festival highlights include Blue Mountains Music Festival and Wangaratta Jazz Festival 2015, Clarence Jazz Festival Hobart, Palm Creek Folk Festival Townsville (with an invitation to return in 2018) and Manly International Jazz Festival Sydney in 2016.
A powerhouse of invention and innovation, the versatile sound of Arabesk swings from folk with a rhythmic jazz backbeat, to gypsy soul, to a traditional waltz. For those on a journey of authentic musical exploration, not contained by cultural boundaries, the intoxicating global grooves of Arabesk will satisfy your soul.
Arabesk are Bulgarian born violin virtuoso Veren Grigorov, gypsy jazz guitar aficionado Rob Shannon, young up and coming jazz bassist Thomas Wade and Michigan born drummer extraordinaire Calvin Welch.
Glenn Cardier and the Sideshow were invited to return to perform at Bluesfest 2017 and Cardier recently won the 2016 International Song Competition (16,000 entrants, 146 countries). His latest release 'Cool Under Fire' was a chart-topper. His resurrection as a songwriter and performer since 2000 has been nothing short of extraordinary.
'There's no-one else on the Australian music scene quite like Glenn Cardier; from the finely chiselled storylines, and the razor sharp observations to the off- kilter delivery of his cryptic vignettes, he is a genuine one-off, a maverick, and you wouldn't want it any other way.'
(Rhythms Magazine 2012)
Cardier's long-standing band, The Sideshow provide a musical backdrop of powerful beauty underpinning the dark humour of Cardier's lyrics. The band features in-demand roots guitarist Jeremy Edwards, as well as crack session musicians Phil Grove (Keyboards), Mick Malouf (Bass) and Davo Fester (Drums).
'…a true Australian music legend' (Peter Noble, Bluesfest)
'4.5 Stars!' (Anthony O'Grady, The Australian)
'A revelation! Imagine an Australian version of Warren Zevon - smart, clever, pithy lyrics and a dry, sardonic delivery.' (Stuart Coupe)