Mara! (AUS), The String Contingent (AUS), Footspa (DN), Jackie Bristow (NZ), Hazel Dawson (Youth Guest, DN), John McGee (UK/DN), Vic McDonald (DN), Cashy Yates (WN), BB and Alex (WN), Moana House (DN), Blues Forum

Now you can listen to selected recorded tracks of last year's festival guests right here on the festival website. Just click on the one you want to hear or settle back and listen to them all. More tracks being added as they come to hand.

Llew and Mara Kiek, artistic and musical directors of Mara! and Martenitsa Choir, perform, direct or collaborate with many groups and artists in Australia and overseas. They are renowned musical directors in theatre, dance and festival programs with years of experience and many awards. Both have substantial cinema and TV recording and musical direction credits.

Llew is one of Australia's key medieval and world music plucked string players and is a highly regarded recording producer in world music, a cappella and classical genres. Mara is a renowned singer and percussionist, an expert in the Bulgarian vocal style, and one of Australia's key vocal tutors and workshop convenors.

Together Llew and Mara have toured in over 20 countries with the Mara! band and widely in every state and territory of Australia. In addition both have worked in other internationally touring ensembles. Over the past 20 years, Mara and Llew have devoted a substantial part of their time and energy to music education around Australia and overseas, particularly through the Musica Viva in Schools program.

The String Contingent play new acoustic music for violin, double bass and guitar. Their compositions and performance combine the clarity and precision of baroque chamber music with the raw excitement and intensity of Scottish fiddle and Bluegrass. The String Contingent redefine the possibilities of a string trio in their own articulate and fluent style. They aim to broaden the traditional role of each instrument within the ensemble, with arrangements involving both structured and improvised elements.

Chris and Holly met Graham when they moved to Edinburgh after touring Europe in 2007 with Australian band Eilean Mor and the Australian Youth Orchestra respectively. They collaborated with Edinburgh based band Allaidh Modhan, of whom Graham is a founding member, and toured Scotland and Ireland. Together they subsequently formed The String Contingent and began writing and arranging original acoustic string music. Drawing from celtic, baroque and bluegrass styles, their diverse and flexible expertise brings a fresh perspective to acoustic world music.