Brian Ritchie

Brian Ritchie first came to prominence as bassist/multi-instrumentalist for American folk-punk legends Violent Femmes. 40 years later he is still touring with the band. 

Brian moved to Tasmania in 2007 and in 2009 launched Mona Foma festival, which has won the coveted Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival four times. Mona Foma emphasises unique approaches to music, cross-genre collaborations, and unusual use of spaces. The festival expanded from its Hobart origins to include Launceston starting 2018. In 2011 Mona (Museum of Old and New Art) opened to the public and Brian expanded his duties as Music Curator onsite. This represents hundreds of performances a year in up to four venues a day. 

Brian’s contribution to regional arts in Australia includes acting as Music Mentor for Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs, and as Musical Director of Spirit of Churaki within the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.