Warren Chamber Music Festival’s Education Week takes place 3-7 May 2022 in Warren. Education Week aims to create an immersive and inspiring environment, providing no less than 12 opportunities for music making and learning.
Education Week opens with a free street performance by local Wayilwan students learning music through the Our Place: Connecting to Country Through Music Program. Other key performers include a local school choir, school band, and instrumental students who study privately.
There are three unique educational schools concerts, one kinesthetic hands-on music workshop for residents at Calara House Residential Aged Care Accommodation, one performance lecture including composers Mendelssohn, Schumann and Clarke, and two evening concerts featuring head line act Ensemble Offspring.
A new work has been commissioned which will experience its world premiere Saturday 7th May 7-8:30pm concert. It will include up to 40 instrumental students enrolled in learning instrumental music across the Central West. Enjoy Clarinets, Flutes, Saxophones, Trumpets, Trombones, Violins and Violas.
Public ticketed events
Official Opening of the event and concert 6pm Wednesday 4th May, Performance Lecture 4pm Friday 6th May, Concert 7pm Friday 6th May, Concert Saturday 7th May.
Head to the website for ticket purchases and all the details.
The WCMF decided to run this event due to the success of their inaugural event in May 2021. So many people travelled to the great Shire of Warren to enjoy beautiful music from over 40 musicians.
The inspiration and knowledge which will be imparted in each event will make a lasting, if not intergenerational, impact because of the power and joy of music making and learning.
History of the Warren Chamber Music Festival
In 2020, a small committee of Warren music lovers came together to create the Warren Chamber Music Festival, a biannual music festival celebrating classical music.
The inaugural three day four concert event took place in May 2021 and was a spectacular success. Thirteen world class chamber musicians were engaged and a renowned brass band, Pacific Brass, came together for what would turn out to be the cultural event of the season.
The event miraculously took place between two periods whereby COVID restrictions were essentially eased. Over 600 tickets were sold and approximately 200 turned up to the free outdoor concert (sunny and 24 degrees).
Audience members included travellers spanning most of the state – Sydney, Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Nyngan, Cobar, Walgett and Moree to name just a few.
An FRRR Tackling Tough Times grant to the tune of $20,000 made all the heavy lifting possible. Outback Arts generously supported the festival with a grant of $5000. The Warren Shire Council, Warren Services Club and Warren Rotary also combined forces to bring the festival together with generous donations.
Artistic Director Frances Evans (nee Wilson) reflects on the event:
“The support that we received from the community and those that travelled to attend the festival was incredibly encouraging. Rural families still part with hard earned money to enroll their children into music lessons. Many parents and grandparents enjoyed piano lessons in their youth. Country folk are educated and culturally aware. Many are well travelled and love the opportunity to hear classical music. The chamber music festival reminded us all that we can have access to affordable and world-class performances if only we are willing to tap into the funding available to bring the Arts out west. Musicians and Arts practitioners based in the city are crying out to tour west and see the landscape. Every musician loved Warren and its people. Touring to rural NSW seemed to truly be a gift for the performers.”
The Hon Ben Franklin MLC attended the event and was so moved by the weekend that he submitted a Motion in Parliament highlighting the success of the event.
It was a huge thrill for the committee to organise such an event for rural NSW and we would encourage any community with a love and passion for the Arts to embark on bringing together a festival. Much hard work went into organising it, and many lessons were learnt.
At the end of the day though, Aaron Copland’s magnificent Appalachian Spring was performed in Warren, Central West NSW and that was definitely a first!
Out of this enormous support and success, the Warren Chamber Music Festival has created Education Week.
