Ash Bolt
Geelong’s big month of live music will continue over the next week with the return of the Windfire Music Festival.
After two postponements over the past two years, Music in the Basilica’s music festival will kick off today and run until Sunday, March 20.
Music at the Basilica publicity officer Jan Bashiruddin said it was exciting to finally be able to bring the festival back.
“We’re really excited for this to happen – we’ve had this group of performers lined up for three years now,” she said.
“The festival is all about bringing high-quality music, which is not necessarily mainstream popular music, to Geelong for everyone to enjoy.
“It also allows us to show off all the beautiful buildings we have locally that have great potential to be used for live performances.
“It’s a wonderful festival that gives local performers the chance to perform at home and gain experience, while also bringing in performers of international calibre.”
The festival’s opening concert will be presented by Orchestra Geelong, playing under the leadership of conductor Mark Shiell for the last time, and feature the inaugural concert of the Geelong Youth Orchestra.
“The creation of the Geelong Youth Orchestra has been a dream for some years and now we are so happy to launch GYO alongside Orchestra Geelong in the Windfire Music Festival. What a wonderful way to announce the arrival of this terrific new orchestra,” Shiell said.
“GYO is at the beginning of a wonderful future of creating opportunities for young musicians to play with each other. Based on the model of the Sydney Sinfonia, GYO sits young musicians alongside professionals to be mentored in rehearsal and performance.
“There is so much young musical talent in Geelong and the Bellarine. I can’t wait for the audience to hear them. I’m quietly looking forward to the impact I think they’re going to make.”
The festival will also feature the Vardos Trio brining its gypsy-flavoured music to Wesley Uniting Church and the Excelcis choir at the All Saints Church this weekend.
During the week there will be two workshops – one on African drumming by Jacqui Dreesens and the other a vocal workshop on the Bellarine Peninsula by Kym Dillon.
The second weekend of the festival will see the Geelong Concert Band play a newly-commissioned work by Geelong composer Kym Dillon, which Bashiruddin said was “amazing”, the return of the Exaudi Youth Choir and the Melbourne Chamber Choir performing.
Details: musicatthebasilica.org.au
