No audiences, but plenty of amazing musicianship! The Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival is on again, and will be a bit different this year. In a normal year, 850 to 900 kids would converge on the Four Winds site for a mass celebration of musicianship, composition, collaboration, encouragement, song and symphony.
Thanks to COVID, and a set of rules around singing and wind instruments, this year Four Winds will take the festival into the schools themselves, and also record student and guest performances in the Windsong Pavilion at Four Winds.
In the spirit of NAIDOC week, on Saturday 14th Nov, local Koori Choir Djinama Yilaga, will perform new songs in Dhurga language, fronted by young members Shakeela Williams and Requia Campbell. The songs have been described as being “thrilling to hear in the Yuin Nation’s Dhurga language”.
The choir will be travelling to Tathra, Tanja, Candelo, Tilba and Bermagui Schools to share the music with students on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th.
Joining them will be members of Four Winds ‘Artists in Schools’ program On Friday 13th Members of Sydney Youth Orchestra are coming to perform for school kids, and will then join our own Bega Valley Youth Orchestra for a performance of three pieces. The performance, in the Windsong Pavilion on Sunday 15th is being digitally recorded. The Bega Valley Youth Orchestra and Chamber Strings groups are very busy rehearsing, and individual performers and other local students will be showcasing their compositions and musicianship throughout the weekend.
Although taking place without an audience, Saturday and Sunday 14th & 15th November the walls of the Windsong will reverberate with music played on instruments ranging from tin whistles to harpsichords, strings to drums, as our digital first team record their performances for each young performer to keep.
Four Winds Harpsichord will be brought out for a lively Vivaldi piece along with 2 cellos, performed by young pianist and composer Hunter Bailey-Watts and student Nyah Cockle along with music teacher Anna Martin-Scrase.
Many works composed by students will be Premiered. On Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th Kindergarten to Year 2s in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla will be visited by Zeeko! Zeeko are local musician, composer David Hewitt – percussion & vocals, Jenny Lang – guitar, vocals, and Jess Campia – bass guitar, percussion, vocals.
Zeeko sing songs and tell stories of courage, cooperation and ingenuity in the face of a changing climate. They will be travelling to schools in Bermagui, Narooma, Tilba, Tanja and Tathra.
The digital recordings, performances and workshops are all professionally created and each student is treated as a serious artist. They are supplied with rehearsal space, coaches, schedules, halyards and catering, green rooms and transport and their video… all in order to foster, encourage and nourish their music practice and future dreams.
