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EVENT ROUNDUP // The Four Winds team would like to

EVENT ROUNDUP // The Four Winds team would like to thank the artists who performed at Bunaan Garindja on Sunday 🎶 They gave their energy, creativity and talent with grace and impact.

The event was absolutely wonderful - a true celebration of the local talent that exists in the region.

We would like to thank the volunteers, mentors, parents, guardians, friends and family who brought the event to life - we know that a performance of that scale takes many hours of rehearsal, long car rides in the evenings and belated dinners which we do not take for granted!

As a team, it was truly special for us to listen to the lyrics and melodies the young artists chose to share and we hope to continue providing opportunities for them to shine.

Images by @davey_rogers

Four Winds would like to acknowledge that Bunaan Garindja took place on Djiringanj Country and was named using Dhurga Language - celebrating youth gathering together for intergenerational listening.

THIS SUN // See you there!! 🎶 Some truly exci

THIS SUN // See you there!! 🎶

Some truly exciting artists will be performing at our annual Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'Bunaan Garindja’, Dhurga for Youth Gathering.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
📌 FOUR WINDS SITE
⏰ 11:30AM - 4PM
🎟️ 16&U FREE
TICKETS // fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

ABOUT // Four Winds invites you to immerse yourself in storytelling through sound, and the timeless connection between community, nature, and the arts.

Bunaan Garindja is an event curated for deep listening, uplifted by the voices of young people.

Join us with friends and family to savour delicious food, and relax on the grass beneath the towering gums with exceptional musicians encouraging you to connect and celebrate.

Featuring Djinama Yilaga Choir, Heath Cullen, Bega Valley Youth Orchestra, Guitarama, Nyah Cockle, Angus Carpenter, Bega Valley Male Voice Choir and many many more!!

#fourwinds #fourwindsau #fourwindsfestival #youthfestival #sapphirecoastnsw #sapphirecoat #visitnsw #bermagui #whatsonbermagui

PREPARING FOR A NEW ERA // A message from Executiv

PREPARING FOR A NEW ERA // A message from Executive Director Leigh Small

🎶 Four Winds announces Artistic Leadership Team for 2024, and a year of review, recalibration, and renewal.

Four Winds’ home on the Far South Coast of NSW provides an exquisite and unique experience of music in nature. It is also a location and community that has weathered devastating fires and floods amidst the challenges of COVID.

To create a sustainable, evolving and relevant vision for the future, Four Winds has decided to pause the 2024 Easter Festival and instead present a varied program of concerts and events over the year, including a curated collection of smaller scale performances at Easter.

Four Winds First Nations Creative Director, Cheryl Davison and Create & Inspire Director, David Hewitt, will be joined by Lindy Hume AM PhD (Artistic Director FW Festivals ‘21, ‘22) and Timothy Walker AM CBE as the Artistic Leadership Team to curate the 2024 program.

In addition to the smaller Easter program, there will be a Spring Youth Music Festival, a First Nations program; and partnerships with Musica Viva, Music in the Regions, Cobargo Folk Festival, and Wanderer Festival.

2024 will be the time for Four Winds to review and renew its vision for the next five to ten years. This is an exciting moment to engage with Four Winds community which includes 30 years of musical alumni, partners and importantly our local diverse audience and artists.
Details of the 2024 Program to be announced in January 2024.

Warmest regards, Leigh

YOUTH FESTIVAL // Ft. Guitarama Guitarama are a

YOUTH FESTIVAL // Ft. Guitarama

Guitarama are a guitar ensemble inspired by Latin-American melodic styles.

Songs from Spain, Mexico, Brasil and Cuba make up their repertoire, plus a long list of original tunes.

The current members are, on guitar: Finn Stone, Evan Williamson, Sam Quast and
Harry Haggar on electric bass.

About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

BOOK NOW // Bunaan Garindja ft. The Bega Valley Ma

BOOK NOW // Bunaan Garindja ft. The Bega Valley Male Voice Choir. The Choir formed after the Black Summer fires of 2020-2021 by conductor Geoffrey Badger. It has succeeded as a source of strength, beauty, community and connection between men across the valley since that time. Filled with rich, deep harmonies, love songs and lullabies, the sound of the choir lifts spirits and soothes the soul.

About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

OFFICE DAY // The team are working from the Windso

OFFICE DAY // The team are working from the Windsong Pavilion today in preparation for Bunaan Garindja, our annual Spring Youth Music Festival.

We’re so looking forward to the site coming to life with youthful energy and spirit on Sunday 19th Nov from 11:30-4pm with @tin.cantina vintage food truck serving delicious tacos, roaming music between the Sam’s Caravan Stage and the Pavilion and a family friendly picnic atmosphere.

BOOK NOW // fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

#fourwinds #fourwindsau #fourwindsfestival

ANGUS CARPENTER // Angus is a singer songwriter fr

ANGUS CARPENTER // Angus is a singer songwriter from the Sapphire Coast of NSW and attends Bega High school. In his song writing he draws emotion and storytelling to the surface to express his connection to the people and places around him.
 When Angus performs he hopes the audience can create their own meaning from the melodies and lyrics, or simply enjoy the unique and beautiful sounds of his voice accompanied by soothing guitar and piano.  
About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️16&U FREE!
BOOK NOW // www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

SUNDAY 26 NOV // Dog Trumpet at Four Winds! 4-7pm

The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival,

The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program.

This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

Curated by the organisation’s Create & Inspire Director, David Hewitt, Bunaan Garindja extends beyond the festival day itself, fostering an intergenerational mentorship philosophy dedicated to empowering youth to learn instruments. Alongside workshops, tutoring sessions, and in-school learning, Four Winds is committed to inspiring young people to tell their stories through sound.

Featuring an abundance of local talent alongside students of all levels, the day promises to lift the spirit – artists include Heath Cullen, Djinama Yilaga Choir, Bega Valley Youth Orchestra, Candelo Cello Society, Bega Valley Male Voice Choir, The SCAC Jazz Band, Guitarama, rock ensemble Think Fast, and many more!

Come together with friends and family to savour delicious food by the Tin Cantina food truck and relax on the grass beneath the towering gums, with remarkable musicians encouraging you to connect and celebrate.

FEATURING // @heathcullen About Bunaan Garindja

FEATURING // @heathcullen

About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

About Heath
Heath Cullen is a singer, songwriter, performer, record producer and Independent recording artist, from the rural village of Candelo , New South Wales.

Over the past 10 years he has forged an international career: touring and recording in Australia and the US, while remaining based in the regional NSW town where he was raised.

Heath will be supporting @djinamayilaga at Bunaan Garindja and they will be performing a very special song he wrote that speaks to a way forward through hope and connection.

#fourwinds #fourwindsau #fourwindsfestival #youthfestival #whatsonbermagui #sapphirecoastnsw

FEATURING // The Bega Valley Youth Orchestra The

FEATURING // The Bega Valley Youth Orchestra

The Bega Valley Youth Orchestra was co-founded in February 2020. Despite bush fires and COVID, it has been a great success.

Under the direction of Vanessa Vromans and the support of the BVYO tutors Julian Gonzalez, Georgi Hargraves, Jack Hobbs and Steven Fitzgerald, the Bega Valley Youth Orchestra has performed at the Four Winds Youth Festival, Cobargo Folk Festival, annual Summer Strings Camps, the Bega Show and we look forward to performing a lot more in our community and beyond.

We wish to create a space for all young musicians to join and are determined to give the kids of the Bega Valley a quality music education and the delightful opportunity to make music together.

Youth orchestras like this provide young kids and teenagers alike, a cohort of peers and mentors to look up to. The incredible teachers who manage the project provide a safe environment for kids to grow and learn.

About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

FEATURING // @djinamayilaga Choir About the Choir

FEATURING // @djinamayilaga Choir

About the Choir
Djinama Yilaga is an intergenerational Yuin choir, established in 2019 - created in renowned Walbunga/Ngarigo artist Cheryl Davison’s capacity as Four Winds Aboriginal Creative Producer. Djinama Yilaga perform songs in Dhurga language, celebrating culture, Country and community.

Yuin people were often multi-lingual, speaking and understanding languages of neighbouring and visiting groups. Dhurga was spoken and understood by many within the 13 tribes of the Yuin Nation. It was the dominant tongue of the Walbunga people of the Broulee region and the Brindja Yuin people of Moruya.

The choir emerged as a mechanism to revitalise language through song, following a unique pedagogy established by Westpac scholar, Dr Lou Bennett AM. The community led project, supported by Dr Lou Bennett was initially funded by the National Museum of Australia and Four Winds, Bermagui.

The choir has gone from strength to strength and is continually requested to perform at local and national events. They have performed to great acclaim at Desertsong Festival, Four Winds Music Festival, Wanderer Festival, at Parliament House, and have recently travelled to Poland to sing!

'’The ancient Dhurga language is given great harmonious light to survive and bloom through the voices of First Nations choir Djinama YIlaga. Their songs release, calm and evoke beauty and growth.’ - Photographer and story teller Elise Idiens

About Bunaan Garindja
The annual Four Winds Spring Youth Music Festival, this year titled 'BUNAAN GARINDJA', is the pinnacle of the year-round Create and Inspire music education program. This one-day festival is totally dedicated to young people, giving them unique opportunities to shine, to experience the joy of music and to explore their performance practice.

🗓️ SUN 19 NOV
⏰ 11:30AM-4PM
📌 17 FOUR WINDS RD, BARRAGGA BAY
🎟️ 16&U FREE!
www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

SUNDAY 26 NOV // Dog Trumpet at Four Winds! 4-7pm

Four Winds invited writer & creative Lisa Herbert

Four Winds invited writer & creative Lisa Herbert to our Vampires & Chris Abrahams event to speak to her experience recently. Happy reading!

''Driving to Four Winds through the fire fields for the first time, feeling waves of emotion, all those precious spotted gums, now black, now part of a dark area along the coast. Mnemosyne shadows, sentinel over our looming Summer months.

Just behind the sheds at the entrance to Four Winds, skirting the lawns and cuffing the trees are signs of scorching. That swift east-driven virago that enveloped so much, and a surprise at the clear green zone around the Four Winds structures.

The beautiful Windsong Pavilion and Sound Shell, unscathed. Sighs of thanks, released breath, a tangible easing from the clusters of local people.

Dozens of us, lounging on the grass, sipping wine and beer, a quesadilla on the offing, the giant doors of the Windsong thrown open to the air, musicians mingling with music lovers, djirindjiring*. And much anticipation.

Seated to begin. Comfortable, thanks offered and souls settled we began our journey with The Vampires and Chris Abrahams, which for me encompassed memories of Basement nights in Sydney listening to The Necks, as Abrahams’ tinkling piano rained down onto the sound bed of bass and drums.

Brought back to the room as trumpet and sax wrapped their arms around us to draw us along with them. Guide us.

In evocative tunes about place, some of us were surfing I suppose, some astral travelling within the timber halls and without, through the recently scarred forest, some swimming in the ocean of sound.

All eyes closed, hips rocking, the audience swaying like weeds in water. The room tilts, are we on a magic carpet or in a boat? The swell lifts us, a breeze carries distant tunes, windows in minds are thrown open.

I’d forgotten how invigorating contemporary jazz, open music, is. Like yoga for the soul.

I feel stretched out. Touched by the fires, but salved by music, as we drive homeward through the golden light.

Calm. Sure of regeneration, joyous that such artistry exists and finds its way to me, even deep on the far south coast in the lands I love.''

*Dhurga word meaning, 'east wind'

The phenomenal guys from The Vampires & legend Chr

The phenomenal guys from The Vampires & legend Chris Abrahams played to a packed pavilion yesterday here at Four Winds, performing songs from their new album Nightjar ✨

Nick, Jeremy, Noel, Alex & Chris performed with incredible precision and flow, transporting audiences across landscapes and memories.

Thank you to Tina Cantina for their delicious food, Bill at @farsouthaudioandrecording for incredible sound, professionalism and energy, our spectacular and dedicated volunteers, and @sundaramanifereti for nourishing dinner for the crew and vollys ❤️

SAVE THE DATE for our next event, our annual Spring Youth Music Festival 19 NOV 🎶

#fourwinds #fourwindsau #musicinnature #bermagui #sapphirecoast #sapphirecoastnsw #sapphirecoastgigguidensw #musicnsw #thevampires #chrisabrahams

RESIDENCY WRAP UP // I’m @cheryldurongpisitkul

RESIDENCY WRAP UP // I’m @cheryldurongpisitkul , a saxophonist and composer who had the great privilege of attending a week-long residency at Four Winds with my band - thanks to the support of Four Winds & @melbjazzfestival.

I am the 2023 recipient of the TAKE NOTE award through the MlJF, an award designed to promote gender equity within the Australian Jazz and Improvisation community. I am a huge advocate for equity and diversity within our music communities and believe that striving for both will breed more interesting music and safer spaces.

My proposed TAKE NOTE project was a deeply personal and cathartic exploration of trauma, loss, and grief. I aimed to create a suite for a 12-piece improvising ensemble that drew on my own lived experiences of losing my mother to suicide when I was 18 and my father six years later to cancer, resulting in my experience of a decade of depression. I have previously composed for large ensembles and love the textures available with a wider range of instrumentation.

The composition, titled ‘I Still Miss You’, will premiere on the 20th of October on the opening night of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival to a sold-out audience. It will be recorded by ABC Jazz for their program Jazztrack if you would like to have a listen!

This will be the first of many performances of this work. I hope to record this next year once the composition has seeped into the bodies of the band, where the grooves can settle, and melodies can be shaped with full intention. My time at Four Winds was an invaluable period in the creation of this work, and I truly don’t think it would have been possible without it.

Images: Madison Phillips, Four Winds Admin & Marketing Manager

Special thanks to Matthew Hoy for his curation of this partnership @hushkitmusic

THE VAMPIRES // 40 TICKETS LEFT! Just 40 outdoor

THE VAMPIRES // 40 TICKETS LEFT!

Just 40 outdoor overflow seats remaining
*chairs provided

BOOK NOW!! // fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

Sunday 22 October
Windsong Pavilion
1pm Tin Cantina food truck serving sumptuous lunch + bar
2:30pm The Vampires + Chris Abrahams

Weather forecast is sunny with a top of 26!

"In one fell swoop, two of the strongest forces in Australian jazz, both of whose music is drenched in melodic beauty, are joined, creating what is palpably a masterpiece." ★★★★★ The Australian

“One of my favourite albums of the year was a jazz recording.. …It’s beautifully constructed melody sounded so classic, so perfect, that it had already become deeply ingrained in my memory. Of course, I have been listening to this album a lot. This one’s a real winner.” - David Faulkner, The Saturday Paper, Australian Music Prize chair

THIS SUNDAY // @thevampires_mus will be performing

THIS SUNDAY // @thevampires_mus will be performing alongside the brilliant Chris Abrahams (of The Necks fame) but firssttttttt please come along at 1pm for delicious Mexican style food by Tin Cantina!!

You may know Steve from his famous local food van, ‘Hardcore Carnivore’ - now transformed into Tin Cantina 🌶️ 🌽 🍋 🍅

Have a pic nic on the lawn with enchiladas & beer and enjoy the sun before the band kick off at 2:30.

50 outdoor overflow tickets remaining, get in quick!

www.fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

THE VAMPIRES // ANNOUNCEMENT 13 indoor seats rema

THE VAMPIRES // ANNOUNCEMENT

13 indoor seats remaining
50 outdoor overflow seats remaining
*chairs provided

BOOK NOW!! // fourwinds.com.au/whats-on

Sunday 22 October
Windsong Pavilion
1pm Tin Cantina food truck serving sumptuous lunch + bar
2:30pm The Vampires + Chris Abrahams

Weather forecast is sunny with a top of 26!

"In one fell swoop, two of the strongest forces in Australian jazz, both of whose music is drenched in melodic beauty, are joined, creating what is palpably a masterpiece." ★★★★★ The Australian

“One of my favourite albums of the year was a jazz recording.. …It’s beautifully constructed melody sounded so classic, so perfect, that it had already become deeply ingrained in my memory. Of course, I have been listening to this album a lot. This one’s a real winner.” - David Faulkner, The Saturday Paper, Australian Music Prize chair

Vale Lei Parker // Four Winds would like to acknow

Vale Lei Parker // Four Winds would like to acknowledge the significant and meaningful contributions of Lei Parker to the Sapphire Coast community in his lifetime.

For us, his passionate work to create and curate the content in The Beagle was a truly phenomenal effort that kept our region informed and inspired in engaging, fair and generous ways.

We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones at this time.

Image of Lei and ‘Miss Pip’.

"As we approach the referendum, Four Winds embrace

"As we approach the referendum, Four Winds embraces the invitation set forth in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This call resounds: 'We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.' Four Winds encourages our community to cast their votes with compassion, respect, and kindness for our First Peoples, whose collective wisdom spans 60,000+ years of caring for Country, Culture and Community.” - Four Winds Concerts

THIS SUNDAY // Tickets still available via @runeal

THIS SUNDAY // Tickets still available via @runealithmusic_official or head to the link below ✨

“Emerging singer/songwriter Rune Alith offers up heart opening songs, inviting listeners to delve into their own deep felt emotions. Featuring special Guest Robbie Hart this will be a gorgeous, intimate event.’’

Sunday 15 Oct
5pm - 7pm
Windsong Pavilion

👏🏼 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rune-alith-in-concert-four-winds-windsong-pavilion-tickets-709945555267?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile

Dear Four Winds community, For those of you living

Dear Four Winds community,
For those of you living through these fires, we hope you, your friends and your loved ones - are safe.

We wanted to reach out to express our heartfelt gratitude for all your support during these challenging times, as a bushfire travelled fast across Coolagolite towards Barragga Bay, Cuttagee and Bermagui yesterday October 3rd.

We are relieved to share with you the latest update on the Four Winds site:

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and our Embarr fire detection & automated sprinkler system, the Windsong Pavilion and the Sound Shell have remained safe. While there are some burnt patches on site, we are cautiously optimistic that there is no significant damage.

As we await full access, the rain has started to fall, albeit lightly, and we are preparing for significant rain over the next 24 hours. This is a welcome relief, and we remain hopeful that it will further safeguard our cherished space.

We extend our deepest thanks to our Four Winds Site Manager Russell Stewart, Bill Southwood, Lindsay Willoughby, the RFS, emergency service workers and volunteers for their tireless, dedicated, and phenomenal efforts in defending our community and property. Your bravery and commitment have not gone unnoticed, and we are forever grateful.

We also want to express our appreciation to the music community, both near and far, for holding us in your thoughts and for checking in on us and our village.

Rest assured - we will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.

With sincere thanks,
The Four Winds Team & Board

Hello beautiful Four Winds community, We are sti

Hello beautiful Four Winds community,

We are still awaiting news & access to the site, however, the Fires Near Me app is looking hopeful that our beloved home may have been protected.

The rain has begun (although lightly) and as we prepare for significant and heavy rain over the next 24 hours, we are just so lucky and thankful that everyone is safe.

We’d like to thank the RFS for their tireless, dedicated and phenomenal efforts, and our community far and wide for checking in on us & our village.

We will keep you all updated where we can - Madison 🎶

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