Cancellation of Four Winds 2020 Easter Festival

With sadness and regret we have decided not to go ahead with the 2020 Easter Festival in Bermagui because of COVID-19 which was categorised as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March.

Our primary concern is public safety. We are particularly concerned about the risks to:

the many people who make up our loyal audience
our inspiring musicians who travel to Four Winds from around Australia and from overseas
our wonderful staff and volunteers who do so much to make the Festival a success
our supportive local community

On Friday 13th March the Federal Government issued advice against non-essential gatherings of 500 people or more and many events around the world are being cancelled for fear that the virus will be easily transmitted among large crowds, read more.

The Gift of Song

Gordon Hamilton (conductor)

The Gift of Song: Workshop and Performance | TBD October 2020 | 10am – 4pm | Bermagui Community Centre Hall | 3-5 Bunga Street | Bermagui NSW 2546

The premiere of this work will now take place at the Four Winds Youth Festival in November 2020. The singing workshop will be held in October 2020 – date to be confirmed. Details will be provided closer to time.

Four Winds has asked composer Gordon Hamilton to create a song for the Far South Coast to bring people together through song. Everyone who loves singing is invited to take part.

Gordon has written a song which will be given to the Far South Coast as a gift for choirs and singers to enjoy singing for years to come. The new song, which has been commissioned with support from Festivals Australia, will receive its world premiere on Friday 13 November, at the 2020 Four Winds Youth Festival and people who love singing from across the region are invited to join in.

Gordon’s song can be learnt quickly and be performed by singers of all abilities. A workshop day is now taking place on in October 2020 in the Bermagui Community Centre when Gordon will teach the song to everyone. Singers who attend the workshop will be invited to take part in the premiere performance on at the Four Winds 2020 Youth Festival in November – everyone of all ages are welcome.
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This experience will be truly joyful and uplifting. Many local choirs have already signed up, That Bunch of Singers from Bermagui, Heartsong and the Bega Valley Youth Choir from Bega, Balun Malu Choir who toured to East Timor and Spirit Allegro from Pambula will all be lending their voices.

Gordon Hamilton said ‘it’s a great honor to be asked to write a song as a gift to the far South Coast. Given everything that has happened recently I couldn’t think of a better way to raise our spirits than through singing.

I’m creating a song which draws its inspiration from the Far South Coast and will be a celebration of this beautiful region. I’m looking forward to hearing this amazing, resilient community lift its voice in song’.
This song continues Four Winds commitment to commissioning songs inspired by the region. Songs by Lisa Young, and indigenous composers Deborah Cheetham and Brenda Gifford have been important parts of recent Four Winds Easter and Youth Festivals.

Gordon Hamilton is an Australian composer and conductor. Since 2009, he has been the Artistic Director of The Australian Voices. He was born in Newcastle, lived and worked in Bremen, Germany for five years as a conductor and composer and he now lives in Brisbane.

Previous commissioned songs inspired by the region: Lisa Young ‘On the Track’, Deborah Cheetham ‘Mother Mountain’, Brenda Gifford ‘Toonku and Ngyardi’ and ‘Ngadjung’

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