All Saints’ Church is a much-loved Baroquefest venue, offering superb acoustics.
Canowindra Baroquefest was a huge success with all five concerts played by different ensembles from The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra (ABO) sold out online well in advance.
Now in its tenth year, two new venues were tried out, Billimari Hall for a Saturday concert with a gourmet picnic lunch catered by Pennie Scott, (aka The Bush Goddess) and Gooloogong Log Cabin Hall where Cowra CWA provided a delicious morning tea. Canowindra CWA branch of course was busy with the Canowindra Show and ABO could only come on that weekend.
The Friday and Saturday evening concerts were held as usual at All Saints’ Church, a venue which has been much loved by many musicians and audiences alike for decades because of its superb acoustics and warm atmosphere.
The fifth and final concert and dinner catered by local celebrity chef Jo Robson was also, as usual, at Rosnay cellar door.
This smaller unique and boutique venue can seat 70 people comfortably in very intimate surroundings with the musicians, and on this occasion with a backdrop of Sue Hodge Art’ current art exhibition at Rosnay.
On Saturday evening Tommy Jeffs put on a sumptuous meal at Montrose House for the lucky concert goers who booked in early.
Co-founders of ABO more than thirty years ago, harpsichordist and artistic director Paul Dyer AO, and CEO Bruce Applebaum were both present throughout the festival for which nearly 600 concert tickets were sold.
The ABO’s leading violinists, violists, cello, lute, baroque guitar, oboe, flute, lute, theorboe and violone played well known 16th and 17th century compositions by Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, Handel, Telemann and Biber, as well as some delightful music by lesser known composers from the baroque era.
While baroque music’s popularity has waxed and waned for centuries and is not everyone’s cup of tea, the genre is currently growing in popularity.
Each concert was introduced by Baroquefest’s long standing extremely knowledgeable patron, Marian Arnold, who for more than 30 years was a producer presenter on ABC Classic FM.
When at All Saints, Paul Dyer asked for a show of hands of people who did not live in or around Canowindra, most of the hands went up, demonstrating clearly that Baroquefest has matured into a well regarded annual inland NSW boutique music festival.
Most people came from Sydney, Canberra, Blue Mountains, southern highlands etc. In past years financial support has been provided by @Australia Council of the Arts, Cabonne Council, NSW Government, Australian Cultural Fund, Arts Outwest and other private donors.
This year a substantial donation by Mrs Karin Keighley from Bundanoon made it possible to bring to Canowindra, Australia’s leading period instrument orchestra who play mainly to large audiences in Sydney and Melbourne, to Canowindra.
When Baroquefest’s musical director Andrew Baker returns from a current string instrument trade fair at Stradivarious’s town, Cremona in Italy, planning will begin for Baroquefest 2025.
Keep your eye on www.baroquefest.org.au for news of the next festival in September 2025.
By Richard Statham