The festival that’s making Orange a ‘must-visit’ for music lovers
In the five years since it first launched, the Orange Chamber Music Festival (OCMF) has grown to become one of the premier art music events in regional NSW.
Founded and curated by local musicians, the not-for-profit OCMF has built a reputation for delivering a diverse world-class program featuring local and international ensembles and artists.
The 2024 festival, March 7–10, will bring together over 60 artists and ensembles from all over Australia, performing at more than a dozen different venues in and around Orange.
It’s an opportunity for music lovers to experience a wide range of performances, from intimate chamber recitals to lively cafe concerts.
“So the goal of this Festival is to showcase Orange as a cultural destination and show that arts and culture is also very important in this community,” Festival Director Carmen Nieves said.
“In four years, it's grown a fair amount,” she continued. “We're getting probably about 80 per cent of our audience come from outside of Orange, from as far as New Zealand and Canberra, which is an emerging market there, and people from Brisbane.
“Nationally, it is very well seen now. We get a lot of reviews from Limelight and ArtsHub came to the festival last year. We had two [government] ministers attending last year. So it's very well placed for festivals of this style of classical music.”
The footprint of the festival itself has also grown too, from just a handful of venues, the program now includes performances in more than a dozen locations from church halls and wineries to our local library and the Orange Civic Theatre.
But it is not only outside audiences that Carmen hopes to grow. Over the last few years, the OCMF has made a particular effort to make chamber music and classical music generally more accessible to the public through the free community event, Cultured.
Cultured — Saturday, March 9 — is an event that combines music, visual arts, heritage and literature. Held in the city’s Cultural Precinct, Cultured invites people to experience classical music, while interacting with art in the Orange Regional Gallery and the exhibitions of the Orange Regional Museum. It also includes interactive performances in the Orange City Library and the open spaces of the Civic Square.
“Cultured is an offshoot of the festival for the community,” Carmen said. “Basically dedicated to the community and to educate people about music and performing arts as a whole.”
This year’s event will see musicians creating and performing new compositions to reflect on some of the highlights of the gallery collection.
The NSW Police Brass Ensemble will also be performing a roaming performance through Orange Regional Museum’s Orange 412: A history of our local brigade exhibition.
And in the library, violinist and illustrator Lisa Stewart will be presenting an hour of storytelling, music and imagination.
OCMF treasurer Jay Byrne, who is also performing in the festival with the Nexus Quartet, said Cultured is an opportunity to experience classical music in a less formal setting.
“The idea is that, yes, you can stand and watch the performance, but you can also wander through the gallery while the music is going and enjoy that combination of art and music together,” Jay said.
“So it's in a much less formal setting which I think is really enticing for the general public…it's something where they can come get a taste and leave, or stay for the whole day and see a whole bunch of different things and experience classical music in a way that it’s not very often done.”
The climax of the OCMF is the Festival Gala on March 9, which brings together a showcase of the best of the festival’s ensembles and soloists at the Orange Civic Theatre.
“We try to showcase as many artists from the festival as possible,” Jay said. “It’s a little taste of all different things from soloists to ensembles of 13 people… and there's nothing in the program that really goes for more than six or seven minutes. So it will be a real showcase and very, very approachable.”
2024 Orange Chamber Music Festival highlights
MARCH 8
RISING - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY EVENT
9am
Ensemble Trivium presents a program of outstanding music for flute and string quartet by three of the world’s most celebrated female composers, led by flautist Monika Koerner.
763 Pinnacle Road Canobolas
BEAUTY AND THE BRASS — AUSTRALIAN BAROQUE BRASS
4pm
"A visual, sonic and an emotional journey for the audience"
Orange Uniting Church, 217 Anson Street
ORAVA QUARTET
6.30pm
Renowned for the visceral thrill of their performances, Australia’s Orava Quartet returns to Orange with Schulhoff's String Quartet no.1.
Orange Regional Conservatorium, 73a Hill Street
MARCH 9
SUPERBLOOM — THE SONG CO.
11amJoin Australia's world-class vocal ensemble for this unforgettable experience that celebrates both the resilience of the desert and the creativity of the human spirit.
Holy Trinity Church
CULTURED
10am–4pm
Cultured is a free community event that combines music, visual arts, heritage and literature. Cultured invites the local community and visitors to experience classical music, while interacting with the displays of the Orange Regional Gallery, the Orange Regional Museum, the Orange City Library and the open spaces of the Civic Square.
FESTIVAL GALA
8pm
The 2024 Festival Gala features special appearances by solo artists and ensembles of the 2024 Orange Chamber Music Festival in an exquisite program of contemporary works that will ignite the senses.
Orange Civic Theatre