Canowindra Baroque Music Festival

A Burst of Baroque

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

Friday 27th - Sunday 29th September 2024

Welcome to Baroquefest! Australia's boutique baroque music festival in the heart of central western New South Wales. 

Join the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra at the Canowindra Baroque Music Festival this September for A Burst of Baroque. A series of 5 concerts will take you from Berlin to Bologna and feature Principal musicians of the Orchestra performing works by Vivaldi, Handel and Teleman and more.

“what stands out at concert after concert is the impression that this bunch of musicians is having a really good time. They look at each other and smile and laugh... there’s a warmth and sense of fun not often associated with classical performance.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald

“like stepping back in time, as the sounds of period instruments resurrect Baroque and classical works with reverence and authority”
– The Australian

Live, vulnerable and raw, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is unapologetic in our mission to push the limits of experience in the celebration of past and present-day human creativity. We’re here to challenge ideas and reinterpret the icons of classical music for the 21st century, creating new audiences to ensure this cultural heritage lives on in the hearts and minds of new generations. 
Reigniting early music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries on rare instruments of the period, that is where our faith for tradition begins and ends. Loved for our personality, warmth and spirit, Australia’s flagship period orchestra is for the bold explorers who are unsatisfied having their expectations met with the tropes of pomp and predictability. Join us in Canowindra for this unforgettable weekend.

Festival President - Richard Statham

“It seems fitting that in its tenth year Baroquefest should have the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra deliver a full weekend of five concerts at Canowindra. After attending over many years, numerous ABO performances at their City Recital Hall home in Sydney, I first visited CEO Bruce Applebaum in 2018 to ask if they would come to Canowindra one day. It took a while but that day has arrived! Our thanks are due to the ABO and Bruce Appelbaum, and also to the generous funding support and influence of our benefactor Mrs Karin Keighley from the southern highlands. She plans to be with us again this year.

ABO's splendid musicians will find Moorbel Hall and Gooloogong's Log Cabin a far cry from the scale, elegance and sophistication of City Recital Hall and Australia's other capital city performance venues. But many at the top of their profession who have played at and around Canowindra will attest that it is a welcome change to come down from their usual concert halls, to meet and play for us at some charmingly quaint venues in Central west NSW.

Thanks also to our music director Andrew Baker, who brings together our music programme and information for our website, is not able to attend Baroqefest this year, as he will be attending a trade fair in Italy further promoting his famous Leatherwood Bespoke String Rosin.

We are delighted to have our patron Marian Arnold with us again this year to bring history and meaning to the music.

Thanks as always to our enormously skilled and productive committee.”

Patron - Marian Arnold

“It is my very great privilege and pleasure to extend to you a warm welcome to the unique Canowindra Baroquefest.

And unique it certainly is! This festival boasts a characterful and historic small town in the Central West of NSW as its setting, and offers eclectic programmes which over the years have radiated in many directions from a central focus on the important Baroque period in music. The passion of its founder, Richard Statham, the commitment of its artistic director, Andrew Baker, and the unflagging enthusiasm of a dedicated committee have been vitally important in bringing such an event to a small regional centre. Unlikely? Yes. An idea worth supporting? Yes. Sustainable? We have proved it!

This delightful festival has now reached its seventh iteration, and in the course of the years has become ever stronger. The resounding success of our 2023 event featuring the Bach Akademie Australia and Madeleine Easton in a tour de force of 5 quite remarkable concert presentations has generated a justifiable sense of pride, not only in the existence of the event itself, but also in the standard which has been achieved. I can sense a pleasurably heightened level of anticipation as we contemplate this year’s programme featuring the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, itself now so well known and loved. Canowindra beckons. We can expect the best of music making, interesting venues, a glorious time of year, and that historic location. Plus the pleasures of food and wine, the renewal of acquaintances, the making of new friendships and, above all, our shared love of music.

Canowindra BaroqueFest 2024. Let the magic begin!”
 

Festival Musical Director - Andrew Baker

“I am thrilled to welcome you to this year's festival, a celebration of the timeless beauty and elegance of Baroque music. As the musical director, I am thrilled to announce that we will be joined by the renowned Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, marking a milestone in our festival's history. Their exquisite interpretations of Baroque masterpieces promise to transport us to a world of passion, drama, and sublime beauty, and I have no doubt that their performances will leave an indelible mark on our hearts and minds.

As we gather in the picturesque setting of Canowindra, surrounded by rolling hills and historical buildings, this festival will be a source of inspiration, joy, and shared experiences. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our patrons, sponsors, volunteers, and the committee for making this event possible. Together, let us embark on a journey of discovery and celebration, united by the enduring legacy of the Baroque era.”

Andrew Baker, Violinist, has been a resident of the Central West since 2005. After completing his tertiary studies in violin performance in Sydney and the Netherlands, he has contributed to the musical life of the Central west as a teacher, performer, musical director and arts manager.