Highlights from BAMF 2022

Message from the Artistic Director:

The rollercoaster ride we went on to get this year’s festival to happen was exhilarating, to say the least! Despite losing eleven of our Festival Artists just days out, we still managed to pull off four glorious days of musical celebration at St Jude’s. For this, I want to give my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all the inspiring Festival Artists and Composers, talented students, dedicated Committee Members, supportive music teachers and generous volunteers and billets who made BAMF 2022 such a special and memorable festival for us all. In particular, I say a special thank you to Amy Moore, Roland Peelman and Callum Knox who gave stunning performances at very short notice, and to our dedicated Executive Officer Eliza Corley, who spent endless hours helping coordinate the festival to run so smoothly.  

My personal thrill this year was hearing our local music students perform so beautifully at our inaugural ‘Musica Floreat Concert’. To see my concept come to fruition thanks to the support and encouragement from our local music teachers and Schoool Music Heads was very touching. The students’ competent performances highlighted the wonderful talent we have here in the Southern Highlands and the need to continue this Musica Floreat tradition.  

On a different note, unknown to me at the time, the concert I performed with Acacia Quartet at the festival was sadly my last festival performance with them. It was fantastic to play Borodin’s divine String Quartet No 2, Jessica Wells’ festival commission Dancing with Diaghilev and Shostakovich’s incredible String Quartet No 8 with them, but it is a sad end to our eleven years as a quartet. I want to thank Acacia Quartet for their amazing performances, informative workshops, and general goodwill at being the festival’s Ensemble in Residence over the last seven years and the wealth of music we have premiered and sent off into the world. On behalf of the Committee and all the audiences who have followed Acacia at BAMF over the years, I wish Lisa, Anna and Stefan the best of luck in their next chapter.   

Finally, I would like to thank you, our dedicated followers, for supporting our regional Bowral Autumn Music Festival, returning each year and encouraging your friends to join our musical feast. You contribute so much to the success of BAMF and help create our unique and special festival atmosphere. Your attendance and enthusiasm make our year-long preparation well worth it. I'm already looking forward to sharing next year’s program with you in the coming months!

I hope you enjoy these photo collages taken by our official festival photographer Peter Hislop.

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Warm regards,

Myee Clohessy