NORTH Coast students from 73 public schools came together on 25 and 26 May for the area’s fifth Compass Music Festival – a major NSW public schools music event celebrating young performers in Years 3 to 12.
Presented by the NSW Department of Education’s The Arts Unit, the Compass Music Festival took place over two nights at the Wiigulga Sports Complex in Woolgoolga.
Students rehearsed and workshopped pieces through the day before performing in evening concerts for family, friends and the wider community.
The show featured seven lead student performers as well as a combined secondary choir, primary choir and recorder ensemble. These joined forces with the North Coast Festival Orchestra, which featured performers from the Bellingen Youth Orchestra.
This event marked the first time the North Coast Festival Orchestra performed on stage before travelling to the Sydney Opera House later this year to accompany the combined choir at the Festival of Choral Music.
Department of Education Arts Unit Student Access and Engagement Advisor Simon Kermode said the festival was a powerful example of the power of public education, creating opportunities for students in regional communities and inspiring excellence in students across the state.
“Five years ago in 2022, we started with 300 student participants, and now we’re at more than 1100 student performers, with this year’s festival due to be the biggest one yet.” Mr Kermode said.
Compass Music Festival provides regional and rural NSW public school students with the opportunity to perform in a large-scale local festival, reducing the need for families and schools to travel long distances for major performance opportunities.
“Last year’s show was a sellout and we’re not far off this year either, which demonstrates its importance to the local community,” Mr Kermode said.
Young singer-songwriter, Bellingen High School student, 2024 Schools Spectacular and 2025 Pulse Alive performer Teale Kelly-Wright featured on the Tuesday night with a cover of the popular Frank Sinatra song ‘Moon River’.
First-time performers, Coffs Harbour Senior College solo vocalists Somerley Bramall and Eden Davis and cellist Julius Taylor, made up some of the featured performers across Monday and Tuesday nights’ shows.
By Andrew VIVIAN
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
