BEHIND THE SCENES

The Camden Haven Music Festival commenced in 1996 and has been held each year since.  In 2000 and 2008 the Festival was awarded a NSW Tourism Flagship Event Award and in 2005 a Distinction Award in the NSW North Coast Awards for Business Excellence.

In September 2007, the 2006 Camden Haven Music Festival was named as the National Winner of the “Most Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area” category at the 2007 APRA Awards in Sydney.

Camden Haven Music Festival Inc is a non-profit association of volunteers.

The 2009 - 10 Committee is:

Message from the President Joy Walker

On behalf of the Camden Haven Music Festival Management Committee I take great pleasure in presenting the program for the 15th Festival. With nearly 20 diverse music and arts experiences over ten days, we hope you will find something to tempt and delight you from the program being offered this year.

Commencing with a mostly classical first weekend, with two very special and different concerts focusing on the baroque era, a most unusual Opening Concert featuring the Seven Harp Ensemble, plus two recitals by award-winning pianists, you would be hard pressed to find a more eclectic and pleasing classical program.

We are delighted to be re-instating a past Festival feature – the Festival film “In Search of Beethoven” at the much admired Laurieton Plaza Theatre. Rev. Bill Simon will be Guest Speaker at a Reconciliation Lunch mid-week, and as a local boy made good after many false starts, Rev Simon will provide us with some thoughtful insights into growing up in Purfleet, Kendall and the notorious Kinchela Boys Home.

The inaugural Laurieton Lantern Parade will be the main feature of the Festival’s second weekend. This community-driven project has been over 12 months in the planning and execution, and we hope it will become a regular feature of the annual Music Festival.

The 2010 Festival program has been woven from several strands: the desire to respond to requests from past audiences, stunning opportunities which present themselves “out of the blue”, the temptation to re-kindle collaborations with past Festival performers, the thrill of offering opportunities to new & emerging musicians, and the desire to offer our concert-goers some wonderful passive and participative music experiences in lovely local settings.

Welcome to our beautiful area and our Camden Haven Music Festival – may you come to enjoy the music and depart refreshed and uplifted.