A baby grand piano has appeared in the Wollongong Art Gallery by an anonymous donor this week, to help get a new concert series off the ground.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Felicity Woodhill is the curator of the free monthly concert series, Music and Tea, and is thrilled for the arrival of the instrument ahead of the first event on Thursday morning, August 4.
Ms Woodhill is herself not a seasoned musician but her violinist daughter Cedar Rose Newman is a rising star, which has instilled in her a passion to find more opportunities for young people to hone their craft.
"Quite often they're just performing to teachers or for exams," she said.
"It doesn't matter how many perform for it's still a performance, it gives them a sense of empowerment."
Singer Charli Baraldi and pianist Annie Ma will perform at the inaugural event and Ann Lehmann-Kuit will host the morning which will have a Spanish theme to the music.
Other featured artists who will perform in the coming months include violinists Beatrice Columbis and Laura McDonald, pianists Elsa Li and Sophia Bae, folk singer Shalani Thomas, plus jazz trio Alex Watts, Michael Dominis and Jack Quinn.
Ms Woodhill said they encouraged a diverse audience to the concerts which would also be family-friendly.
The program is similar to another venture in Bowral run by Ms Woodhill, which garnered $10,000 in donations for a concert series at St Jude's Church.
"The reason behind them is to support emerging artists and create performance opportunities but also to make music more accessible to people who often can't get to is," Ms Woodhill said.
Previously Ms Woodhill has organised concerts at Wollongong's Wesley Church and other venues.
She has also been a board member for a US organisation Music for Youth and helped program, promote and develop young performers skills in developing an audience for their music.
Music and Tea will run on the first Thursday of the month until December, 11am at the Wollongong Art Gallery. FREE (though donations are appreciated).
For more details, visit: www.events.humanitix.com.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.