Compass Music Festival

Compass Music Festival – North Coast

Region: Regional North | North Coast

Year 3 to 12 students and teachers

Local arts program Music

The NSW Department of Education presents a combined public school performance at Wiigulga Sports Complex. The concert features a combined secondary choir, primary choir and combined recorder ensemble that will join forces with the Bellingen Youth Orchestra.

Rehearsal and performance date

Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June 2025 (Term 2 Week 6)

Schools participating in the Compass Music Festival will come together to rehearse throughout the day and perform an evening concert.

Combined ensembles

The combined ensembles include:

combined secondary school choir (Years 7 to 12)
combined primary school choir (Years 3 to 6)
combined recorder ensemble (Years 3 to 12)

There is no audition required for the combined ensembles.

Repertoire

The repertoire for combined ensembles will be made up of selections from:

2025 In Concert (combined secondary choir)
2025 Festival of Choral Music (combined primary choir)
2025 Festival of Instrumental Music (combined recorder and string ensemble)

All of the combined ensembles will perform a combined opening and finale item as part of a massed choir.

Cost

A participation fee of $20.00 per student will be payable upon confirmation of numbers late Term 1, 2025.
Each participating student and teacher will receive a specially designed T-shirt to wear at the performance.

Professional learning and resources

Teachers will receive a master copy of the relevant repertoire (secondary choral and/or recorders and/or primary choral) from which to make copies for every participating student
Access to a range of online repertoire resources will become available soon
Teachers from participating schools are encouraged to attend in-person teachers’ professional development workshops for the musical component in which their school is involved

Local teacher professional development workshops available to participating schools include:

Primary choir and recorder workshop – Monday 17 February 2025 at Tacking Point Public School 9 am to 2 pm
Primary choir, secondary choir and recorder workshop – Tuesday 18 February 2025 at Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium 9 am to 2 pm
Primary choir and recorder workshop – Wednesday 19 February 2025 at Southern Cross School of Distance Education Ballina 9 am to 2 pm

Sydney teacher professional development workshops also covering the Compass Music Festival repertoire include:

Festival of Instrumental Music recorder workshop – Wednesday 12 February 2025 at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 9 am to 2 pm
Festival of Instrumental Music strings workshop – Thursday 13 February 2025 at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 9 am to 2 pm
Festival of Choral Music primary choir workshop – Friday 14 February 2025 at Sydney Conservatorium of Music 9 am to 2 pm
In Concert secondary choir workshop – Monday 3 March 2025 at The Arts Unit, Lewisham 9 am to 3 pm

Teachers may choose to attend their local professional development workshop and/or the corresponding Sydney workshop.

Featured ensemble opportunity

In 2025 performance opportunities are available for outstanding individual school instrumental and vocal items at Compass Music Festival – North Coast. Solos, duets, or small ensembles are encouraged to apply. Pieces will be selected on the basis of providing high quality and variety to the concert.

Applicants will be required to be available for a sound-check on Sunday 1 June and the evening performance on Monday 2 or Tuesday 3 June 2025.

Applications for featured performers will open in Term 1 2025.

VET Entertainment

There are opportunities for Entertainment Industry (VET) students to undertake work placement at this event. VET Entertainment teachers should contact Sarah Armour, Arts Coordination Officer, The Arts Unit – email: sarah.k.armour@det.nsw.edu.au for further information.

Applications for featured performers will open in Term 1 2025.

Comperes

Schools may nominate pairs of students for the role of compere at the Compass Music Festival. We will be looking for confident and enthusiastic public speaking students from Years 5 to 12 to act as comperes for each performance.

Students taking up a position as compere should not be a performer in the festival and must have publicity consent. Comperes will be required to attend the festival during the day to rehearse before the evening show.

Comperes' will be required to wear their formal school uniform for the show. Students should prepare the audition script and submit their audition when the applications open during Term 1 2025