Applications for Compass Music Festival – Central West will close on Friday 14 February (Term 1 Week 3).

A participation fee of $20.00 per student will be charged in 2025.

• Each participating student and teacher will receive a specially designed T-shirt to wear at the performance.

Schools may put forward groups in more than one ensemble, however students will only be able to rehearse and perform in one ensemble. To enter a second group, please complete this form a second time.

Compass Music Festival – Central West will be held at Canobolas Rural Technology High School on Wednesday 28 May 2025 (Term 2 Week 5).

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

The combined ensembles include:

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

There is no audition required for the combined ensembles. All schools that apply will be accepted.

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

• 2025 In Concert Secondary Choral Festival  (combined secondary choir)
• 2025 Festival of Choral Music (combined primary choir)
• 2025 Festival of Instrumental Music (combined recorder ensemble).

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

• Teachers will receive a master copy of the relevant repertoire (choir and/or recorders) 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:

• Compass primary choir workshop Term 1 Week 5
  Monday 24 February 2025 at Orange Regional Conservatorium 9 am to 11:30 am
• Compass recorder workshop Term 1 Week 5
  Monday 24 February 2025 at Orange Regional Conservatorium 12 pm to 2:30 pm
• Compass secondary choir workshop Term 1 Week 5
  Monday 24 February 2025 at Orange Regional Conservatorium (TBC)

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

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

Teachers may choose to attend their local professional development workshop and/or the corresponding Sydney workshop. Registrations for each workshop will open early in Term 1 2025.

In 2025, performance opportunities are available for outstanding individual school instrumental and vocal items at Compass Music Festival – Central West. 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 must be available for a sound check on Tuesday 27 May and the evening performance on Wednesday 28 May 2025.

Applications for featured performers will open in Term 1 2025.

There are opportunities for Entertainment Industry (VET) students to undertake a work placement at this event. VET Entertainment teachers should contact Cheryl Walker, Arts Coordination Officer for further information.

Applications for featured performers will open in Term 1 2025.