Sydney NorthWest Music Festival

Sydney NorthWest Music Festival – performance dates

• Burrendong Concert – Tuesday 11 August 2026 (Term 3 Week 4)
• Cawndilla Concert – Wednesday 12 August 2026 (Term 3 Week 4)
• Pinaroo Concert – Thursday 13 August 2026 (Term 3 Week 4)

On the day of their performance, schools participating in the combined primary choir will need to attend a rehearsal at the performance venue from approximately 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, and then return at 6:15 pm for the 7:00 pm performance.

Sydney NorthWest Music Festival – preliminary rehearsal information

Each school in the combined primary choir is asked to attend one preliminary rehearsal in Term 2. Two rehearsals will be held at different schools, which will be confirmed at a later date. Schools may choose which rehearsal to attend based on the most convenient location and date. If your school would like to be considered as a host venue for a cluster rehearsal, please indicate this in the application form.

The 2026 repertoire will feature a diverse selection of choral works for primary school choirs, including several newly commissioned pieces by Australian composers, and is most suitable for students in Years 4 to 6.

The majority of the repertoire will be drawn from the materials produced for the 2026 Festival of Choral Music, and teachers will have access to the high-quality teaching resources created for this festival.

No audition is necessary for schools to join the 2026 Sydney NorthWest Music Festival combined primary choir.

Please note the number of students accepted from your school will be confirmed upon acceptance into the concert. Due to capacity limitations in each venue, we may not be able to accept the full number of students each school applies to have involved.

Participation fee

• The student resource fee for each student participant in the combined primary choir is $40.00. As part of this, students will receive access to the digital teaching materials, and a concert performance t-shirt.
• Once final numbers are confirmed, payment will be direct debited by The Arts Unit from schools in Term 3, 2026.

In 2026, the Sydney NorthWest Music Festival will provide performance opportunities for outstanding instrumental and vocal items. These opportunities are open to all public school students and may include ensembles of any size, from soloists to large choirs.

An audition video must be submitted with your nomination, and it must feature the piece you are nominating to perform at the festival.

Items that are successful in the audition process will be allocated an on-stage rehearsal time on their performance day. Please note that this rehearsal will take place during school hours on the allocated performance day, and it cannot be scheduled outside of school hours.

There is no participation fee for students performing as individual items in the festival.

Applications to perform as an instrumental or vocal item will be part of a combined selection process with the Festival of Instrumental Music, the Festival of Choral Music, and the Compass Music Festivals.

Applications for the combined primary choir are now open and will close on Friday 27 February 2026 (Term 1 Week 5).

Applications to perform as an instrumental or vocal item will be available shortly. These will be part of a combined selection process with the Festival of Instrumental Music, the Festival of Choral Music, and the Compass Music Festivals. For more information, visit the Featured items for state music festivals web page.