The Birth of the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music - 1991

The Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music, also known as the Tyalgum Festival, was born out of the combination of two events.

In 1990, Carmel Kaine, an original member and concertmaster of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and John Willison, former Principal Second Violin of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, purchased a country retreat at Limpinwood not far from Tyalgum in the Tweed Valley. They had recently taken up teaching positions at the Queensland Conservatory of Music. Shortly after their arrival at Limpinwood they were invited to dinner at the home of their neighbour, social worker Jean Brewer. As a result of discussions over dinner, Carmel and John decided to hold a concert in their home and invite interested locals from Murwillumbah and the local Tyalgum district. The objective was to see if there were enough people interested in attending continuing musical soirées in their home. The concert took place in early 1991 in the lounge room of John and Carmel's home. A group of principal teachers from the Queensland Conservatory of Music performed Schubert's Octet. At the end of the concert a meeting was convened, with a number of those attending including Margot and Doug Anthony, Jean Brewer, Peter and Judy Budd, Viv and Neville Hibbard and Murwillumbah lawyer Greg Rooney. They all agreed that a further concert should be held. However, it was suggested that it be held in the historic Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall.

The Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall

In 1986, local Tyalgum theatrical artists William Gill and Les Peterkin formed the Tyalgum Theatre Group, and produced a number of theatrical spectaculars at the Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall. However, there was a constant problem with the uninsulated corrugated iron roof: whenever it rained, performances had to stop because of the loud noise. It was suggested that a remedy might be to insulate the ceiling. At the time, Peter Knowland, one of Australia's leading acoustic engineers, visited Murwillumbah as part of the feasibility study for a proposed Amphitheatre there. He was asked to also visit the Murwillumbah Civic Centre (which was having acoustic problems) and the Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall. His advice was to not insulate the internal roof structure as in his opinion the Hall had an excellent acoustic. In his view this resulted from a combination of the ripple corrugated iron ceiling that dispersed the echo, the wooden floors and the particular dimensions of the hall that gave it a warm and clear sound.

Another influence on the birth of the Tyalgum Festival was a concert arranged in the late 1980s by Musica Viva. The performance was by the Australia Ensemble led by Dean Olding at the Anglican Church in Murwillumbah. There were six people in the audience, fewer than the number of performers on stage. The importance of having an inspiring venue that would complement excellent performances and attract audiences became clear. It was also felt that Musica Viva might agree to continue subsidising performances in the Tweed Valley if a better venue could be found.

The Limpinwood Ensemble

It was agreed, based on the acoustic report of Peter Knowland, that Carmel and John and their associates at the Queensland Conservatory of Music would perform a one-off concert at the Tyalgum Hall in the later part of 1991. A local committee was formed to organise a concert with John and Carmel organizing the program. It was decided that John and Carmel's ensemble needed a formal name for publicity purposes. The Limpinwood Ensemble was thus born. The ticket price included a full supper provided by Jean Brewer and Sue Pepper. The concert was a sell-out and a great success. The on-site meal feature was continued, with the assistance of Tyalgum chef Gary Jackson, for subsequent concerts as a way of developing the social enhancement of the Tyalgum experience. The upstairs "Jade Room" at the back of the hall became the venue for Festival meals. The core founding committee of the Tyalgum Festival consisted of President Greg Rooney (1991 to 1996), Vice President Viv Hibbard, Secretary Jean Brewer and Neville Hibbard. There were a number of concerts during the early part of 1992, with the first Tyalgum Festival held over the first weekend of September 1992. The first festival included the provision of home hosting, natural history walks, a Sunday church service, a Sunday concert in the Showgrounds Park and a number of fringe events. The committee recognised the value of marketing and so developed a database of supporters by instigating a "Friends of the Tyalgum Festival" programme. The Tyalgum Festival was established without any government funding so the financial risk fell to the local committee. However, each concert during the early part of 1992 and subsequent early years made a profit sufficient to fund the weekend Festival in September. Because of its success in attracting good audiences the committee was able to pay the performers at rates higher than were being paid in Brisbane at that time. Other innovations included commencing a programme of commissioning works by leading composers based on the theme of Tyalgum. The first of these involved the committee applying for and being awarded a grant for composer Robert Davidson to produce a work titled "Tyalgum", which was performed by Patricia Pollet and Perihelion at the following year's festival. The key to the great success of the Tyalgum Festival was that the inaugural committee focused on the logistics, while John Willison focused on the program and organising the performers. It was only later that Musica Viva provided assistance with performances (particularly the Australian String Quartet), together with some grants from the New South Wales Minister for the Arts. The committee eventually obtained a Commonwealth grant of $10,000 (the highest non capital-city grant under the Keating arts grants of 1995). The money was used to seed fund the next Festival and to bring Roger Woodward to Tyalgum. The original committee remained up until 1996. Subsequent committees have continued to expand and successfully develop the Tyalgum Festival up to the present day.