News
V/Line Replacement Coaches
May 15, 2022
Please note that the Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill lines, will have coaches replacing trains from the evening of Friday 3 June to last service Wednesday 29 June 2022.
More information is available on the V/Line website.
Fireworks Volunteers
May 10, 2022
New WWAF volunteers who are also our Fireworks subcommittee:
L-R – David Rivers (new committee member and Tourism lead), Greg Hayward (Fireworks Co-Ordinator), Jacqueline Ogeil (Founder, Artistic Director of WWAF), Angela Whiteley, Volunteers Co-ordinator.
The fireworks will go ahead in rainy weather.
Woodend Program for 2022
April 28, 2022
Our program is now live for 2022. Download the program flyer or check out our program page for dates and tickets!
WOODEND WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL 2022
April 20, 2022
Friday 10 June – Monday 13 June
Fireworks will go ahead for the first time since 2019!
With a smaller edition of the Festival taking place over the Queen’s birthday long weekend.
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival is the successful recipient of a Regional Community Event Fund grant. This funding will go towards hosting the ever popular fireworks display in the heart of Woodend on Friday 10 June. The fireworks will light up the sky from 6:30pm at Buffalo stadium, with quality entertainment and food vans for everyone to enjoy beforehand. This will be a free event for the community. Being outdoors, it will also be a Covid safe event. WWAF would like to acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government for this grant which makes the fireworks possible.
In light of continued Covid-19 uncertainties, combined with the news that WWAF’s main festival hub, the St Ambrose Hall, is currently out of action due to significant renovations works at St Ambrose School, the Festival committee have decided not to stage a full festival in 2022. As a not-for-profit volunteer organisation, WWAF relies heavily on ticket sales to pay its performers and to cover other operational expenses.
The WWAF committee is not discouraged by this news and have resolved to spend this year strengthening and rebuilding the Festival’s support networks, with a view to coming back stronger and more resilient in 2023.
In addition to the fireworks, the reduced WWAF program for 2022 still has multiple events to get excited about! Highlights include a concert from the Australian Romantic Classic Orchestra performing Schubert; a Michael Dillon film “A little bit Mongolian” with Dean Frenkel teaching throat singing; Ensemble Gombert in concert; and the Sheila Drummond Memorial lecture. The Festival’s school incursions program will also go ahead with the Australian Romantic and Classic Orchestra.
The full program will be launched soon. Keep an eye on the Woodend Winter Arts Festival website, woodendwinterartsfestival.org.au for further details.
We are looking for volunteers to help out over the long weekend. Please email us to indicate your interest for the June Queen’s Birthday long weekend, and areas that you are interested in helping out with. WWAF has held 18 years of Festivals.
Afternoon Jazz with the Melbourne Octet
February 22, 2022
Join us for a programme of acapella jazz!
2pm, Sunday 3rd April
Much of the repertoire in this programme was written in a period of history that saw recovery from a war and a devastating pandemic followed by the rule of several dictators across the world, mass unemployment, discrimination against and persecution of various groups, and unrest in international relations. Nearly a century later, the world has a disturbingly similar set of circumstances.
The lighthearted, slightly naughty, uplifting songs of this period were an escapist remedy for the times. Sumptuous harmonies, witty lyrics and cheerful melodies are an excellent distraction for the times we are now in.
The programme:
- Let’s Misbehave
- Dayton, Ohio
- It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t got that Swing
- Blue Moon
- Dream a little Dream of Me
- Night and Day
- The Girl from Ipanema
- The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
- Tea for two
- Begin the Beguine
- The Way You Look Tonight
- Beyond the Sea
- Soul Bossa Nova
The Melbourne Octet
The Melbourne Octet was formed with the aim of presenting contemporary works to audiences both in Australia and internationally, as well as familiar, well-loved repertoire. We bring a combined experience in ensemble singing that allows us to explore rarely heard works, and we aim to provide a platform for Australian composers and arrangers.
The Octet is made up of professional voices; regular soloists or chorus in opera, oratorio or jazz, all with a love for eight part harmony.
- Elspeth Bawden
- Kristy Biber
- Helena Ekins
- Christopher Roache
- Anish Nair
- Timothy Reynold
- Mitchell Relf
- Jerzy Kozłowski
Tickets for this event are available via Trybooking
We look forward to seeing you at WWAF 10th – 13th June 2022.
October 16, 2021
WWAF continues to reflect, regroup and evolve during COVID.
We will see you in 2022.
Be sure to check this webpage for updates, join our mailing list and keep the Queen’s birthday long weekend free.
June 10 – 13, 2022
We would like to thank the Macedon Ranges Shire Council for their support.
Keep safe.
Delighting Daphne – online with Davide Monti & Maria Cleary
August 23, 2021
Join us this week at the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall
7pm, Thursday 26 August.
We were thrilled when the opportunity came up for Delighting Daphne – the online event created for this year’s Festival by Arparla (Davide Monti, violin and Maria Christina Cleary on harp) to be a part of one of Melbourne’s newest concert venues – the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall. This is an initiative we can get behind as it provides a way to support artists and performers right now, with so many options to help get you through this lockdown (and any to come).
This isn’t just a concert, this is a tour of an extraordinary 16th century Villa Verita Fraccaroli in Verona, Italy. Tickets are just $24.
To book your tickets please visit the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall website.
This performance was made possible by the support of Culture Ireland.
Woodend Winter Arts Festival cancelled.
August 16, 2021
We didn’t want this to happen – but who did? We’re so sorry Festival fans, but we just can’t have our final fling this weekend due to the extended Melbourne lockdown. We are beyond sad to end the 2021 WWAF so abruptly, but most of our performers for this weekend are from Melbourne. You can see our problem!
All ticketholders are being contacted directly by email and will be refunded (unless they advise us they prefer to donate their ticket price). If you have queries, you can contact us on woodendwinterarts@gmail.com
Meanwhile, any chance you get, please support the artists – the performers, musicians, writers and creatives everywhere – whenever and wherever you can.
We’ll take a bit of time to recover from our disappointment and look forward to putting our energy and our hope in 2022.
Woodend Winter Arts Festival postponed.
August 7, 2021
The Woodend Winter Arts Festival has been postponed until the 21st-22nd August due to the announcement of lockdown.
Should you no longer be able to attend the event, please contact us via email for a refund at woodendwinterarts@gmail.com. As we have volunteers working behind the scenes we appreciate your patience and will endeavour to process refunds as soon as possible.
We are sorry for any disappointment caused but hope you are able to join us in two weeks time for a wonderful weekend of music and art.
A Little Bit Mongolian – slightly delayed due to restrictions
July 30, 2021
This event will be delayed by some weeks until the restrictions allow for singing indoors by the audience. All ticket holders have received information and as soon as the new date is confirmed, information will be sent to all ticket holders. We hope it will only be a matter of a few weeks until we can safely hold this event.