There are few better places to spend a week making music than on the banks of the Shoalhaven River. For the members of Killalea Strings, our recent week-long residency at Bundanon was an experience filled with music, learning, laughter and plenty of memorable moments.
Based in Wollongong, Killalea Strings is an amateur string orchestra bringing together adult musicians with a shared love of playing. The Bundanon residency offered a wonderful opportunity to step away from our usual rehearsals, immerse ourselves in music and learn from some of Australia's finest musicians and educators.
Throughout the week, we took part in masterclasses, specialist workshops and coaching sessions, exploring everything from instrumental technique to the Alexander Technique. We also worked intensively on a program of music, developing our skills, building confidence and discovering just how much we could achieve together.
The week culminated in a concert on Saturday afternoon, with a full house joining us for Down by the River. A particularly special moment was the world premiere of The Australian Wildflower Suite for String Orchestra, a beautiful new work by Southern Highlands composer Ann Carr-Boyd, specially commissioned by Killalea Strings. It was a privilege to bring this music to life for the very first time.
A residency like this takes a wonderful team of people to make it happen, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the week possible. A huge thank you to all our members, whose time and dedication brought life to this idea; to Bundanon for awarding us the residency and welcoming us into such an extraordinary setting; and to Deborah and Chris from Ravenous Food Company, who stayed alongside us throughout the week and kept us wonderfully well fed with their delicious meals.
We are also grateful to Ann Carr-Boyd for sharing her music with us, and to Create NSW and Friends of Wollongong Community Music for their generous support in helping make the residency accessible to our members.
We returned home with new musical skills, wonderful memories, new friendships and a renewed enthusiasm for making music together. It was a week that reminded us why we play, and just how rewarding it can be to take on something extraordinary as a community of musicians.
