The launch event is coming up!

Festival Launch Concert

On Saturday 29 March, Ensemble Gombert will perform Choral Delights of Seven Centuries, featuring choral music from the 15th to the 21st century. This incredible concert showcases everything from Renaissance polyphony to modern Australian compositions.

Grab your tickets now while they are still available!

When: Saturday 29 March, 2025, 3pm
Where: St Ambrose Church, Woodend
Tickets: $45 for adults, $40 for concession, $20 for children

The full 2025 festival program will be announced at the launch!

Midland Express interviewed Festival Founder Jacqueline Ogeil ahead of the Launch.

Here are some highlights:

Q: Jacky, you are celebrating 20 festivals this year, can you tell us what it means to reach this milestone? 

Amazement. It has gone so quickly. But also feels longer because the township has changed so much, as has society, and the pandemic has been disorientating. But the festival itself feels forever fresh and our audiences keep renewing.

Q: How did the idea for WWAF come about in the first place?

The idea came to me when my husband and I stopped for a cup of coffee in Woodend. We were on the rebound from wanting to move to France and start up an artists commune with Paul Cox and Theo Van Gogh, when the grand c1600 property we were going to purchase together, was taken off the market. We were inspired by the French village festival model, namely Aix en Provence, which we had participated in. At the time we were both performing with the MSO and we wanted to create something in contrast to the Arts Centre model. One where audiences were up close in the performance context and had an opportunity to socialise with artists by wandering across the street and sitting and chatting in cafes.

Looking in the real estate windows we found the house of our dreams in for sale in Woodend and snapped it up. I turned to John and said we could start a festival here, and then discovered St Ambrose Church and its glorious acoustics. All of that was in 2001. The not for profit company was formed in 2004, and our first Festival was held in 2005. I chose the winter long weekend because at the time, I studied what was going on around Australia on long weekends and the winter Queen’s birthday was free. At that time, Woodend was also nicknamed “Deadend”. Everything shut at 4pm and it rained heavily all weekend. Nothing was going on. Perfect for poetry readings, philosophical discussions and concerts!

Q: Tell us about some highlights over the years?

That’s almost impossible! I am biased and loved all of them and all the various parts. Premier baroque operas, international artists, brilliant guest speakers, intimate chamber concerts and large scale choral and orchestral works. Seeing students faces light up with school incursions, the fun and surprise of flash mobs, Mary Larnach Jones’s artwork on the clocktower, the fireworks in 2024 which were our best, silent film shown to live accompaniment, music marathons including 24 hours of Satie’s Vexations, and so much more.

Q: What can we look forward to in 2025? 

An expanded program that is built around our classical music performances and words and ideas. We will showcase film and theatre and celebrate the 250^th year of Jane Austen’s birth. We welcome back international artists to our line up and old artistic friends who presented in our first festival. The model remains the same but it is shaded in different colours. It will be jam packed with activities as ever!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We are always on the hunt for volunteers, with a variety of roles available. Volunteering is a fantastic way to meet new people, while being involved in a fun and engaging event. If this is of interest, please get in touch with the WWAF team via email at woodendwinterarts@gmail.com.

The Woodend Winter Arts Festival is a registered charity. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Donate here or visit our website for more information on how to donate.