by: Pepe Newton

5 April 2026, Megalong Valley, NSW

Guest Artists
Asmira Woodward-Page – violin (Artistic Director)
Jacqui Cronin – viola
Timothy Nankervis – cello
Frank Celata – clarinet
Ieva Jokubaviciute – piano

Fellows (2026)
Ellen Choung – violin
Maggie Zeng – violin
Daniel Casey – viola
Arjun Singh – cello
Reuben Johnson – piano
Jeremy Spikman – cello
Leon Spikman – double bass 

Nestled deep in the Blue Mountains, the Megalong Valley feels like a place slightly removed from time. The road winds down through fern gullies and sandstone escarpments before opening suddenly onto wide green paddocks beneath towering red cliffs. It is an expansive, quiet landscape, and at its centre sits a modest community hall that, for a few days over Easter, becomes a world stage.

The tagline for the Megalong Music Festival is “Chamber Music with a View”, and it is no marketing exaggeration. The simple besser block hall sits quietly among the trees, its clean acoustic and intimate size creating exactly the kind of space chamber music was written for: up close and conversational.

But the real story of this festival lies not only in the place, but in the people and the purpose behind it. Under the direction of violinist Asmira Woodward-Page, the festival brings together emerging Australian musicians and established professionals (including guest artists from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and internationally based performers) for a week of intensive rehearsal, mentoring and collaboration, culminating in performances like Folk and Fancy. With no government funding, the festival relies on donors, sponsors and patrons, it’s a shame because this is exactly the kind of musical initiative that deserves wider support – and too often, Australian musicians feel they must go overseas for these kinds of opportunities.

The results were clear. The young fellows did not play like students. They played like colleagues. Throughout the afternoon there was a noticeable sense of ensemble awareness, musical maturity and confidence, the kind that comes from being treated as professionals and being mentored by some of the best musicians in the country. There was also quite a lot of joy!

The program itself was cleverly curated around the idea of how folk traditions become art music. From Armenia to Peru, Korea to Spain, America to Eastern Europe, each work drew on folk traditions, dances, songs and stories, transforming them into chamber music.

Read the rest at classikON