Visitors to Mudgee over the next week will have the opportunity to hear some of the world’s finest pianists playing in Market Street.
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As part of the Huntington Festival, a golden piano will be located in the street and members of the public will be invited to show their musical skills.
Musicians performing in the Huntington Festival will also take their turn at the keyboard during the week.
Similar “Piano In the Street” projects in cities throughout the world, including Melbourne, have bought young and old out to tinkle the ivories.
The public piano will bring the music of Huntington Festival to more people and celebrate what Nicky Stevens of Huntington Estate describes as “a quiet revolution” in the arts in the Mid-Western Region.
Although the arts are usually seen as taking a back seat to sport in the Mid-Western Region, the region has a strong and enduring artistic tradition.
With long-established events like the Huntington Festival, now in its 27th year, the Prince of Wales Eisteddfod, in its 36th year, the long-running Gulgong Folk Festival, and relatively new events like Sculptures in the Garden and Cementa, the region has shown there is strong support for the arts, while events such as Gulgong’s triennial clay festival continue to attract international attention.
Groups like the Cudgegong Choir, Gulgong’s Prince of Wales Opera House and Henry Lawson Society and the region’s many dance schools and art groups, just to name a few, continue to foster and showcase local talent.
The redevelopment of the Mudgee Town Hall Theatre has given the Mudgee Performing Arts Society new impetus, leading to the creation of the Cudgegong Youth Theatre.
In the absence of a public art gallery, privately owned galleries such as Fairview ArtSpace and venues such as Gallery 47 at Rylstone, Artisan on Lewis and Alby & Esthers give local artists the opportunity to display their work and artlovers a chance to see works by visiting artists.
And works by some of Australia’s finest artists are on display at the Mudgee Library, thanks to local collector Gora Mann.
Hopefully the piano in the street will whet listeners’ appetite and encourage more people to explore what the many arts groups in the region have to offer.
Photo: 2015 Huntington Festival, Amber Hooper.
