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There are people interested in the coming music performances at St. Hilda’s, Katoomba.

March 15, 10am, Gospel Blues Service
March 21, 8pm, Cologne Chamber Orchestra
March 28, 2.30pm, ‘Seniors Perforning Arts’
August 22, 2.30pm, Walter Sutcliffe Organ Recital
November 28, 2pm, The Messiah
December 6, 5pm, Blue Mountains City Band

The program is now listed on http://www.sthildas.net/music.html
A full colour brochure is available for download on that page.

Elly, thanks for the details. I (as a BMFF regular) will be at the first one of course. I love the warm welcome we always get at St Hilda’s every March. I have told Ray Robinson and others that I consider myself a “regular” there-regularly there once a year on the day before the third Monday every March. I’ll see you next week.
J PS I’ll also pass on the programme to a couple of people that I think might be interested. Is it being distributed in the region by the Diocesan office?

Jean - I will be a BMFF first timer this year, having been a PFFF (Port Fairy Folk Festival) regular (2006-8) previously.  I’m only coming up for the Saturday, though…

BTW, if you to hear some more good gospel blues performances (albeit with a few secular ring-ins as well),  recordings of the 2007 and 2008 Port Fairy gospel blues shows (9am on the Sunday morning) can be purchased, by download, at http://www.liveband.com.au.  Highly recommended.

David, is there anyone in particular you are planning ot see on the Saturday? I’m particularly keen to see Chris While & Julie Matthews, Eric Bogle, Archie Roach and Paul Kelly (all of whom I have seen before-as you probably have too at PFFF), but I haven’t seen Mike McClellan or Doug Ashdown before, or Lior or Old Man Luedecke. The hardest thing is trying to juggle everyone we want to see-there are a few people where we will see half a show, then go see half of someone else. We like to move around a bit and get to see as many people as possible, although usually there will be one or two favourites that we see two or even three times
We drive up on the Friday and stay at a B&B for the weekend - have been doing it for several years now.
Most of the performers are at PFFF one week and then BMFF the next, with each having their own local performers which adds something special. My other half keeps promising that one year we’ll get to PFFF- a childhood friend of mine is a fairly regular performer there (though last year he wasn’t at Port Fairy and he was at Katoomba), and it is just something I’d love to go to. Part of my childhood was spent just west of Warrnambool so I know the area fairly well-it’s very different to the mountains but each have their very special charms.

Jean - I tend to do the same thing as you do - constantly on the move to pack in as much as possible.

I haven’t seen Chris While and Julie Matthews previously, nor the others (except for Lior) that you mention that you haven’t seen.  I am particularly wanting to catch Eliza Gilkyson, Peter Rowan, and Chase the Sun to finish up with before driving back to Sydney!  Then there’s April Verch, the Alan Kelly Quartet, etc, etc, not to mention two long time favourites of mine in Chris Wilson, and Shooglenifty.  I don’t think I will have a spare minute from 11.30(am) to 12.00( also am) .....

Port Fairy is simply magnificent.  It has a lot more local / grassroots depth than the BMFF does, which is why I made the effort to get down there three times in a row. Besides the (mainly international) acts that play both festivals whilst they are here, Port Fairy runs for 1 day longer (the Monday is a public holiday in Victoria), and also gets:

* some additional international acts that come for a Port Fairy / Womadelaide double (on the same weekend);

*  more “up and coming” acts (both locally and internationally);

* several very well loved local Victorian bands (mostly celtic) who are “part of the furniture” there;

* a spoken-word storytelling fringe, choir workshops, instrument workshops, street theatre, etc.

Unfortunately, my friends from Melbourne whom I have gone with in the past couple of years decided not to go this year, so the Blue Mountains will have to do instead.

I might come to the Walter Sutcliffe (Aug 22) if that’s the weekend I’m going on Engage Conference.  (Engage has two weekends to choose from).

David,BMFF has quite a few local performers too, although it doesn’t have that fabulous Western Districts Irish Mafia that plays at PFFF. My friend I mentioned above lives at Killarney nowadays, on the road from Warrnambool to Port Fairy, and two of his siblings are in one of those celtic bands that performed this weekend at Port Fairy. As I said, he usually does too. (Funny, he has travelled the world and ends up living about 10 miles from where we grew up!)
At Katoomba there are poets’ breakfasts on both Saturday and Sunday and there are workshops all through both days (they only started them last year and have expanded the programme this year). Although most of the international artists go to both and some only go to PFFF, there are always a few that only go to BMFF.
It is quite a bit smaller than Port Fairy, but it is still a really good festival; I’m sure you’ll have a great day.

Jean - so, what were your highlights? The two stand-outs for me were April Verch and Eliza Gilkyson. 

What is the name of your friend’s band?