Our vision is to create a large scale, world class classical music festival that celebrates chamber music, community spirit and the City of Greater Bendigo. Co-directors Chris Howlett and Howard Penny unite to bring their love of chamber music to life in this regional festival.
The festival will be based on three pillars
- Mainstage performances
- Community engagement programs
- In-depth educational programs
The main program will include 14 concerts and will combine the very best Australian and emerging artists. The program, curated by Chris and Howard, will combine familiar chamber music works with those less frequent on the concert stages.
The community engagement program will bring together community choirs and or orchestras from around Australia with local Bendigo groups for an intensive rehearsal period and mainstage performance. It will also see world class international artists work with local community groups in workshops, side by side projects as well as public and private masterclasses.
Howard and Chris both have a strong passion for education and this is reflected in BCMF’s large scale, in-depth educational program.
BCFM is scheduled for the second week in February every year, activating many of the stunning venues throughout Bendigo.