That's exactly what the Four Winds achieved for the bushfire-affected town of Bermagui on the Far South Coast of NSW in 2020-despite the event being cancelled due to a lockdown.
With support through our Festivals Australia program, Four Winds commissioned composer, conductor and choir leader Gordon Hamilton to compose a song for the town that was still reeling from the 'Black Summer' bushfires.
His original song 'Tiny Movements' was inspired by a series of poems called 'Small Kingdoms' by Canberra-based poet Anita Patel. The poems are from the book 'Heart Stitched'-a collaboration with Far South Coast visual artist Annie Franklin.
The plan was for interested Bermagui locals to learn the song at a workshop to perform at the 2020 Four Winds Easter Festival Community Concert.
When the COVID-19 lockdown affected these plans, Four Winds 2020 Director James Crabb and The Australian Voices joined forces to record the song virtually-then gifted it to the town.
The song is now part of the Four Winds' Create & Inspire education program.
Festivals Australia provides people living in remote or regional towns like Bermagui with the opportunity to be part of a festival experience, or community celebration.
An extra $2.4 million is available for projects planned for 2022 through the Festivals Australia program as part of the Regional Arts Tourism package.
