Music in the Regions’ Mid North Coast tour was Suite mágica
Emily Blanch and Andrew Granger at Coramba Community Hall, the first stop on their Music in the Regions Suite mágica tour. Image: Lyss Photo Stories
From the rolling green hills of the Coramba valley to the picturesque oceanside villages of Sawtell, Nambucca Heads and Tuncurry, a gorgeous vineyard at Lake Cathie, and the historic country towns of Bowraville and Kempsey, Music in the Regions experienced the best of the Mid North Coast during our latest tour, Suite mágica, featuring celebrated guitarist Andrew Blanch and harpist Emily Granger.
While the weather was not always on our side, Andrew and Emily took to the road for five Music in the Regions concerts and three community events during the 10-day tour, playing to packed venues and experiencing warm country and coastal hospitality, appreciative audiences and a legion of new fans.
CORAMBA, 14 May
The first tour stop was just west of Coffs Harbour at the Coramba Community Hall, which was built in 1914. Here, Andrew and Emily combined their instruments of classical guitar and harp in a recital program full of beauty, versatility and energy; and explored music from Granados and Ravel as well as new works by Australian composers Elena Kats-Chernin and Ross Edwards.
Emily and Andrew performing on stage at Coramba Community Hall. Image: Lyss Photo Stories
Of the venue, Emily said: “For me as an American, this building looked like pure Australiana! With the misty mountains in the background, the open valley with cows grazing amongst the pasture, and the kookaburras laughing, I was just waiting for a wallaby to bounce by!”
bowraville, 15 may
On Day 2 Andrew and Emily travelled to another historic location - Bowraville - where the duo played at the Bowraville Theatre as part of 'Wajaarrgu Darruyaygamgu - For Healing and Country', an event for bushfire affected people of the Nambucca Valley. Commenting on being a part of the event, Emily said, "How special for Andrew and I to bring our music to be a part of this healing process."
Emily talks about her experiences playing harp with the Sawtell Monday Ukulele Group as part of the Music in the Regions community event program. Image: Kirsty Fikkers
sawtell, 16 may
Day 3 saw a trip back up the coast to the beautiful village of Sawtell where Andrew and Emily had the pleasure of working with Uko Ono’s Sawtell Monday Ukulele Group, something they were a bit nervous about as neither of them had ever played ukulele! However music transcended everything and the group of 30-some ukuleles performed three songs along with Andrew’s guitar and Emily’s harp, including a very moving rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The event also saw discussions about all things plucking and Andrew and Emily performed some duos and solos.
nambucca heads, 17 may
The next day, Emily and Andrew headed back south to the seaside town of Nambucca Heads for a performance at Nambucca Heads Island Golf Club - not the usual kind of venue for these classical musos. The event featured a three-course dinner and matching wines paired with a classical music concert, and Andrew and Emily performed two sets between courses.
The duo stayed after the concert to chat with patrons, sign CDs and answer questions about their instruments and lives in classical music - and also because the driveway off the island was underwater due to a king tide! Of the event, Emily said: “The audience was absolutely fabulous and we really hope an event like this can happen again soon!”
An intimate performance for the audience at West Kempsey’s Oddfellows Hall. Image: Music in the Regions
kempsey, 18 may
At the next concert Andrew and Emily tried something a little different - setting up in the middle of Kempsey’s Oddfellows Hall with the audience surrounding them. And the audience loved it! Emily recalled: “We gave them such an intimate experience sitting so close to us they could see the subtle facial and body cues we use when performing and could even watch my feet going crazy with all the pedal changes. A large part of the audience members are all keen kayakers, so they asked to hear River Right Rhumba which is all about a kayaking journey down a river in Southern Oregon.”
forster-tuncurry, 19 & 20 may
The next stop was a very special occasion for Andrew and Emily, who performed for patrons and volunteers at the Forster Community Kitchen. Emily said: “So many people came up to us thanking us for the beautiful music and saying how it brightened their day. It’s a joy to share what we do outside of the concert halls and connect with people in a meaningful way.”
Andrew and Emily with Pastor Wendy Ballard at Tuncurry’s Community of Christ Church. Image: Music in the Regions
The following evening, Andrew and Emily hit the stage again at Tuncurry’s Community of Christ Church to a warm and receptive full house including Music in the Regions Chair Naseema Sparks and Board Member Karen Moses. The duo had friends come all the way from Craven Creek to watch the concert, and they even made some new ones including harpist Hank Meadows.
port macquarie, 22 may
The final stop of the tour was the stunning Long Point Vineyard at Lake Cathie, just south of Port Macquarie, where their performance took place in a packed marquee space - a welcome haven for the audience against the torrential rain storm outside. Delicious cheese and wine paired nicely with Andrew and Emily’s classical sounds, and the audience was appreciative the concert went ahead despite the weather.
Melanie Leitch, Sales, Marketing & Events at Long Point Vineyard, said: "It was a fun concert with high quality music that reached a different audience to our previous events. We greatly appreciated the talent of the performers and everyone had a great day."
A warm and appreciative audience at Long Point Vineyard, where a storm set in before Andrew and Emily’s performance. Image: Lucy Humphries
Of their time touring the NSW Mid North Coast, Emily said: “It was a pleasure to collaborate with Music in the Regions in bringing our love of the classical music art form to audiences outside metropolitan Sydney who don’t normally have access to such concerts. It’s always a privilege for us to share our music with enthusiastic audiences who welcomed us and our music with open arms.”