Dubbo receives a lot of inbound traffic from outlying communities like Gilgandra, Narromine, Nyngan and Warren, travelling to the regional city for shopping and entertainment.

But that traffic flow could reverse when the unique opportunity to witness world-class musicians play in remote and regional Australia returns to Warren Shire Council’s boundaries with the 2025 Warren Chamber Music Festival from May 1-4.

For those living in Dubbo, it’s a chance to see world-class musicians without having to travel to Sydney.

Frances Evans, the founder and artistic director of the Warren Chamber Music Festival, has put together a wonderful list of performers for this year’s four-show extravaganza.

Frances said people that make the trip west to any of the four concerts in early May will not be disappointed.

“It’s surprising that a world-class concert can be held in Warren,” she said. “But we were just determined to bring something really unique and special out to Warren. Being curated by a local… each concert is connected to our people and place.

“So it’s not like you are going along to a subscription concert because you like what is listed; you will like everything that is presented in these concerts. It’s a real mish-mash of popular favourites and it’s also an introduction to new and wonderful music. It’s a great combination of personalised music and quaint venues.”

Third instalment of wonderful festival

The Warren Chamber Music Festival is a biennial event, and this year will mark the third instalment of the organisation that was founded in 2021.

This year’s festival includes two performances in Warren and one each in iconic halls in Nevertire and Collie.

Four spectacular concerts will be held across the shire with world-class performers from across the southern hemisphere, including the internationally acclaimed New Zealand String Quartet.

The New Zealand String Quartet (Te Ropu Turu o Aotearoa) is the country’s longest-serving professional chamber music ensemble, being established in 1987.

Those who attend any performance get a complete visitor experience including pre-concert chats with musicians, the performances, and then even some informal catchups afterwards.

Frances said any potential visitors from Dubbo who make the day-trek for the Sunday daytime show at the Warren Art Gallery and Museum will be in for a special treat.

That event will host rural Australia’s first-ever live and digital-immersive commemorative concert. Sunday’s final experience titled ‘Lest We Forget Commemoration Concert' pays tribute to the sacrifice and service of rural men and women. The concert includes the first regional performance of F.S. Kelly's Elegy: In Memoriam Rupert Brooke.

“It's going to be very, very special,” she said. “A lot of people in Dubbo haven't seen the Warren Art Gallery and Museum. But it is truly the most remarkable space to walk into. There is no other venue like this in regional Australia. That is how special this building is.”

About the Warren Chamber Music Festival

Frances is a violinist, educator and collaborator residing on her family’s sheep and cattle property at Warren.

Alongside her, Phil Leman, Dr John Burke, Marieanne Noonan, and Rod Sandell, make up the brains trust behind the festival.

Frances studied violin and piano from a young age, her parents travelling over 200 kilometres fortnightly to Narromine and Dubbo for lessons.

After a varied musical career taking her across Australia she returned to Warren to run her family sheep and cattle property with her parents and husband Nick, a talented clarinet player.

Held at the start of May, the Warren Chamber Music Festival will begin with the first concert at the G.B.S. Falkiner Lounge, Warren Racecourse.

This is a marquee event which includes a four-course meal paired with Huntington Estate wines, complemented with a full bar service, presented alongside a curated program of music to match the culinary journey.

It is also the first of three consecutive evening concerts, the next two at Nevertire Memorial Hall and Collie CWA Hall.

The 2025 Warren Chamber Music Festival wraps up with the fourth and final concert, a daytime event, at the Warren Museum and Art Gallery.

The Warren Chamber Music Festival (WCMF) relies on sponsorships and grants to operate.

One key financial benefit was a grant from the Fund for Regional and Rural Renewal (FRRR) and many varied sponsors.

The event’s origins stemmed from when some people in Warren discovered Frances and Nick’s musical backgrounds, and simply put the question to them if a classical music festival could be held in Warren.

Who is coming?

Musicians from Queensland, Melbourne, and Sydney symphony orchestras will also perform across the four shows along with a few of their New Zealand counterparts: The New Zealand String Quartet is the headline group attending.

“This festival is really a celebration of players from right across the southern hemisphere,” she said.

Renowned Australian composer Anne Cawrse has written a new work for the festival which will have its world premiere at Nevertire.

It is the first time a piece of music in Australia has been commissioned specifically for that ensemble (clarinet quartet and chamber orchestra).

The SING Warren Community Choir will perform an arrangement of the English ballad Scarborough Fair, made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, and also John Lennon’s Imagine, in conjunction with the festival chamber orchestra.

“Expect the unexpected at these concerts,” Frances said. “You step foot into the most amazing atmosphere. Some of the works that have been performed this year have just never been performed by an ensemble of this standard in regional New South Wales. I can't say that lightly because there is fantastic quality music that comes out to Dubbo and the regional conservatoriums, but this again truly is a unique experience and a unique event.”