I was thrilled by the audience numbers and were blown away by the quality and variety of many of the acts. And I know that the audience thought this too. Congratulations to all the musicians and acts who performed at the festival! Your music enriches our lives, and we thank you for it.
I also want to thank the Inner West Council, for their financial and in-kind support, with particular thanks to Ffion and Michael for their hands-on work and Ged & Trish and the team at the Salisbury Hotel for all their support of the festival over the years. I also want to thank the local businesses, schools and St. Michael’s Church for supporting and hosting the festival. We could not have done these festivals without your support.
This festival is unusual in that it was started by Stanmore locals and is entirely run and organised by volunteers. I think that’s an amazing effort and speaks volumes about this community. I’d like to thank all the volunteers who have helped to make this festival the success it is.
Finally, the Stanmore Music Festival was started to celebrate music and community in honour of the Australian musician, conductor, educator and former Stanmore local, the late Richard Gill. It was his vision to hold a local festival to showcase music in all its forms for everyone to enjoy for free. I think what we saw in the streets of Stanmore last week was exactly what Richard hoped to see to occur in Stanmore.
We look forward to celebrating the festival with you again on Saturday 16 November 2024.
Jan McClelland
2023 Festival Director, on behalf of the Stanmore Music Festival Association