2020 Theme : Reflection

“Time and reflection change the sight little by little ‘til we come to understand”
– Paul Cezanne

In all our lives, we have times when unexpected events change us and our view of life, as these times inevitably catalyse periods of deep reflection.

The global pandemic and consequent lockdowns have made it impossible for us as performing musicians to do what we do to survive and thrive – tell stories through music in person to other people.

This has struck to the core of the identity of every performer, but after the initial shock and questioning of our life choices, the situation has forced us to clearly redefine the intrinsic function and value of Art in society.

We have steeled our resolve to continue in our duty to gather people together to offer challenging and enriching experiences, and to pursue our shared human goals of seeking understanding and meaning through the exploration of the past, navigation of the present, and a reimagining of the future.

We also reflect on the beautiful town of Port Fairy which has been home to 30 of our Festivals so far – how could we bring that unique sense of place to this year’s Digital Festival? We have interwoven our program with the artworks of eight spectacular South West Victorian visual artists, to remind us of what might have been, and of where we will celebrate our return in 2021.

Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos, 2020