Cross-border collaboration encourages art song evolution

A regional conservatorium and a capital city theatre have joined forces to bring the art song tradition into the 21st century.

Nigel Featherstone in rehearsal with James Humberstone at the Sydney Con. Photo credit: Ryley Gillen

From Dubbo to Deniliquin and Wagga Wagga to Wollongong, a network of regional conservatoriums across NSW provides music and arts education and enrichment programs to some 24,000 students throughout the state.

As well as specialist instrumental and vocal training, the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums also run annual performance programs, and provide ongoing employment opportunities for artists and music teachers – including significant commissions.  

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts