A regional classical music festival that’s been hosted annually through pandemic lockdowns must be made of pretty tough stuff. In 2026, the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival (BCMF) celebrates its seventh anniversary from 4 to 8 February. For co-director and cellist Chris Howlett, that’s seven years of top-notch classical music, community spirit and the joy of making music in a regional destination – despite the challenges.

Bendigo Chamber Music Festival’s Community Concert. Photo supplied

“Bendigo is a very special place with a strong focus on the arts,” Howlett tells Limelight. “I truly believe you can gauge the health of an arts community by its teaching and its groups, and by this measure, Bendigo is flying.”

It’s credit, he says, to the community of Bendigo, which has long invested in its arts and culture. The Bendigo Art Gallery is one of the largest and oldest regional galleries, the 953-seater Ulumbarra Theatre has already hosted its own Ring Cycle, and the heritage-listed theatre, The Capital, celebrated its 150th in 2023. The arts are a part of the lifeblood of the city.

Alongside Bendigo’s “world-class infrastructure”, Howlett also full of praise for the local community, one brimming with “great teachers, choirs and community orchestras”.  It’s never been his – or co-director Howard Penny’s – approach to create a fly-in, fly-out kind of festival. Instead, the focus of the event is on local talent. The festival’s track record suggest its audience is on board with that commitment; this year, Howlett says, all festival passes sold out within 48 hours of their release to the public.

One the festival’s keystone annual offerings is a Saturday morning Community Concert, which invites local musicians to perform alongside the star-studded guest roster that makes up the BCMF Festival Orchestra. Taking place on 7 February, this year’s concert features violinists Sophie Rowell and Natsuko Yoshimoto and pianists Daniel De Borah and Andrea Lam.

“This year, the Community Concert has a very special place in the program because it is a fundraiser for the devastating fires that came through the area a few weeks ago, with all single ticket donations going back to the community,” says Howlett.

The Community Concert often centres Bendigo soloists, accompanied by the orchestra, which makes for some heartwarming moments for both performers and audience. In 2024, Bendigo-born performers Andrew Young and Noah Lawrence featured as soloists, and both ended their concerto performances with hugs for their first music teachers who were performing alongside them in the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra.

For the 2026 BCFM, cellist Lawrence will return to perform Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in A minor – plus, Howlett hints, “a little surprise”.

Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. Photo supplied

“Since graduating from ANAM, Noah’s gone on to be a Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellow and is currently living in Sydney,” says Howlett. “Audiences and colleagues loved him, so from a programming perspective, it totally made sense [to bring him back].”

The concert will also feature Bendigo-born, London-based violinist Patrick Savage. An in-demand performer, he’s featured with groups including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Liverpool Philharmonic, and he has recorded for The Lord of the Rings, Downton Abbey, Radiohead and Sting.

“Patrick’s enjoying an extraordinary career performing and leading orchestras, as well as being first violin in the fabulous Tippett String Quartet,” Howlett says. “He comes home to visit family in Bendigo quite regularly, and finally, our schedules aligned.”

Howlett adds that Savage will also lead a masterclass for local musicians (as will flautist Joshua Batty), one of BCFM’s other initiatives to support the local community. “Over the years, we have worked with a number of different schools, emerging artists and community groups. The masterclasses are always well attended, and it’s great to be able to support these local emerging artists.”

And Howlett’s own personal picks for the 2026 BCMF?

“Personally, I’m really looking forward to performing Novák’s Piano Trio No. 2, Quasi una ballata, with Andrea [Lam] and Matteo [Cimatti]. It’s a great piece, but it also opens the festival, and playing cello with great friends and connecting with the audience is the reason we do all the admin!”

More about the 2026 Bendigo Chamber Music Festival can be found here.