Beginning with a performance in Condobolin on the weekend, the Canberra-based vocal sextet Luminescence is taking its music to places that have been, until relatively recently, far off the beaten track – places like Stuart Town (population approximately 500) on the Central Western Slopes of NSW, and Kandos (home to about 1200 people) on the Central Tablelands.

Until the Create NSW-funded Music in the Regions was established in 2021, towns and hamlets like these seldom had a chance to experience the work of top-tier artists, says the organisation’s General Manager and Producer Ian Whitney.

“There are about 3 million people in New South Wales who live outside of the metropolitan areas. They have been underserved in terms of cultural activity, and that’s where we step in with our touring programs. The Luminescence tour is the 11th we’ve done in two years. I’ve seen a lot more of this state than I ever imagined I would.”

Music in the Regions: Nexas Quartet at Nundle, NSW, 2022. Photo supplied

Bringing fine music to the smaller towns is vital, Whitney says. “The impact you make by playing in them is extraordinary. You...