An interview with Woodend Winter Arts Festival founder and artistic director Jacqueline Ogeil.
Midland Express: Jacky, you are celebrating 20 festivals this year, can you tell us what it means to reach this milestone?
Amazement. It has gone so quickly. But also feels longer because the township has changed so much, as has society, and the pandemic has been disorientating. But the festival itself feels forever fresh and our audiences keep renewing.
Q: How did the idea for WWAF come about in the first place?
The idea came to me when my husband and I stopped for a cup of coffee in Woodend. We were on the rebound from wanting to move to France and start up an artists commune with Paul Cox and Theo Van Gogh, when the grand c1600 property we were going to purchase together, was taken off the market. We were inspired by the French village festival model, namely Aix en Provence, which we had participated in. At the time we were both performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and we wanted to create something in contrast to the Arts Centre model. One where audiences were up close in the performance context and had an opportunity to socialise with artists by wandering across the street and sitting and chatting in cafes.
Looking in the real estate windows we found the house of our dreams for sale in Woodend and snapped it up. I turned to John and said we could start a festival here, and then discovered St Ambrose Church and its glorious acoustics. All of that was in 2001. The not-for-profit company was formed in 2004, and our first festival was held in 2005. I chose the winter long weekend because at the time, I studied what was going on around Australia on long weekends and the winter Queen’s birthday was free. At that time, Woodend was also nicknamed ‘Deadend’. Everything shut at 4pm and it rained heavily all weekend. Nothing was going on. Perfect for poetry readings, philosophical discussions and concerts!
Q: Tell us about some highlights over the years?
That’s almost impossible! I am biased and loved all of them and all the various parts. Premier baroque operas, international artists, brilliant guest speakers, intimate chamber concerts and large-scale choral and orchestral works. Seeing students’ faces light up with school incursions, the fun and surprise of flash mobs, Mary Larnach Jones’s artwork on the clocktower, the fireworks in 2024, which were our best, silent film shown to live accompaniment, music marathons including 24 hours of Satie’s Vexations, and so much more.
Q: Lots of other festivals didn’t survive Covid or have succumbed to cost-of-living pressures – tell us how you’ve not only survived, but thrived?
A month before the pandemic we lost one of our founding members, Sheila Drummond, and we were very shaken by her passing. Then we had to act quickly. I drew on the expertise of our highly skilled committee members. We have a business plan that has worked for us and we were prepared to experiment and be flexible. Our artistic content is authentic and has integrity, which is core to our purpose. At all times we are realistic and honest with what we could achieve, we pivoted yet remained focused on this core purpose. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing volunteer committee. I really want to pay tribute to our incredible committee and volunteer base, some of whom have supported us from the beginning – Irene O’Duffy, Don Drummond, Tom Foote as the longest-standing members, and of course, our president John O’Donnell.
Q: Tell us what WWAF has delivered to the Macedon Ranges economy over the years?
We are highly focused in our content and delivery. We know our audiences and have brought a repeat audience rate of 82 per cent. The design of the program means there is time to stay, shop and visit. Cultural tourism has been at the centre of our business plan, which was influenced by our reimagining of the French village festival model. As a result, economic analysis has shown that we have provided the highest grossing weekend of the year for the township of Woodend on multiple occasions and our publicity has also benefited the community.
Q: What can we look forward to in 2025?
An expanded program that is built around our classical music performances and words and ideas. We will showcase film and theatre and celebrate the 250th year of Jane Austen’s birth. We welcome back international artists to our lineup and old artistic friends who presented in our first festival. The model remains the same but it is shaded in different colours. It will be jam-packed with activities as ever!
The program for the 20th edition of the Woodend Winter Arts Festival will be launched with a special performance by Ensemble Gombert – Seven Centuries of Choral Music. It will take place at 3pm on Saturday March 29 at St Ambrose Church in Woodend.
