Tyalgum, New South Wales

Last updated

Tyalgum
New South Wales
Tyalgum.JPG
Australia Day, Coolman Street, Tyalgum
Australia New South Wales location map blank.svg
Red pog.svg
Tyalgum
Coordinates 28°21′30″S153°12′28″E / 28.35833°S 153.20778°E / -28.35833; 153.20778
Population521 (2021 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 2484
Elevation55.0 m (180 ft) [2]
LGA(s) Tweed Shire
State electorate(s) Lismore
Federal division(s) Richmond
Mean max tempMean min tempAnnual rainfall
29.4 °C
85 °F
12.5 °C
55 °F
1,555.4 mm
61.2 in

Tyalgum is a rural village located in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. At the 2021 census, Tyalgum had a population of 521 people. [3]

Contents

By road, Tyalgum is located approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) west of Murwillumbah, 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the Gold Coast, and 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Brisbane.

Tyalgum is situated at the junction of the Pumpenbil and Tyalgum creeks, which provide Tyalgum with its water supply. During early years of settlement, these waterways would have been used to transport giant red cedar logs that were felled in the area.[ citation needed ] Other natural features include the valley environment around the village, created by the Border Ranges and Mount Warning.

Important structures in Tyalgum include the Flutterbies Cottage Cafe, The Little Shop Next Door, Tyalgum Store (established in 1907), Tyalgum Hall, venue of an annual Classical Musical Festival, and Tyalgum Garage, which is located in the old Norco Dairy Manufacturer Building.

As of 2016, there are plans for Tyalgum to disconnect from the electricity grid and produce renewable power locally, primarily using solar power and battery storage. [4] [ needs update ]

Climate

Tyalgum has a temperate climate. It has a mean annual temperature of 18.9 °C (66.0 °F). The rainfall is generally high with an annual mean of 1,555.4 millimetres (61.24 in), most of which occurs during the summer months. For the last few years[ when? ] the region has been suffering from drought.

Demographics

In the 2021 census, Tyalgum recorded a population of 521 people, 50% female and 50% male.

The median age of the Tyalgum population was 46 years old, one year above the national median of 38.

77.9% of people living in Tyalgum were born in Australia. Other top responses for country of birth were England (5.2%), New Zealand (2.1%), South Africa (1.2%), the United States of America (1.0%), and Germany (0.8%).

95.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.6% Punjabi, 0.6% German, 0.6% Mandarin, and 0.6% Thai. [1]

Classical Music Festival

The Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music was started in 1991 by concert violinists Carmel Kaine and John Willison, after they discovered the acoustics of the village Hall. Since then, the festival has been held annually in September as one of Australia's premier classical events. Numerous artists have ranked the 1908 hall alongside some of the best concert venues in the world. [5]

The Birth of the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music - 1991

The Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music, also known as the Tyalgum Festival, was born out of the combination of two events.

In 1990, Carmel Kaine, an original member and concertmaster of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and John Willison, former Principal Second Violin of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, purchased a country retreat at Limpinwood not far from Tyalgum in the Tweed Valley. They had recently taken up teaching positions at the Queensland Conservatory of Music. Shortly after their arrival at Limpinwood they were invited to dinner at the home of their neighbour, social worker Jean Brewer. As a result of discussions over dinner, Carmel and John decided to hold a concert in their home and invite interested locals from Murwillumbah and the local Tyalgum district. The objective was to see if there were enough people interested in attending continuing musical soirées in their home. The concert took place in early 1991 in the lounge room of John and Carmel's home. A group of principal teachers from the Queensland Conservatory of Music performed Schubert's Octet. At the end of the concert a meeting was convened, with a number of those attending including Margot and Doug Anthony, Jean Brewer, Peter and Judy Budd, Viv and Neville Hibbard and Murwillumbah lawyer Greg Rooney. They all agreed that a further concert should be held. However, it was suggested that it be held in the historic Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall.

The Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall

In 1986, local Tyalgum theatrical artists William Gill and Les Peterkin formed the Tyalgum Theatre Group, and produced a number of theatrical spectaculars at the Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall. However, there was a constant problem with the uninsulated corrugated iron roof: whenever it rained, performances had to stop because of the loud noise. It was suggested that a remedy might be to insulate the ceiling. At the time, Peter Knowland, one of Australia's leading acoustic engineers, visited Murwillumbah as part of the feasibility study for a proposed Amphitheatre there. He was asked to also visit the Murwillumbah Civic Centre (which was having acoustic problems) and the Tyalgum Literary Institute Hall. His advice was to not insulate the internal roof structure as in his opinion the Hall had an excellent acoustic. In his view this resulted from a combination of the ripple corrugated iron ceiling that dispersed the echo, the wooden floors and the particular dimensions of the hall that gave it a warm and clear sound.

Another influence on the birth of the Tyalgum Festival was a concert arranged in the late 1980s by Musica Viva. The performance was by the Australia Ensemble led by Dean Olding at the Anglican Church in Murwillumbah. There were six people in the audience, fewer than the number of performers on stage. The importance of having an inspiring venue that would complement excellent performances and attract audiences became clear. It was also felt that Musica Viva might agree to continue subsidising performances in the Tweed Valley if a better venue could be found.

The Limpinwood Ensemble

It was agreed, based on the acoustic report of Peter Knowland, that Carmel and John and their associates at the Queensland Conservatory of Music would perform a one-off concert at the Tyalgum Hall in the later part of 1991. A local committee was formed to organise a concert with John and Carmel organizing the program. It was decided that John and Carmel's ensemble needed a formal name for publicity purposes. The Limpinwood Ensemble was thus born. The ticket price included a full supper provided by Jean Brewer and Sue Pepper. The concert was a sell-out and a great success. The on-site meal feature was continued, with the assistance of Tyalgum chef Gary Jackson, for subsequent concerts as a way of developing the social enhancement of the Tyalgum experience. The upstairs "Jade Room" at the back of the hall became the venue for Festival meals. The core founding committee of the Tyalgum Festival consisted of President Greg Rooney (1991 to 1996), Vice President Viv Hibbard, Secretary Jean Brewer and Neville Hibbard. There were a number of concerts during the early part of 1992, with the first Tyalgum Festival held over the first weekend of September 1992. The first festival included the provision of home hosting, natural history walks, a Sunday church service, a Sunday concert in the Showgrounds Park and a number of fringe events. The committee recognised the value of marketing and so developed a database of supporters by instigating a "Friends of the Tyalgum Festival" programme. The Tyalgum Festival was established without any government funding so the financial risk fell to the local committee. However, each concert during the early part of 1992 and subsequent early years made a profit sufficient to fund the weekend Festival in September. Because of its success in attracting good audiences the committee was able to pay the performers at rates higher than were being paid in Brisbane at that time. Other innovations included commencing a programme of commissioning works by leading composers based on the theme of Tyalgum. The first of these involved the committee applying for and being awarded a grant for composer Robert Davidson to produce a work titled "Tyalgum", which was performed by Patricia Pollet and Perihelion at the following year's festival. The key to the great success of the Tyalgum Festival was that the inaugural committee focused on the logistics, while John Willison focused on the program and organising the performers. It was only later that Musica Viva provided assistance with performances (particularly the Australian String Quartet), together with some grants from the New South Wales Minister for the Arts. The committee eventually obtained a Commonwealth grant of $10,000 (the highest non capital-city grant under the Keating arts grants of 1995). The money was used to seed fund the next Festival and to bring Roger Woodward to Tyalgum. The original committee remained up until 1996. Subsequent committees have continued to expand and successfully develop the Tyalgum Festival up to the present day.

The Bakehouse Pottery and Galleria Artisans

Potter Les Peterkin purchased the village bakery in 1981 and converted it into the Bakehouse Pottery (now the Flutterbies Cottage Cafe). It has become a popular local feature as well as tourist attraction in the village. Les Peterkin's pottery has become well known and is now highly sought after. His website features over 400 of his works. Les Peterkin was also a part-time teacher at the Tyalgum Primary School, and the "Les Peterkin Portrait Prize" for children was introduced in 1994. It attracts thousands of entries from thirty local schools every year, with entries shown at the Tweed River Gallery in Murwillumbah, usually in October.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murwillumbah</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Murwillumbah is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-east of Sydney, 13 km south of the Queensland border and 132 km south of Brisbane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tweed Shire</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Tweed Shire is a local government area located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It is adjacent to the border with Queensland, where that meets the Coral Sea. Administered from the town of Murwillumbah, Tweed Shire covers an area of 1,321 square kilometres (510 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1947. It was named for the Tweed River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwilym Simcock</span> Welsh pianist and composer

Gwilym Simcock is a Welsh pianist and composer working in both jazz and classical music. He was chosen as one of the 1000 Most Influential People in London by the Evening Standard. He was featured on the front cover of the August 2007 issue of the UK's Jazzwise magazine.

The music of the Marche, a region of Italy, has been shaped by the fact that the entire region is a collection of small centers of population. There is no cultural giant to be found—no Florence or Naples—that might have shaped the cultural and musical expressions of the entire region. There is not a town in the region with more than 100,000 population, but there are 246 total towns, and they support no fewer than 113 theaters, a cultural building boom that started in the late 18th century. Historically, the entire area was home to a great number of monasteries and abbeys in the Middle Ages, institutions that had choirs and were active in the musical lives of the inhabitants. That period is still obscure and is currently the subject of musicological research. In the modern age, the region has a vibrant musical life.

Musica Viva, also known as Musica Viva Australia, is a national organisation in Australia dedicated to chamber music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Recital Hall</span> Concert venue in Sydney, Australia

City Recital Hall in Sydney, Australia, is a purpose-built concert venue with the capacity for an audience of 1,238 people seated over three tiers of sloped seating. It is situated in the city centre in Angel Place, just off Martin Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow International House of Music</span> Performing arts center in Moscow, Russia

The Moscow International Performing Arts Centre was officially opened on September 28, 2003 with the debut of a new orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Russia under musical director Vladimir Spivakov. Also known as the Moscow International House of Music, it is situated on the Kosmodamianskaya Embankment off the Garden Ring Road.

Carmel Kaine was an Australian classical violinist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Recital Centre</span> A contemporary public building for music performances.

Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) is a venue and organisation for live music in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classical and chamber music, contemporary, pop, folk, rock, electronica, indie, jazz, cabaret and world music. Opened in 2009, the centre is Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music.

Ronald Thomas is an American cellist known for his work as a soloist and chamber musician. Thomas has made guest appearances with some of the world's finest orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Handel and Haydn Society, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, and the Blossom Festival Orchestra among others. He has played recitals in nearly every state including performances in the cities of New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Los Angeles. Thomas has also performed throughout Europe and Asia.

LARES is an electronic sound enhancement system that uses microprocessors to control multiple loudspeakers and microphones placed around a performance space for the purpose of providing active acoustic treatment. LARES was invented in Massachusetts in 1988, by Dr David Griesinger and Steve Barbar who were working at Lexicon, Inc. LARES was given its own company division in 1990, and LARES Associates was formed in 1995 as a separate corporation. Since then, hundreds of LARES systems have been used in concert halls, opera houses performance venues, and houses of worship from outdoor music festivals to permanent indoor symphony halls.

Boston Musica Viva is a Boston, Massachusetts-based music ensemble founded by its music director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music.

Ernest Victor Llewellyn CBE was an Australian violinist, concertmaster, violist, conductor and musical administrator. He was the founding director of the Canberra School of Music and is commemorated by Llewellyn Hall, the concert venue at the School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Blumenthal (pianist)</span> Musical artist

Daniel Blumenthal is a German-born American pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbican Centre</span> Performing arts centre in London, England

The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. The Barbican Centre is a member of the Global Cultural Districts Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giorgi Latso</span> Musical artist

Giorgi Latso is a Georgian-American concert pianist, film composer, arranger, adjudicator, improviser and Doctor of Musical Arts. He is listed on the list of famous alumni from USC Thornton School of Music. Latso has won several international piano competitions and awards. He is best known for his interpretations of Chopin and Debussy. His concerts have been broadcast on radio and television in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Ben Opie is a classically trained oboist and artistic director from Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carles & Sofia Piano Duo</span> Spanish pianist duo

Carles & Sofia Piano Duo is the name of the duo of pianists consisting of Carles (Carlos) Lama, born 26 February 1970 in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, and Sofia Cabruja, born 11 May 1965 also in Girona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian classical music</span> Genre of music of Australia

Australian classical music has developed from early years in the Australian colonies, until today. Today, each state has an orchestra and there are many major venues where classical music is performed.

Vladimir Gorbach is a Russian classical guitarist.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Tyalgum (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 October 2013. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. "Averages for Tyalgum (Coodgee Street)". Climate Averages for Australian Sites. Bureau of Meteorology . Retrieved 6 February 2007.
  3. "2021 Tyalgum, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  4. Kurmelovs, Royce (23 August 2016). "The Australian town that wants to get off the grid". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music, Limelight magazine 2012 http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Event/311811,tyalgum-festival-of-classical-music-2012.aspx