Following in her grandpa’s footsteps, Erin Finch is bringing music and liveliness to the Canungra School of Arts hall.
On 30 September, the Hall is hosting the ‘Festival of Small Halls’, a series of tours held by Woodfordia Inc that sees two contemporary acoustic artists, one Australian and one international, travel all over Australia, visiting regional towns to share their talent.
Monique Clare and Shane Pendergast are the artists currently on tour.
Monique hails from Australia, she plays the cello and is a very successful singer-songwriter.
Shane has travelled from his hometown in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
He comes from a long line of musicians and will be gracing the stage with his guitar.
Alongside the touring duo, local musician Annabelle Johnson will be opening the evening as a special treat for the town.
The doors to the hall open at 6:30pm for a 7pm start.
Small Halls’ artists, along with GTM Music Studios Beaudesert, will be holding free music workshops available to all over the weekend; these workshops will be focused on song writing, guitar and strings. To register, email foshcanungra@gmail.com.
“Thanks to sponsorship and support from local businesses, we are able to keep ticket prices low, and even free for kids 12 and under,” Erin says.
“It is important for me that the event is family friendly, and cost isn’t a barrier for people to attend.”
Erin hopes that “the Festival of Small Halls is an opportunity to foster connection, story-telling, song, and dance for our community,” similar to what it was like when her grandpa would play for the locals. Erin’s grandfather, Harvey Mahony, played the accordion in the Opening Ball of the hall, held in 1956.
Many local residents would remember the annual Bullocky’s Barn Dance held at the hall throughout the 1980s.
The Festival of Small Halls is a steppingstone in the right direction to bringing back music to our community.
Tickets and more information can be found on the Festival of Small Halls website https://festivalofsmallhalls.com/
