Arts
1 July, 2026
Double dose: four seasons in one day
INGLEWOOD will take centre stage when the Keys of Gold Classical Music Festival arrives next month for a special double day, featuring two concerts in two of the town’s historic venues.
INGLEWOOD will take centre stage when the Keys of Gold Classical Music Festival arrives next month for a special double day, featuring two concerts in two of the town’s historic venues.
The second year of the festival bringing fine music to the historic town will open with a morning concert at St Augustine’s Church followed by an afternoon performance at the Inglewood Town Hall on July 18.
The inaugural festival recital last July saw a capacity audience in the church and prompted a repeat performance later in the year.
Loddon Shire is backing the festival performances in Inglewood as part of an extended agreement aimed to increase visitation to the town.
Next month’s double-header begins at St Augustine’s Church at 11am with a rare performance of Vivaldi’s complete The Four Seasons, performed by internationally renowned organist Thomas Heywood and acclaimed baroque violinist Lizzy Welsh.
Heywood said that in this special arrangement, the church’s magnificent Fincham pipe organ would take on the role of the orchestra, supporting the violin through Vivaldi’s vivid musical picture of the changing seasons, from the warmth of summer to the bite of winter.
The program will also include a Vivaldi-inspired Fantasia and Fugue by J.S. Bach, bringing together two of history’s great composers in the beautiful setting and acoustics of St Augustine’s.
After the morning concert, visitors are being encouraged to stay in town, enjoy lunch, explore Inglewood’s historic streets and make a day of it before the afternoon performance.
At 3pm, the music continues at the Inglewood Town Hall with Brilliant Bach, performed by the acclaimed Coomoora Ensemble.
The ensemble features Lizzy Welsh on baroque violin, Edwina Cordingley on baroque cello and Ann Morgan on harpsichord.
The all-Bach program includes movements from the much-loved Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, along with sonatas for violin and harpsichord. The combination of violin, cello and harpsichord will bring a rich and elegant sound to the historic hall, one of Inglewood’s treasured gold rush-era buildings.
Heywood said the Inglewood Double Day was part of the wider Keys of Gold Classical Music Festival, a month-long celebration of music across Bendigo and surrounding towns.
“The festival brings together leading international artists, Australian performers and regional ensembles in churches, halls and community spaces with strong links to the region’s history,” he said.
“Together, the two Inglewood concerts offer a rare opportunity to hear music that has endured for centuries, performed in venues that tell their own local story.”
Read More: Loddon Shire, Inglewood