PERFORMERS from across Victoria and beyond have showcased their talents at the Wimmera Eisteddfod for many years.
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After taking a one year hiatus in 2018 due to the closure its regular venue, the Wesley Performing Arts Centre, the event is back and bigger than ever thanks to a new committee of volunteers.
Now taking place at the Horsham Town Hall, singers and musicians will hit the stage from July 26 to 28.
This year's program features about 200 competitors from across the state. People will travel as far as Hamilton, Nhill and Tooleybuc in NSW to compete.
READ MORE: Full bill of talent for new-look Eisteddfod
Committee member Letitia Dowling said she had fond memories of performing the piano at the Eisteddfod as a child.
"It was really important to me and it was just what you did at the time. You were playing for a reason, not just for exams. It's also a competition, not just a concert, so gave me something to work towards," she said.
"Then my own daughter Ella performed for a few years. When it didn't run last year, Ella performed at the Hamilton Eisteddfod."
Although Mrs Dowling now lives in Ocean Grove, she decided to volunteer for the committee to ensure the event's longevity.
"It's important for the kids of today to have the opportunity to be in it," she said.
"There were a number of reasons why it didn't run in 2018. Wesley was one, committee members were moving away and the Horsham Music Academy was closing. If you want these events to continue, then you need to be assertive and volunteer to help out."
She said it was important for children to embrace the arts.
"Horsham is a really big sporting community. The arts is really strong here too if you give it the opportunity," she said.
READ MORE: Horsham Music Academy to close in 2018
Eisteddfod committee member Lisa Thomas has been a singing teacher for 20 years. Her own children Jamie and Shanae will perform at this year's Eisteddfod along with a number of her students.
Mrs Thomas said the Eisteddfod had a special place in the Wimmera's arts community.
"Some schools don't hold end of year concerts, so students don't get the chance to prepare for a performance. It puts the pressure back on them a little bit and encourages them to put the effort in," she said.
"For the kids who aren't sporty, this gives them an avenue that they can explore and be quite good at.
"Performers have gone on to have a career in the arts and some of my students have gone on to study music or the performing arts at a tertiary level."
She said the new committee was taking on this year's Eisteddfod with a "fresh approach".
"We've introduced a few new things to keep it more modern. There's a new family signing section which is a really great opportunity," she said.
"We want it to be appealing, and attract new entries and new audience members too."
Former Eisteddfod organiser Lea Crammond taught children the piano for more than 30 years. She retired in 2015.
"Hundreds of my students over the years were in the Eisteddfod in solos, duets, quartets and groups. At the academy, we used to really pride ourselves on getting the students to play music together," she said.
"In those early years, all the teachers at the academy used to run the Eisteddfod. We'd organise everything in our free time. It was a lot of time given freely and happily because it really benefitted the children enormously.
"Wendy Weight used to run them before I got involved, and then there were people prior to her running Eisteddfods. They have been running a very long time."
When the academy first opened, Mrs Crammond said there were "hundreds" of students eager to learn music.
"There weren't a lot of other activities for country children back then, so a large amount were learning musical instruments," she said.
"It's encouraging to see it's still popular. I think learning music is a really great way for children to exercise their brain and is very rewarding."
She said her students had gone on to become music examiners, orchestra members and music teachers.
"The talent in Horsham is outstanding and is a very rich area for the arts; it should be nurtured far more," she said.
Mrs Crammond hopes to introduce some of the sections at the Eisteddfod on Saturday.
"I'm still really interested in what's happening and I want to support them as much as I can, even though I'm retired," she said.
"I admire this new committee enormously. They aren't doing it for themselves, they are doing it for the performers in this town."
Horsham piano teacher Sandra Kitchen said she remembered playing in the Eisteddfod herself as a child, competing from the ages of eight to 16.
"I played the piano, oboe and cello over the years," she said.
Miss Kitchen used to teach from the Horsham Music Academy and has 12 students competing in this year's Eisteddfod.
"It's an opportunity to perform and it's not about winning or losing. It also helps build their confidence," she said.
"There aren't many opportunities for students to perform in front of an audience, so it's great that the Eisteddfod has come back. It gives them something to practice for.
"Horsham has a strong arts community, and it's just getting stronger."
See the full 2019 Wimmera Eisteddfod program below
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