Mount Gambier’s Generations in Jazz cancellation set to cost SA millions as students miss out again
Mount Gambier’s Generations in Jazz festival has been scrapped for a second straight year leaving a “big hole” to be filled, as students and businesses react to the cancellation.
Mount Gambier
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Each year thousands of people converge on Mount Gambier for Generations in Jazz, but in 2020 they never arrived and they will not be coming back next year.
The city’s biggest annual event – which boosts the local economy by around $3 annually and contributes a further $1 million to the state – is the latest victim of COVID-19 pandemic with organisers confirming it will not take the stage in 2021.
Five months out, Generations in Jazz board chairman, Peter Roberts announced the event had been cancelled for the second year in a row.
It was to have been held from April 20 to May 2.
“It certainly doesn’t afford any of us any pleasure in making this announcement today knowing that it will bring great disappointment to our core market the schools, the local community for the economic impact and also the music loving public who support the event each year,” Mr Roberts said.
“The board has had significant discussion and deliberation over many months including consultation with SA Health and other relevant bodies before finally taking this action.”
Mr Roberts said a virtual alternative had been investigated but the board had ultimately decided not to pursue the concept.
“Generations in Jazz is an experience, only realised if you are at the event,” he said.
“It is the atmosphere created by the participants, public, guest artists, and community volunteers, all congregated in a unique rural setting – no where else in the world does this happen.
“We just cannot deliver this experience in 2021 given the restrictions necessary to protect the health safety of our participants and equally as important the local communities.”
THE STUDENTS
Tenison Woods College head of music Beth Creedy says she is not surprised by the decision to cancel Generations of Jazz for 2021.
However she has expressed her disappointment a virtual option for students will not be done in its place.
While she said it would be impossible to recreate atmosphere of 5000 passionate student musicians online, she had hoped they would still get the opportunity to participate in the professional mentoring the festival is known for.
“I think it’s inevitable,” Mrs Creedy said.
“I was hoping that it might go into an online format so the kids could still get some feedback.
“Even though they‘re going miss out on the opportunity of the weekend, they still like to get professional feedback from others.”
Usually around 50-60 Tenison students would compete across two choirs and a big band, participate in workshops and enjoy the professional concerts.
“It’s very disheartening, it‘s probably one of the highlights of the year for the kids,” she said.
“They were very disappointed when Generations was cancelled this year, and when the news came out yesterday again, they were very disappointed particularly for our current Year 11s because they will never get to do it again.
“We would have normally started auditioning and practising the songs pretty soon to be ready to compete in May.”
In place of Generations Mr Creedy said the college would find other ways to boost the students’ music education.
“What we need to do now is to look at organising other ways for them to get this professional feedback,” she said.
“As a school we’ve already entered extra online competitions that came up this year, we’ll hope to do more or we’ll even have to bring professional musicians down to the Mount just to work with our kids so they still get those opportunities.”
THE BUSINESSES
Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce president Hayley Neumann said with no Generations in Jazz there would be widespread impact for local businesses already hit hard by the pandemic.
“The town is just abuzz on jazz weekend and we really felt it this year,” Ms Neaumann said.
“We sell out of accommodation from here to Naracoorte and beyond that weekend, all the restaurants and all the tourism places will all be affected, retail, everything.”
Ms Neumann said the cancellation would leave a “big hole” but it was not all doom and gloom with five months notice businesses could band together to reassess and find new ways to bring visitors to the region.
“It’s probably good that we know now, rather than prepare for and then it get taken away again so quickly,” she said.
“This allows other opportunities to arise, because we are sold out that weekend that means we don’t get other visitors, but maybe we need to come together and work out a different way to get people to the town for that weekend.
“Businesses have had to pivot these past seven, eight months and they’ve done a really good job at it so let’s have a red hot go at doing something else.”
Considering the uncertainly of hosting such a large event, Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said the decision was understandable.
“Whilst it is disappointing for the board of Generations in Jazz to have to make this decision, it is understandable given the circumstances,” Mayor Martin said.
“The iconic event provides significant economic benefit for the city of Mount Gambier and not only showcases the talent of the youth of Australia, but it also shines a spotlight on our city both nationally and internationally and the value of that can never be underestimated.
“I look forward to the event being held in 2022.”
The Generations in Jazz board plans to bring the event back in 2022.