Four decades of music

THEY'VE filled the town with music for the past four decades, entertaining the community with local talent.

Coffs Harbour Orchestra celebrates 40 years. Picture: Contributed

THEY'VE filled the town with music for the past four decades, entertaining the community with local talent.

First started in 1979, the Coffs Harbour City Orchestra is celebrating its 40th birthday and on the lookout for a new place to continue rehearsals.

"Very few Australian towns the size of Coffs Harbour have their own full-time community orchestra and ours has been going for 40 years," Coffs Harbour City Orchestra conductor, Tim Egan said.

"It's made up of volunteer local musicians who love making music and sharing that enjoyment with their audiences.

With 12 members, the orchestra was first started by Danny Cowen in the library of Coffs Harbour High School.

Fast forward 40 years and there are currently around 40 members and a full range of orchestral sections including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion.

The first violinist, Joy Griffin, is the sole remaining foundation member of the orchestra.

"There are several other founding members around town but Joy is the only one still performing with us," orchestra secretary Pamela Fayle said.

"We are looking for a new rehearsal space with some storage capacity so we can continue to rehearse 7-9pm every Thursday evening and continue to foster a love of music making and music appreciation in the community".

"Musicians aged from teenagers to 80-year-olds rehearse once a week and perform around eight concerts a year.

In 1995 the Council bestowed the official title of Coffs Harbour City Orchestra on the orchestra, though it remains a volunteer group with no permanent funding source and currently without an ongoing home for rehearsals.

For more information, visit coffsorchestra.org.au or call Pam Fayle on 6654 7700.