Armidale Events

Armidale’s Eisteddfod is an important cultural event in the New England calendar that continues a wonderful cultural tradition established in Wales over 900 years ago. Welsh Eisteddfods were festivals celebrating the performance of literature and music, and this concept holds true to this day. Down the centuries, Eisteddfods have evolved to reflect changing societies but they remain an enduring part of Australia’s cultural heritage as important training grounds for emerging entertainers – our musicians, dancers and actors.

7.55am for departure at 8.00am from the Visitor Information Centre carpark, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea and lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. For more information and register to join group, phone Shirley on 0458 260 937 or email shrlycook@gmail.com. Newcomers are always welcome, but please notify our leader, Dr Stephen Debus (sdebus@une.edu.au) preferably a […]

Decorating Domestic Spaces in Medieval Europe - Kathleen Olive (Italy) Well-to-do merchants, bankers and even artisans signalled their wealth and sophistication through conspicuous consumption, much of it destined for the interior decoration of their comfortable domestic spaces. Historian, tour guide and Italian expert Kathleen Olive will explore the decorative style of the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy and France.    

Nicki Parrott and Her Northern Rivers Band - Feelin' Groovy After 30 years of headlining New York, Japan and Europe to sold-out performances at most of the world’s top jazz venues and festivals, international recording and touring artist, Nicki Parrott, celebrates her return home to “slow down and chill out” with her exceptional  Northern Rivers Band. Feelin’ Groovy is a musical tribute to the “Swinging Sixties” presented by a world-class ensemble. Fun for all ages! Artists: Nicki Parrott (coustic bass, electric bass and vocal); Steve Russell […]

7.55am for 8.00am departure from Visitor Information Centre, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea and lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes, bring a picnic chair as many bush spots do not have facilities. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. For more information and register to join group, phone Shirley on 0458 260 937 or email shrlycook@gmail.com. Newcomers are always welcome, but please […]

A Carpet Ride to Khiva: A Personal Story of Reviving Ancient Silk Carpet Designs - Chris Asian (Cambridge, UK) The work of Cambridge-based author, lecturer and travel guide Chris Aslan took him to the bazaars of Afghanistan and to the great libraries and museums of Europe to track down 15th century manuscripts to revive carpet designs from their illuminations. He tells his own story of working with UNESCO to establish a silk carpet workshop in the desert oasis of Khiva, […]

Regent Honeyeater survey week. 7.55am for 8.00am departure from Visitor Information Centre, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea and lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes, bring a picnic chair as many bush spots do not have facilities. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. Newcomers are always welcome, but please notify our leader, Dr Stephen Debus (sdebus@une.edu.au) preferably a day or two prior […]

Faber and Faber - 90 Years of Excellence in Cover Design - Tony Faber (UK) Faber and Faber has been one of London’s most important literary publishing houses since 1925 and Toby Faber, grandson of the founder will trace the firm’s history through its illustrations, covers and designs. The firm’s insistence on good design has seen some of Britain’s most celebrated artists as cover illustrators.    

Painting the Modern Garden - From Monet to Matisse - Lydia Bauman (UK) The modern garden, transformed by 19th century innovations such as hybridisation, glasshouses and foreign exploration, was part of a great social change to which artists responded from the 1860s onwards.   United Kingdom art historian and artist Lydia Bauman will trace the garden as a modern phenomenon and the development of new art movements adopting it as their subject.

7.55am for departure at 8.00am from the Visitor Information Centre carpark, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea/lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes. Some may wish to go to the Reserve at the Dam for a longer birding morning. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. For more information and register to join group, phone Shirley on 0458 260 937 or email shrlycook@gmail.com. Newcomers […]

Arcadia Winds is the trailblazer of Australian wind music. Don’t miss this extraordinary ensemble and see what the critics are raving about! Artists: Kiran Phatak (flute); Rachel Bullen (oboe); Lloyd Van’t Hoff (clarinet); Rachel Shaw (horn); Matthew Kneale (bassoon). Program: Pēteris Vasks, Music for Fleeting Birds; Anne Cawrse, Honeybee; Holly Harrison, Phasmid Funk; Miguel del Aguila, Wind Quintet No. 2; Valerie Coleman, Red Clay Mississippi Delta.  

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS BEGINS 2.00am - put clocks FORWARD one hour. 7.55am for departure at 8.00am from the Visitor Information Centre carpark, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea and lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. For more information and register to join group, phone Shirley on 0458 260 937 or email shrlycook@gmail.com. Newcomers are always welcome, but […]

In its first Australian tour and only regional performance, Trio Isimsiz from the UK performs two giants of the piano trio repertoire by Schubert and Brahms, alongside an exciting new voice, the ‘ear-beguiling and strikingly inventive’ Francisco Coll. Artists: Pablo Hernan Benedi (violin); Edvard Pogossian (cello); Erdem Misirlioglu (piano). Program: Brahams Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor; Schubert Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major; Francisco Coll Piano Trio (2020).

The Real Pirates of the Caribbean - Georgina Bexon (UK) For centuries pirates roamed the oceans creating havoc and violence for unsuspecting sailors reaching its zenith in the early eighteenth century when notorious marine outlaws like Captain Kidd and Bluebeard led crews of murderous pirates intent on plundering the high seas. Join UK historian Georgina Bexon to find out the evidence that supports the tales of terror.

7.55am for 8.00am departure from Visitor Information Centre, 82 Marsh Street. There will also be a visit to Stockyard Ponds if there has been sufficient rain. Bring food (morning tea and lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes, bring a picnic chair as many bush spots do not have facilities. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. Newcomers are always welcome, but please notify our […]

Goddess of the Sky: The Art of Everest and the Himalayas - John Williamson Historian and tour guide John Williamson examines the development of the British Great Trigonometrical Survey of India and the art of both the early efforts to ascend Mt. Everest as well as the art of modern climbing on the world’s highest mountain.

7.55am for 8.00am departure from Visitor Information Centre, 82 Marsh Street. Bring food (morning tea/lunch), water, binoculars, sunscreen and hat, and wear stout shoes, bring a picnic chair as many bush spots do not have facilities. The scheduled visit may be changed or cancelled if conditions on the day are likely to affect the excursion. For more information and to register to join the group, phone Shirley on 0458 260 937 or email shrlycook@gmail.com. Newcomers are always welcome, but please […]