Sea of Sound sees a 'magical' morning of music and diverse discoveries

The festival kicked off on Friday, January 19, with performances by Central West musicians, at Reckless Brewing Co, on Piper Street, Bathurst.

Approximately 120 people attended, all to listen to the sounds of talented community members, all while enjoying a local brew.

Then, on Saturday morning, around 80 people gathered in Kings Parade to hear the easy and gentle sounds of the Mitchell Conservatorium harp students.

This was before residents were urged to strike the cord of their lawn mowers, and mow in harmony at 10am, to create a sea of sound of a different kind.

And, according to festival director Jonathan Llewellyn, there were plenty of people out and about, doing their domestic duties while also participating in the community event.

"The Lawn Mower was a lot of fun. I drove around a few streets as much as I could, to go 'right, can I hear lawn mowers?' and I could," he said.

Following The Lawn Mower event, the first three ticketed events took place at BMEC, with around 50 attendees at each concert.

These included shows specifically chosen for their international success, and for their contrasting cacophonies, including one show which was a Persian-Jazz fusion.

Then, early in the morning of Sunday, January 21, roughly 200 people gathered on Mount Panorama for the Sunrise on Wahluu event.

This saw a traditional Indigenous Smoking Ceremony open the event, which included a community choir of around 70 people, and performances by established and emerging artists.

"It was surprisingly quite an emotional experience," Mr Llewellyn said.

After the musical portion of the morning was concluded, attendees were called to turn towards the East and to watch the sun rise over Bathurst.

A sense of calm and quiet settled over the venue, while the 200 people patiently waited for sun rays to wash over them.

"It was quite magical actually, just how still it was, with the sound of magpies and that sort of thing," Mr Llewellyn said.

"And we stood and we waited until the sun rose. It must have been a good five minutes or more of standing there quietly together, with no-one really talking, and everyone just focusing on watching the sun.

"It was just magical, it really was magical."

Following the early rise, Mr Llewellyn said he was looking forward to the events being held over the remainder of the day.

And, for those who were unable to attend any events over the weekend, Mr Llewellyn said he would encourage them to take the time to explore the acts performed over the course of the festival.

"I think if people didn't get the opportunity to attend, they should maybe look up some of these musicians in the privacy of their own headphones, and go and listen to some of the music and explore it and discover new sounds from Central West artists, and Australian artists, and the world," he said.

"Put yourself out of your comfort zone for two seconds and go and explore the world of music."