2026 is set to be a massive year for the Harrietville Music Camp (HMC), as musicians from all over Australia return to the region once more, from this Friday, 9 January.

The camp, formerly run by the Council of Adult Education but now operating under the auspices of Melbourne’s Whitehorse Orchestra, has been held in Harrietville for half a century.

"Harrietville is truly a perfect site for an orchestral music camp," HMC co-ordinator, Sally Dugan said.

"Especially one celebrating its 50th year of bringing the joy of making music to the alpine country.

"Our 85 participants in this year's camp are in for a week of tuition, ensemble playing and concert-giving, as well as a thorough enjoyment of the unspoilt beauty which is Harrietville; with it's mountainous backdrop, fresh air, warm days and cool, starlit nights."

"On Monday, 12 January, we'll have a free concert event at the Harrietville school's basketball court: it's an informal event, for our tutorial groups to show what they've been practicing together so far."

HMC musical director Gerald Keuneman, who marks his 40th year involved with the camp, has invited young Australian composer Willow Woodman to arrange a four-movement suite for the group to perform on the last night at the big concert, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the camp's inception.

"He's been coming up to the camp every year since he was born," Mr Keuneman said.

"Even earlier; in utero, as his mother was the daughter of one of the people who used to organise the camp.

"He's done his course in composing and he's very kindly written a beautiful suite for us to perform, while he'll be performing here himself.

"It's called 'The Harrietville Suite': the four movements are 'Landscape', 'Riverside', 'Harrietville' and 'Golden Anniversary'.

"I've asked him to include the choir in this, so there'll be a choir section as well as the orchestral section.

"I think he's going to go a long way as a composer, so it'll be lovely to hear it as a first live performance."

Mr Keuneman said Woodman has spent the last few months writing this piece, with all the experience of the camp and the environs to draw on.

The camp runs from Friday, 9 until Sunday, 18 January, culminating in two major concerts:

- The Harrietville Music Camp Big Band performance will be held in-house at the Mountain View Holiday Retreat Hall, from 8pm, on Friday, 16 January: free of charge.

- The Harrietville Music Camp Showcase Concert at the Bright Community Centre will run from 2.30pm, on Saturday, 17 January, with a gold-coin donation for entry and all proceeds allocated to the Bright Community.

For more information, visit the Harrietville page of the Whitehorse Orchestra website: whitehorseorchestra.org.au