Leigh Small has been executive director of Four Winds since June 2023. Photo: Honey Atkinson.
More and more Far South Coast residents have ‘discovered’ Four Winds since Leigh Small took the reins as executive director in June 2023. By introducing a broader range of musical genres to the Barragga Bay venue, new audiences are enjoying the world-class acoustics of the Windsong Pavilion and the gorgeous bushland setting of the Sound Shell.
Ms Small and her partner, actor William Zappa, bought a farm in Dignams Creek in 2012 and moved there permanently two years ago. She had just finished 12 years leading the Sydney Film Festival. Four Winds approached her and after meeting the board Ms Small realised she could make a significant contribution.
She has a track record of growing organisations. Prior to the Sydney Film Festival, she headed up the Sydney Dance Company. Previously Ms Small also had management roles at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Opera House.
Ms Small proposed a full external review. That included examining data and a process of re-strategising and renewal. Ms Small wants to set up Four Winds to play a bigger role locally.
The Four Winds board and foundation were supportive of a ‘pause and review’ year so there was no Four Winds Festival this year. “I didn’t want to go dark though and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to connect with local audiences through a program of events and performances,” Ms Small says.
Indie band Caravan Sun brought a new audience to Four Winds. Photo: Jacoby May.
This year they have held several family-friendly concerts on Sunday afternoons. People can catch up over a picnic and enjoy the setting before the performance and be home before dusk.
“That has been a big success,” Ms Small says. “What I learnt from the Sydney Film Festival is if you program in a segmented way, you can be all things to all people. We have programmed different genres and brought new people to Four Winds.”
The biggest programming risk was Indie band Caravana Sun, along with local musicians Benji and the Saltwater Sound System and Felicity Dowd. It attracted 700 people, many in their 30s and 40s, and the average age dancing in the mosh pit was eight. “The concert attracted a whole new crowd,” Ms Small says. “If you just looked at the audience you would have thought you were at the Wiggles.”
Four Winds’ annual Spring Youth Music Festival sits well with her vision to be closer to the community. Ms Small says the festival shows the depth of experience of musicians working in the area and local teachers.
“By mounting this festival everyone performs together – young and old students, music teachers, professional musicians, local choirs and orchestra – so it is an all-ages festival,” she says.
Stefan Cassomenos played the piano in the centre of Four Winds’ Windsong Pavilion. Photo: Llewellyn Badger.
This year’s festival will premiere The Bega Shipwreck, a work composed by Paul Dean, leader of chamber music group Ensemble Q, for the Four Winds All Abilities Orchestra.
Another project is Barragga Yangga, meaning many songs. It is led by Four Winds First Nations creative director Cheryl Davison, to develop original work by her multigenerational choir Djinama Yilaga, Fred Leone, Yuin artists, and musical theatre students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. It will be premiered at a public festival in 2025.
The eclectic range of recent performers includes Dog Trumpet which Four Winds hosted when Murrah Hall’s electrical system was damaged by the Coolagolite Road bushfire in October 2023, and pianist Stefan Cassomenos who performed intimately in the round in the Windsong Pavilion.
Heath Cullen and his band also did a live recording of their new album. “The film and album launch of that concert will happen later this year, along with more jazz and classical concerts and hip-hop poet Omar Musa,” Ms Small says. “Classical Easter concerts and a broader annual program will expand as Four Winds builds resources.”
Ms Small says she brings to Four Winds many years’ experience as a producer of new works and her knowledge of festivals. Her marketing strategy is to focus on connecting to the many different local communities. “Increasing Four Winds’ repertoire and reputation locally will only increase our attraction to national artists and audiences.”
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