patron

 

ALEX RATHGEBER

WIMMERA EISTEDDFOD PATRON 

Credit : Marnya Rothe Photography 2026

Hi everyone, and a mighty warm welcome to the 2026 Wimmera Music Eisteddfod!

Whether you’re here as a participating musician or as a music-loving audience member supporting someone who’s performing, you’re part of a long history of music-making brought to life through this wonderful Wimmera event.

Every year, this Eisteddfod ‘takes a village’, as they say. So, first things first, a huge thank you and congratulations to all the dedicated facilitators, volunteers, teachers, adjudicators, parents, family members, and friends who make this event possible… not to mention all the passionate musicians courageously taking to the stage. It’s the incredible contributions of every individual involved in events like this that make Horsham and the Wimmera such a fantastic community.

Music features in our lives in a multitude of different ways. Oftentimes it’s the main attraction, other times it’s in the background, providing underscoring as we move through our days. In an instant, music whisks us into certain moods. It ignites within us memories of the past, and aspirations for the future. Music’s power is something truly phenomenal, and universal. It creates bridges between cultures like nothing else can, allowing us to understand one another beyond the boundaries of any language.

As technology continues to infiltrate our lives, I believe it’s more important than ever to come together in real life to create and share live music. Because it’s through live music that we share what it means and feels to be human. Technology can’t replicate the pure, visceral human exchange that live music offers. When an artist takes to the stage to perform a piece of music live, they’re all-at-once interweaving the composer’s intentions with their own unique skill and perspective, as well as the energy of the audience. It’s a moment-by-moment balancing act of technical craftsmanship, personal expression, and a palpable sense of presence and exchange with the audience.

Indeed, part of the true magic of live music is that it’s ephemeral – it exists purely for those present, for those finite moments, and then it’s done. But what makes live music truly magical is when it stirs within us something profound that lives on beyond those moments. Something all-at-once unexplainable and confirming. Something transcendent. Something that makes us feel more fully alive.

So, from whichever angle you’re experiencing the live music-making of this year’s Eisteddfod – whether you’re a maker, facilitator, or appreciator – may you savour that elevated sense of connection that only live music makes us feel – with ourselves and with each other.

To finish on a personal note (pun intended!), I will never stop feeling the deepest gratitude for the introduction I was given to music and performance through this great Eisteddfod as a youngster. As a result, my professional career has taken me to stages across Australia and around the world, where I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with brilliantly talented, hard-working, and inspiring artists from all sorts of musical backgrounds. With every new opportunity, and all the practice I keep up between gigs, I’m always learning. Music is without question one of the greatest gifts of life, a never-ending journey of discovering, sharing, and growing.

So, I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys the experiences of making, hearing, feeling, and savouring the music long after the final notes that are played and sung at this year’s Eisteddfod. And may music continue to be a big and uplifting part of your life everywhere you go!