Gunning Focus Group
Welcome
Welcome to Gunning Focus Group’s website. Music lovers locally and from the wider region will surely find something exciting and attractive here. Click here to check the details of our upcoming concert programs.
Gunning Focus Group (GFG), established in 1998, is a not-for-profit community organisation and registered charity. We bring splendid, affordable, mainly classical music concerts to the Upper Lachlan Shire throughout the year.
Most of our concerts are in the recently refurbished historic Court Room: Gunning’s Home of Chamber Music. Larger-scale shows are hosted in our Shire Hall, which has recently been upgraded to transform into a great performance space. While we emphasise classical music, we happily host musicians from other genres.
The appreciative, often joyful feedback we receive from patrons and performers gives us confidence that we are meeting a community need. We love doing it.
If you are coming to Gunning for a concert, why not make a day of it here – there’s plenty to see and good food to be had at the local cafes. See what we have to offer here.
Upcoming Events
Loosely Woven: Trouble & Strife
Bookings Open on 1 May for “Loosely Woven”, a troupe of some twenty singers & instrumentalists from Sydney.
These proven crowd pleasers will deliver musical virtuosity and delight with a light-hearted folky sort of eclectic lunch time concert on Thursday 12 June.
Instruments you will hear include violins, saxophone, clarinet, flute, harmonium, concertina, glockenspiel, melodica, guitar, keyboard and percussion. The music ranges from folk to pop to grand opera – something for everyone.
The Acacia Quartet
The Acacia Quartet is one of the nation’s most prominent and applauded string ensembles, the Australian classical music equivalent of Oasis or Taylor Swift.
Sitting up close to them playing live in a great chamber music venue like our Courtroom is an indescribably rewarding experience. It transports you to another place.
You can expect to be entranced and delighted when the Acacias make their welcome return to Gunning at 3 pm on Sunday, 17 August. This will be an experience to relish.
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Thank You
For some 26 years now, many generous people and organisations have helped us bring the joy of music to the region and contribute to the district’s cultural life. Their assistance, often financial in the form of donations and grants but also in more practical ways, has been pivotal in getting us to where we are now. We are indebted to them all.
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by the following over this period:
- The NSW Government
- Upper Lachlan Shire Council
- Mr Michael Coley (in memory of our founder, the late Wendy Coley)
- EDL’s Cullerin Range Wind Farm Community Fund
- Veolia Mulwaree Trust
- Music in the Regions
- Gunning Community Care
- Upper Lachlan Foundation
- The Rev Vicky Cullen
- Mrs Julie Shaw
- Mr John Campbell, Mr Lutz and Mrs Eva Samlow, Mr Jeremy and Ms Kate Wilson, and four anonymous donors.
- The Michael and Wendy Coley Fund
- Yass FM 100.3
- Mr Richard Scherer of Living Arts Canberra, whose excellent Events Page https://www.livingartscanberra.com.au/ is the place to keep abreast of what’s on in the Canberra district and broader region.
- The Yass Music Club. We recommend checking out the YMC concert program at https://yassmusicclub.com/.
- Pastor Ellen Manwaring, Deputy Mayor Mandy McDonald, and Mr John Shaw OAM who serve on our special sub-committee that guides us on the disbursement of tax-deductible donations we receive as a registered charity.
- While our new website was created and is now managed by Jacinta Thomas of Thomas Web Designs, Mr Tom Williams, our original website developer and ACCIONA Energy got us off to a very good start and provided excellent pro bono service for over twenty years. We will always be grateful for this.