Playing solo in a huge cathedral is a daunting challenge, but cellist Josephine Vains is ready for it.
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She'll be closing the 2022 Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival, back for its 26th edition, which begins on Friday night.
Ms Vains has been playing the cello for about 40 years, she said, including as a member of the acclaimed Firebird Trio.
For the Organs festival, she'll perform a repertoire of Spanish music, joined by one of her students, 19-year-old Henry Say.
"It's all music either written by or inspired by Spain, or by composers who traveled to Spain, it's a really interesting collection of classical through to the 20th century," Ms Vains said.
"Pablo Casals, a very famous Catalonian cellist, some of the music has been inspired by him.
"I'm playing some solo things, some Cassado, and a flamenco - Spanish music's very nationalistic and passionate and dramatic."
The event is one of the longest running classical music festivals in Australia, attracting a dedicated crowd from across the country as well as some of the world's finest musicians, often playing on authentic church organs or medieval-style instruments.
Typically, the program involves dozens of shows in churches and chapels across the district - this year, because of COVID, it will be limited to a single weekend, in Ballarat and Clunes.
This won't be the first time Ms Vains has performed at the festival, with her first one about 12 years ago.
"I've done a lot of solo cello things, and collaborations with visiting overseas musicians," she said.
"I've played all sorts of venues, but cello sounds really good in churches, and that's where the festivals are based, it enhances the resonance and warmth of the cello - (St Patrick's) cathedral is perfect for the cello, it travels to wherever people are seated, it's big but that doesn't matter, it's got great acoustics for us."
There's a sense of community that has built up amongst the audience, with dozens returning each year to holiday in Ballarat, and the musicians - it's "a social thing", Ms Vains said.
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"Summer is a quiet time for musicians, and the only performances generally are festivals - it's work but it's enjoyable work, because we're all in that relaxed mode," she said.
"I love Ballarat, I've been so many times both as a musician and just to have a little break.
"They're just lovely people who are so appreciative of live music - city crowds have something on all the time, whereas in Ballarat it's such a thrill."
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