Curated by David Hewitt, Four Winds’ Create & Inspire Director, the Spring Youth Music Festival extends beyond the festival day to include year-round mentorship and opportunities for youth to learn instruments. Through workshops, tutoring, and in-school programs, Four Winds is dedicated to empowering young people to express their stories through sound. 

A highlight of the ‘26 festival will be the premiere of compositions written by local composers Geoffrey Badger and Nick Keeling for the Four Winds Community Orchestra (FWCO). Founded in 2022, the FWCO is an all-ages, all-abilities intergenerational ensemble with players aged seven to eighty. We will hear them play Body of Water and Songcrafters, pieces inspired by the role of water in regional life and the way music flows through community. The festival will offer a space for connection, celebration, and deep listening, with local talent and young musicians taking centre stage.