But Sunday, February 17, will offer an opportunity to see and hear the New England Conservatorium of Music teaching staff taking to the stage.

NECOM boasts some of the state’s finest instrumentalists, and while they are often seen performing in larger ensembles like the Armidale Symphony Orchestra, this special concert gives the ten teachers a chance to perform an hour of chamber music.

The local musicians will team up in several different combinations to present pieces as trios, quartets and quintets, with renowned works by such names as Bach, Mozart and Brahms.

For the audience, one of the most exciting aspects of chamber music performance is the fact that there are no conductors; communication between the players is a crucial aspect in the success of each piece.

Armidale continually punches above its weight musically, whether it’s our Youth Orchestra, the award-winning choirs or the number of published composers living within our region.

This concert allows our peerless teaching staff to showcase their considerable talents in a style of music where there are no leaders; chamber music is a true collaborative effort.

Husband and wife duo Robert Jackson and Laura Curotta have studied and performed in Germany, and have now been teaching at NECOM for more than five years.

“Chamber Music at NECOM is really fun because we get to play with all the other staff members,” Robert said.

“They’ve come from different places and studied with different people.

“It’s about bringing all these ideas together and trying to make a homogenous sound where we blend with each other.”

Laura added: “I like the intensity of playing chamber music.

“It’s more intense than playing even the greatest orchestral pieces because it’s about the interaction and the amount of concentration required to play this type of music.”

The concert will be the first held in the Old Teachers’ College Auditorium since the announcement by the Honourable Adam Marshall that the building is to be once again managed by the Department of Education.