Wow, what a great day! 161 musicians, 28 busking spots, all different genres of music (including a bagpipe band!) over $10,000 in cash prizes!
Rex Regional Airline flights. A whole lot of fun!
Here’s a list of winners:
winners-prizes-2016-australian-national-busking-championships
See you all next year the first weekend of November 2017!
Links To All Our Regional Busking Competitions:
Here are a list of Our Regional Championships for 2017 so far:
Congratulations to all the Award Winners!
Here’s the complete list:
winners-prizes-2016-australian-national-busking-championships
Record Prize Pool!Check out the full List of Prizes here:
Entries close Saturday 29th October – Entry Forms here:
ENTRY FORM COOMA 2016 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BUSKING CHAMPIONSHIPS
here sans-serif;”>Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢
– A Unique Music Festival For Your Town
About:
The Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ (ANBC) is now in it’s 5th year. For the first four years the ANBC has been held exclusively in Cooma NSW, the picturesque and historic capital of Australia’s Snowy Mountains. We have thought of these early years as the first stage in the ANBC vision for the future.
The next stage now is to make this event a truly National Championship by holding Preliminary Championships in various regional towns around Australia. The winners from these regional events will be then invited to complete in the Grand Final back in Cooma on the first weekend in November of each year.
This event has been a great success from day one and as the years have gone by we have developed a template for this festival that we feel, can work in any town with the right kind support and know-how.
We have already had a wonderfully successful ANBC Preliminary Regional Final in Stanthrope, Queensland this year in February.
Stanthorpe Photo Album: Â http://coomamusic.com.au/australian-national-busking-championships/anbc-stanthorpe-my-photo-album
Stanthorpe Video Album:Â http://coomamusic.com.au/australian-national-busking-championships/anbc-stanthorpe-2016-video
A Unique Music Festival:
The Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ is a different sort of music festival for Australia. Music festivals in Australia have typically been based on a particular style of music, e.g. Tamworth Country Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival. The ANBC is a celebration of all styles of music because the buskers that perform in this festival bring a huge variety of music to the event. Whether that be Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Folk, Country, Bluegrass, Indigenous, Multicultural or Classical, the Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ reflects the rich diversity of Australian music culture.
Tickets for most music festivals are expensive; in the ANBC all the street entertainment is provided free of charge. The audience can, of course, tip the busker but that is their choice. All this wonderful music is performed literally feet away from them.
Although there are buskers at many music festivals in Australia, busking is typically relegated to a fringe activity. However, in this festival the buskers take pride of place. This festival brings music back to the people, back to the streets.
How Does This Work?
The buskers are assigned special locations (Busking Hot Spots), at various times, around the central business district of the participating town. A timetable will be emailed to all the registered buskers. Roaming judges assess these performances during the day. The buskers get to choose how many sets they would like to perform and whether they would like to perform for the whole day or just at certain times. However, all buskers must be available to perform in the Preliminary Finals Concert at say, 5pm to be held in an open air venue such as the town park.
The prize-winners for the age categories will be selected by a panel of judges at the Preliminary Finals Concert. The Open Age Winner for each of these regional championships will be invited to go on to compete in the Grand Finals in Cooma.
A Worthwhile Community Event.
In Cooma, we have found that from it’s first year the Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ has helped local not-for-profit groups raise money through fund raising activities on the day. Organisations such as the Cooma District Hospital Auxiliary, Cooma Rotary Club, Cooma Railway, 2MNO Community Radio, Cooma Swimming Club, St Patrick’s Parish School, to name a few, have raised thousands of dollars through this event. In fact, the main reason why the Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ came into existence was through the wonderful work of the “Snowy Ride”. The ANBC was originally conceived to provide entertainment and fun for the 4,000 or so Snowy Riders as they pass through Cooma. Since it’s beginnings in 2001, this annual motorcycle event has raised over $5 million towards childhood cancer research. The Snowy Ride is organised by the Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation. So we, at the Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ are pleased to support the Snowy Ride. For more information about the Snowy Ride go to:https://www.snowyride.org.au/
The ANBC has also generated a much needed financial boost to the businesses of our country town. Coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, motels, clubs, retail shops and service stations have all benefited over the years. For Cooma, the ANBC comes at a normally “lean time†well after the winter ski season and before the start of Christmas trading. To their credit, local businesses have got behind this event by generously sponsoring prizes for the winners of the Championships.
The Rotary Club Partnership.
In 2014, the Rotary Club of Cooma offered their assistance in running this community based event. Ever since, ANBC has gone from strength to strength. The ANBC committee sees this Rotary connection has vital to the continual growth of this great event.
The Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢ has the unique ability to provide significant benefits to the performers, the venue hosts, local businesses, community organisations and the general public. We hope you can join us in providing this wonderful event for your town. Celebrate with us, Australia’s rich and diverse music street culture!
More Links:
http://coomamusic.com.au/category/australian-national-busking-championships/page/2
ANBC Cooma 2016 will be a combined event. A Cooma Regional Competition plus National Grand Final on the same day (5th November).
The Grand Final which will contain invited finalists from ANBC Stanthorpe Regional Competition (which was held earlier this year in February) as well as finalists selected during day’s busking in Cooma. This will be the last such combined event.
In 2017 we are on track to have possibly 10 or more Regional Competitions. We will then have two events in Cooma – A Cooma Regional Competition and a National Grand Final also held in Cooma where finalists from all the 10 or so, more about Regional Competitions will compete for the major titles.
The two 2017 Cooma events will be held in Cooma at different times in the year. The Cooma Regional Competition will be held possibly in Autumn 2017 and the Grand Final will be later in the year in November 2017.
ENTRY FORM:Â ENTRY FORM COOMA 2016 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BUSKING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Busking is so cool right now! And the Australian National Busking Championships™ is growing throughout the States of Australia with over 9 Regional Competitions planned for 2017.
Here are some of the benefits to the buskers that perform in Australian National Busking Championshipsâ„¢:
Josh MaynardÂ
1. Anyone can be a busker – Beginners to professionals
2. Lots of prizes to go around – Multiple prizes for 3 age categories, pregnancy best band, sale and special judges awards.
3. All genres of music welcome – from country to blues, patient from folk to classical
4. Singers and instrumentalists welcome.
5. Non-musical street entertainers welcome
6. Solos, Duos, Trios and larger ensembles and choirs welcome.
7. All cash tips you make on the day are yours to keep
8. Sell your CDs and merchandise – no problems
9. Enjoy the attention and encouragement of large numbers of happy people  – they are there to enjoy the busking festival and your music.
10. 1st 2nd & 3rd  place getters of the age categories will automatically qualify to compete in the Grand Final in Cooma NSW
11. All the top performers will receive year-round promotion through our website and social media pages = gigs! Become part of an Australian wide celebration of Street Music.
12. Last but not least – it’s so much Fun! We’ve found in Cooma that many buskers have been coming back year after year, many travelling hundreds of miles. Prizes or no prizes!
Here are the Benefits to Music Teachers, Schools and Music Organizations:
1. The busking championships is a great motivator for students
2. A fun goal to aim towards
3. Building repertoire – buskers need to perfect at least 30 minutes of solid playing
4. Puts music on a bigger stage in your community – lifting its profile.
5. Builds interest in music
6. Keeps students interested and engaged
7. Attracts more people into studying and being involved in music.
8. It’s very cool.
The Bush Nutz rockin’ it out at ANBC Stanthorpe 2016
The Australian National Busking Championships™ 2015 held in Cooma on Saturday 7th November were once again an outstanding success. The high standard and wide range of  the performances was breathtaking. Over 150 buskers competed  for 21 trophies and prizes worth over $10, this web 000 in total.
The Winners were…
(Click on link)
The String Family
-Open Champions
-Best Band
-Special Judges Award_Family
Here’s some photos from the day:
ANBC Cooma 2014 was a fantastic success!
Guyy Lilleyman_Open Champion_ANBC Cooma 2014
And the Winners are:
Here’s some great photos of the day
Here’s the great coverage that ANBC got in the Rotary DownUnder Magazine June 2016 edition.
The Community Stage focuses on giving live performance opportunities to regional bands, drugs ensembles and choirs. The festival directors envisage the long weekend celebrations becoming an important annual showcase for talents of the region. The Community Stage is proudly supported by Cooma School of Music. The MC will be Allan Spencer from the school.
Benji and the Saltwater Sound System draws upon Benji’s recent immersion in Solomon Islander flavours fused with the reggae and African roots of its members past musical projects to create hypnotic soundscapes underpinned by painfully catchy melodies.
http://benjiandthesss.com/music
Contemporary and folk duo with a touch of Celtic.
https://www.reverbnation.com/childrenoftheriver
Hailing from Cooma NSW, Cielle Montgomery & James Church are an act known for their captivating stage presence, powerful harmonies, skilful acoustic instrumentation and well-crafted original songs. Cielle’s all-acoustic debut EP is right at home in the folk/alt. country scene and available now!
https://ciellemontgomery.bandcamp.com/releases
Cooma School of Music was established in 1984. Its primary focus has been to develop the music culture in the Monaro/Snowy Mountains region. For over 30 years Allan and Leslie Spencer have endeavoured to bring the sense of achievement and joy of making music, in all its forms, to people of all ages and levels of expertise. The guitar ensemble is one of their projects.
http://coomamusic.com.au/about
CRO is really more like a band than an orchestra. It includes violins, flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones and other lower brass, accordions, piano, guitar, percussion. Their music includes Russian Klezmer tunes, a Capetown jazz tune, New Orleans second line and a funky soul number.
Harry is 14 year vocalist who accompanies himself on piano or guitar. He plays popular music. Some of his favourites are by Billy Joel, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars. He has played at many festivals, talent quests ,clubs and pubs.
A display of honest storytelling, Kay’s live show is like being invited into the lounge room of an indie-folk songstress with an honest, heart wrenching voice and an accidentally dry sense of humour.
http://www.kayproudlove.bandcamp.com
Singer/songwriter and guitarist who enjoys a wide range of music, particularly country/Rock country/pop.
Alternative rock and folk band from the Monaro region with lively on stage performance covering artists from Hendrix to Sticky Fingers to Angus and Julia Stone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSuSamNlm4
Solo singer guitarist performing predominantly American Folk and some Aussie standards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGrNpBIrMA
They are a local band who have been together for 2 years. They enjoy playing all styles of music and play guitar, ukulele, cajon and vocals. They are influenced by bands ranging from John Butler and blue grass folk through to heavy rock such as Halestorm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waAVXpsjC18
Shelby Grace attends Snowy Mountains Grammar School. She is a regular performer at all local music competitions and other Statewide country music competitions. Shelby also enjoys busking.
A crowd pleasing classical crossover string band playing a huge range of repertoire from classical to folk to pop to country with strings and some vocals. They are recent winners of the Cooma Busking Competition.