FAME - the Federation of Australasian Mandolin Ensembles
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FAME Mandolin Festivals

The major activity of FAME is to host Mandolin Festivals which are held every 18 months in one or other capital city in Australia or New Zealand. The Festivals are actually planned, organised and run by the resident mandolin orchestra within the chosen capital city but FAME provides seeding funds to cover the costs which the host orchestras incur long before they recoup anything from players registering for the Festival. 

FAME also provides funding for grants to subsidise the costs incurred by young musicians registering to participate in the FAME Festivals and also will provide grants for new music commissioned by the host orchestras to be performed for the first time at the FAME Festival. New commissions are then available to all member orchestras at no cost.

FAME Festivals are a wonderful experience and a heap of fun for those who participate and there is no doubt that everyone goes home after the Festival with improved skills! Festivals start on a Sunday afternoon for registration and run until the following Sunday morning when everyone checks out.

The main activity of FAME Festivals is a week of intensive rehearsing in preparation for the performance of a concert for the public on the Saturday evening before the Festival concludes. Interspersed with rehearsals of the Festival Orchestra are social events and outings, in-house concerts in which the various orchestras or small ad hoc ensembles or individuals perform for the other Festival participants. Jam sessions are known to happen at sporadic intervals


Each Festival is conducted by a different conductor or very occasionally by two conductors sharing the podium for different parts of the repertoire and Festival participants enjoy the experience of rehearsing and performing under the baton of a different conductor from their usual conductor.

FAME Festivals are usually held in University colleges of residence and full board is provided. Participants who live in the city where the FAME Festival is being held often choose to pay for the accommodation to enable them to have the "full Festival experience" and while this is definitely encouraged it is not mandatory. 

Festival participants commonly bring non-playing partners to stay with them in the Festival venue and double rooms are available at most FAME Festivals for such couples.. 

Have a look at the Gallery of photos in this website to see some of the activities (outings, dances, fancy dress, jam sessions, in-house concerts) which happen during FAME Festivals 

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