There's no doubt the events of the past fortnight have weighed heavily on people but for a couple of hours in Goulburn on Wednesday night, those were momentarily forgotten by some beautiful notes.
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The Hume Conservatorium held the much-anticipated opening for its Creative Precinct alongside a raft of special guests including NSW Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin MLC.
The night also doubled as the official launch of Music in the Regions, an touring event that is taking classical music around regional communities in NSW.
However kicking off proceedings was a short yet impressive musical piece from Junior Scholarship recipient Daniel Zhao on the Conservatorium's latest acquisition, a Yamaha CFX concert grant piano.
CEO Jacqui Smith then took to the stage to thank attendees for coming to celebrate the new facilities and equipment, made possible through almost $500,000 in state government funding
That lead to an at times emotional speech from Mr Franklin, who resides in Northern NSW, where he revealed that the Northern Rivers Conservatorium had lost almost all of its musical equipment due to flooding.
"We are now in a survival stage," Mr Franklin said.
"It's becoming clear that there are going to be, I believe, significant fatalities. People's livelihoods and homes have been destroyed and it's horrific.
"But there's also something that will take a little time to become apparent, the impact on cultural institutions and life will be profound.
"In the Conservatorium they moved all the instruments up to the first floor where floodwaters had never reached before and it would appear all of them have been destroyed."
"But through challenging times creativity often unites us.
"Centres like the one we are in now, the Hume Conservatorium, are essential for a thriving regional arts centre that's intrinsically linked to the community it represents.
"The Creative Precinct and renovating of the old ceramics room at the 'Con' will enable the expansion of education and performance opportunities servicing both new and existing students and audiences."
Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman was also present and spruiked Goulburn's growing presence in the arts sector.
"No longer is Goulburn a correctional facility town," Ms Tuckerman jokingly said.
"We are growing and certainly on the map in regards to creative industries and what can be achieved in this region."
The audience was the treated to a performance from Acacia Quartet, the group that is headlining the inaugural Music in the Regions tour.
Onlookers were captivated as the four-piece melody rose and fell with spontaneity, enchanting the room with a number of classic and more modern works.
This weekend will see the Hume Conservatorium host open days with a number of workshops and performances, some available for free.
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