Heidi Kraak
Watching his children perform at the Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod almost 20 years ago, Mike Matthyssen was asked not to “just sit there”, but to “come help”.
Fast-forward a couple of years and he is now the president of the annual eisteddfod.
“Lots of people think it is a competition, like a singing competition or a rock eisteddfod, but it is really about giving performers the opportunity to go on a stage and perform in front of an audience and also to get a critique from a professional adjudicator,” he said.
“We find, given that opportunity, they gain confidence.
“We think that is a great thing for young people. And I’ve seen how it benefits my kids, so I’d like to keep doing that.”
The 63rd Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod will span the month of September and is expected to attract up to 6000 performers during that time.
“The majority, say 80 per cent, will be local from the Latrobe Valley catchment area,” he said.
“But, particularly for the older sections, where there is high scholarship amounts, people come down from Melbourne. There are a lot of VCE students that come from Melbourne because it is good practice before VCE, as they are getting the opinions of the adjudicator.”
Mr Matthyssen said there was a lot of “hidden talent” in the Latrobe Valley.
“The eisteddfod is not just about the arts, it is about developing a confidence in the performers. That is why we encourage the public to come in to support them, because we want people to go on stage in front of a real audience to get that real life experience,” he said.
“A lot of the performers have gone on to careers as music teachers or performers, some of them have gone overseas and become composers.
“We don’t really appreciate the depth of talent of what people have achieved from this area, because they tend to leave and then they gain the reputation once they are older and everyone forgets they have come from the Latrobe Valley.”
The Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod will be held at the Latrobe Performing Arts Centre and will feature performances in everything from vocal solos, to instrumental stage bands, dancing to speech and drama.
To volunteer at the eisteddfod or to catch some of the performances, visit lve.org.au or phone 5147 2335.
