A girls choir from Wilcannia Central School has hit centre stage in front of thousands of people to perform alongside Missy Higgins at the Mundi Mundi Bash.
The collaboration was sparked after Higgins saw a video online about a teacher at the school, Sarah Donnelley, winning the 2020 ARIA Music Teacher of the Year award.
She was inspired by her work and wanted to find a way to be part of it.
"I was just blown away by how beautifully she engaged with these kids and how creative she was during the pandemic to keep them feeling connected with each other," Higgins said.
"I was told that she had a girls choir at their Wilcannia school, and that it was near this festival, and it all just kind of snowballed from there."
'Music brings us together'
Higgins released a song Big Kids as part of her new album Total Control, produced for an ABC drama of the same name.
She said the track would "sound amazing with kids' vocals" in it.
There were seven children aged from seven – 12 involved in The Wilcannia Choir.
Ms Donnelley said students practiced with Higgins through Zoom rehearsals and "special meetings" every week throughout the term in the lead up to the festival.
"When you hear the kids sing along with her, you can't imagine ever listening to it without them singing it again," she said.
Barkindji-Malyangaapa student Kathalka Whyman said she stayed back after school to practice.
"I think we put a lot of effort into this performance, and we have done multiple practices," he said.
"Music is a big part of everyone's lives, and music brings us together."
Supporting artists in remote areas
Higgins said doing collaborations could help enrich her music.
"The more people that you meet and collaborate with, the richer the experience is as a performer and I love hanging out with people from the local communities," she said.
"It's so rare to just get out of the city and feel the space around, the sunset was ridiculous, I've never seen anything like that."
Higgins said it was important to give artists from diverse areas performance opportunities.
"It's so rare that in remote communities like this that local artists get the chance to be on the stage and to show their talent," she said.
"It feels nice to be able to give them that opportunity."
