Aim

The Festival provides participants with a wealth of experience in public performances as well as being able to listen to others. It’s an opportunity to build confidence and experience and receive helpful and personal reports from qualified adjudicators.
The Festival is:

  • a feast
  • a celebration
  • an organised, concentrated celebration of the Arts.
  • bringing people together for the purpose of enjoyment, experience and entertainment.

We Are The North of Perth Music Festival

WHETHER you sing to your heart’s content, play an instrument, recite a speech or drama, or tread the boards, there’s $10,050 worth of prize money as well as exclusive gold medallions, trophies and certificates to be won in the North of Perth Music Festival. The Festival is open to participants of all ages with a range of categories on offer including piano, strings, singing, instrumentals and speech and drama

The North of Perth Music Festival is a valuable cultural asset that has serviced the community for over 68 years bringing people together in an organized, concentrated celebration of the Arts for the purpose of enjoyment, experience and entertainment.

Many outstanding singers, actors and artists, the likes of Lisa McCune and the late Heath Ledger, have come through this Festival in their early stage of development.

The City of Bayswater is the major sponsor with Zenith Music the main award sponsor, providing a $2,000 cash prize for the Most Outstanding Performance.

Auditions are held in September with 2 Winners Concerts in October.

The North of Perth Music Festival is truly a celebration of our community’s diversity through the arts.

about
68
Years running
23323
Number of entrants
3580
Winners

News

The City Of Bayswater’s North of Perth Music Festival Schedule for 2025 has just been released.

The North of Perth Music Festival is a valuable cultural asset that has serviced the community for the last 68 years bringing people together in an organized,

concentrated celebration of the Arts for the purpose of enjoyment, experience and entertainment.

Many outstanding singers, actors and artists, the likes of Lisa McCune and the late Heath Ledger, have come through this Festival in their early stage of development.

The City of Bayswater is the major sponsor of the Festival with Zenith Music the main award sponsor, providing the $2,000 cash prize for the Most Outstanding Performance.

Together with financial sponsorship from various organizations and from Festival funds we are able to offer $10,050 worth of cash Prizes as well as medallions and trophies.

It is hoped that this will encourage prospective contestants to enter and take part in all the opportunities the Festival has to offer.

outstanding winners

Past Outstanding Winners

Carl Vine
Paul O’Neill
Heath Ledger
Lisa McCune
Carl Vine won first prize in the fourth grade piano section at the 1967 North of Perth Music Festival. Carl Vine AO is one of Australia's best known and often performed composers. His piano music is performed frequently around the world and recordings of his music on more than 60 CDs play regularly on Australian radio. Since 2014 Carl has been Senior Lecturer in Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Paul O’Neill was the winner of the Overall Most Outstanding Performance at the 2003 North of Perth Music Festival. An internationally renowned tenor, Paul O’Neill, is one of Western Australia’s finest musical exports. After graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts, Paul studied in London and Cardiff before moving to Germany where he has performed with the Staatsoper Berlin.
Heath Ledger won the Ramsay McLean Perpetual Trophy for the Most Outstanding Speech and Drama Item at the 1995 North of Perth Music Festival. He was awarded the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). This made him the first person to win a posthumous acting Oscar in this category.
Lisa was the winner of the City of Bayswater Shield for the Ladies Vocal Championship in the 1990 North of Perth Music Festival. In 1995 she won the silver Logie for Best new talent and continued on in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 to win the silver Logies for most popular female Actress. Her popularity soared so much that she even went on in 1997 to win the Gold Logie for most popular personality. She again won in 1998, 1999, and 2000, becoming the first woman in Australian T.V. to win 4 consecutive Gold Logies. She is currently starring in “The Warriors” television series.
AUSTA
WAAPA
Snaden
ANATS
Zenith Music
City of Bayswater
Zenith Music is the Festival’s Main Award sponsor currently providing a cash prize of $2000 for the Overall Most Outstanding Performance. This very generous sponsorship has been available to the Festival since 1964.
The City of Bayswater is the Major Sponsor of the North of Perth Music Festival. The City has been a major integral part of the Festival since 1986. It has helped build a solid foundation instigating many additional and major improvements in the standard and running of the Festival.