This year the camp will run from Wednesday March 17 to Friday, March 19 and will conclude with a concert at 6pm on Friday, March 19.

There are more students than ever participating this year and Merriwa Central School students will take part for the first time.

Another first will be the introduction of song writing workshops which will be run by Paul Jarman a widely acclaimed Australian composer and performing artist.

Mr Jarman was best known for his choral music and original lyrics that have been commissioned by ensembles including Gondwana Voices, the Sydney Children’s Choir, and Hunter Singers.

Mr Jarman will teach students song writing techniques such as how to come up with an idea, story line or a word that inspires.

The song writing workshop will correspond with a vocal skills workshop run by Dean Frenkel an overtone singer who practices an ancient throat singing technique and can sing two notes at once.

In 2005, Mr Frenkel broke the world record for the longest continuous vocal note (57 seconds) beating the previous record (29.03 seconds). He held the record for four and a half years. Among the techniques he will teach at the workshop is circular breathing which is used when playing the didgeridoo.

Composer and conductor Gordon Hamilton will run the choral singing workshop.

While he was studying at university, Mr Hamilton attended the Kia Ora Music Camp and Concert as an accompanist. He has lived and worked in Germany since 2005 and in 2006 he formed Northern Spirit, a young vocal ensemble committed to contemporary choral music.

Kia Ora music camp administrator Gillian Miles said because the new tutors were so well known and the demand for them was so high, it was likely they would only appear this year.

“Those three to start with are pretty amazing and they are all music oriented,” Mrs Miles said.