Combustion Music celebrated its 11th annual Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival in Elbow Cay this past December 6th – 8th; and the final tally is in, raising over $400,000 for 3 worthy, local charities; Every Child Counts (ECC), Friends of the Environment and the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue. This year’s three-day festival featured performances by Kendell Marvel, Chris DeStefano, Chris Farren, Payton Smith, and many other special guests, including local favorites Donella and Journey Higgs and her father.
This yearly festival was established by Combustion Music Founder and President, Chris Farren, who has owned a home on the island for over 20 years. Chris Farren said, “Each year, I worry that we might have overstayed our welcome, and that my great friends and writers from Nashville, as well as the hundreds of festival goers, are a bit tired of giving….Boy, am I glad my worries were unfounded this year. Once again, everyone stepped up, and we raised a boatload of money…and had a bunch of fun doing it. Thank you to everyone involved!”
Thank you to our incredible sponsors and attendees for making 2024’s festival such a great success. We were able to donate the bulk to ECC, Friends of the Environment and the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, with additional funds being distributed throughout the local Hope Town community for various causes. We also couldn’t have done it without the generous donation of our writers’ and performers’ talents and time, Cha Boyce of Friends of the Environment, and our sponsors. Cha Boyce stated, “Over the years great friendships have formed, we’ve raised lots of money for such worthy causes and so much great music and fun has been shared. I am privileged to be included in this amazing team that brings the Combustion festival to Hope Town and gives graciously to our community. A huge thank you to all of you who support the efforts. You are what keeps the festival coming back.”
We can’t wait to see you all again this December 2025!
About Combustion Music:
Plain and simple…we help build hit songwriters. Combustion Music opened its doors in 2001 with the mission of providing a closely knit creative environment for up and coming songwriters to flourish and ultimately maximize the value of their copyrights. Over twenty years and over 110 #1 hits later, we continue to follow that very same path. There is no science to art… However, carefully nurtured and focused creative support combined with raw talent can lead to some extremely positive results. The consistency in our staff, the longevity of our writer relationships, and the agility to adapt quickly to an ever-changing music business environment has led, over these 20 years, to some very solid results. We pride ourselves on that consistency and longevity, as evidenced by a 17-yearrelationship with six-time country Songwriter of the Year Ashley Gorley; a 12-year run with six-time Christian Songwriter of the Year Matthew West; and both the writer and artist development of Broken Bow Records/Combustion Masters signee Kolby Cooper and Combustion/RCA artist Corey Kent. Again and again, our songs and catalogs hold up over time as evidenced by our consistent growth and return, and our writers’ loyalty. Nashville is clearly at the center of country music, and while our catalog contains works from many genres, at our core we are a country music company. We work out of a house on Music Row built in the 1930’s, where music is coming out of every room….songwriters working on new compositions, and creatives listening and trying to find a suitable home for the latest demos. Music is everywhere. Nashville is a hot city, and country music is an even hotter genre…country is cool, youthful and vibrant, and playing and growing in every corner of the globe. Combustion Music stands at the forefront of companies strategically prepared to continue to capitalize on this worldwide growth. To learn more about Combustion Music, visit combustionmusic.com.
About The Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue:
The Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue (HTVFR) is an all-volunteer fire and rescue department operating on the island of Elbow Cay in Abaco, Bahamas. The HTVFR department is fully funded by donations from the community and visitors to the island. Though HTVRF volunteers are located on Elbow Cay, they’re often called and respond to other outlying islands in Abaco. The HTVFR works closely with Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association - the only search and rescue operation in the Bahamas, made up entirely of volunteers. Local residents, second homeowners, and visitors will attest to the importance and professionalism of HTVFR volunteers. To learn more about The Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue, visit www.hopetownfirerescue.com.
About Friends of the Environment:
Founded in 1988,Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) is an Abaco-based non-profit organization with a mission to preserve the environment of Abaco, The Bahamas through education, conservation, and research facilitation. Previous donations have assisted with many of FRIENDS environmental and conservation programs, including providing over 23,000 environmental education experiences for local youths, the restoration of 180 acres of mangrove wetland, removal of over 1,400 pounds of trash from local beaches, the designation of five protected areas, and logistically facilitating research with the opening of the Frank Kenyon Research Centre in 2015. Rebuilding The Learning Centre ,after it was destroyed, in Hurricane Dorian has allowed FRIENDS to continue to provide environmental education experiences and expand conservation projects. The Learning Centre is a demonstration site for sustainable building practices that are storm resilient and a space that will be available as an emergency response center in the event of future disaster. To learn more about Friends of the Environment, visit www.friendsoftheenvironment.org.
About Every Child Counts:
Every Child Counts (ECC) is the only facility in Abaco that provides alternative education for children with learning, developmental or physical disabilities. Students are accepted to ECC regardless of financial, family or social restraints, and on average ECC has been able to serve 100 students per year, although the need is greater capacity is limited. The curriculum of ECC focuses on character, functional academic skills, sensory integration, physical development, independent life skills, pre-vocational and employment skills, and self-expression through art, drama, music and dance. ECC believes that learning should be individualized, positive and student-centered, and that the ultimate goal of education is to develop a productive community member. To that end, learning is sequential, developmental, and functional to maximize each child’s ability to become a productive, successful and independent citizen. To learn more about Every Child Counts, visit www.everychildcountsabaco.org.
