A host of internationally renowned musicians will inspire and enthrall audiences at the Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival.
The festival, in its second year, will include events at natural locations and intimate venues around the region, from Friday, June 17, to Sunday, June 19.
Each event is set to reimagine chamber music in a contemporary context, integrating site specific, cross-form and cross-cultural elements.
The line-up has been released and a bevy of world-class musicians are bound for the festival, including Topology, the Orava Quartet, Acacia Quartet, Guillaume Wang and a stellar line-up of First Nations artists, including Deline Briscoe, Chris Williams, Jessie Lloyd, Jem Cassar-Daly, Troy Brady, and local Kabi Kabi song-man Lyndon Davis.
The festival will start at beautiful Maleny, with a joint Welcome to Country by Kabi Kabi Elder and the festival’s First Nations Creative Director, Aunty Helena Gulash, speaking alongside Jinibara artist Jason Murphy.
Scroll down to see what’s on and how to book
Festival Artistic Director Dr Lynne Bradley said it would be a memorable long weekend.
“Our 2022 festival provides visitors with a range of unforgettable and inspiring experiences by programming a world-class line up of musicians and connecting them with the special places, people and the cultures of the Sunshine Coast region,” she said.
The project has been supported by Sunshine Coast Council’s grants program, major sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Visit Sunshine Coast, Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, Australian Government, Regional Arts Australia and Flying Arts Alliance.
Festival events
The Night Parrot
Take a magical journey as a century-long mystery comes to life. Music and conservation unite to tell the enchanting story of the night parrot, long believed to be extinct. In this newly-commissioned work by revered Australian composer Jessica Wells, soprano Morgan England-Jones and the Acacia Quartet bring this riveting tale to life. The Night Parrot is presented in collaboration with QMF and the Maleny Arts Council.
Where: Maleny Community Centre, 23 Maple Street, Maleny, Jinibara Country.
When: Friday, June 17, 7pm to 8.30pm.
Tickets: $30 to $48 via Try Booking.
In Conversation: The Night Parrot
Ahead of The Night Parrot performance, hear the intriguing story behind its creation in an hour long In Conversation with composer Jessica Wells and video designer Craig Wilkinson in the Verandah Room. Ken Cross, the convenor for Sunshine Coast sub-branch of Birdlife Australia, will join the artistic team to share the controversy and importance of the bird’s rediscovery.
Where: Maleny Community Centre, 23 Maple Street, Maleny, Jinibara Country.
When: Friday, June 17, 5pm to 6pm.
Tickets: Free entry. Register via Try Booking.
Sunset Salon
With a nod to the origins of chamber music, this cosy salon concert will take place in a stunning home overlooking the beach at Maroochydore, as the sun sets over the horizon. International soloists Guillaume (cello), Keija (cello) and Mimi (piano) Wang will take you on a musical journey through Haydn and Dvořák via Debussy, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, to Cesar Mariano and Peter Pejtsik. Joining the Wang family as a guest artist is internationally-acclaimed Wakka Wakka musician, Chris Williams – currently in residence with the Southern Cross Soloists. Combining the hospitality and intimacy of chamber music salons of old with the beauty of the Sunshine Coast and international musicians of the highest calibre, this is an event you will not want to miss.
Where: The Penthouse, Aqua Vista Resort, Sixth Avenue, Maroochydore, Kabi Kabi Country
When: Saturday, June 18, 5pm to 6.30pm
Tickets: $75 via Try Booking.
Orava by Candelight
Hailed as “the most exciting young quartet on the block” by The Australian, the Orava Quartet have performed around the world. Brothers Daniel and Karol Kowalik (violin and cello), David Dalseno (violin) and Thomas Chawner (viola) have earned a reputation and a devoted following for their passionate and thrilling performances. Since returning to Australia, they have made an impressive and rapid rise to national attention, performing regularly at major classical and arts festivals. With a stunning repertoire, this concert will take place in one of the Sunshine Coast’s intimate small halls. Bask in their candlelit performance and you too will fall in love with Orava’s unique sound and breathtaking intensity.
Where: Buderim War Memorial Hall, 1 Main Street, Buderim, Kabi Kabi Country
When: Saturday, June 18, 7.30pm to 9pm.
Tickets: $60 via Try Booking.
Singing Up Country
The closing performance of the weekend is a conversation between First Nations and classical music through an innovative collaboration with the internationally-renowned ensemble Topology. Directed by Kabi Kabi Elder Aunty Helena Gulash and musical director Deline Briscoe, this cross-form event interweaves traditional and contemporary storylines. Indigenous art making continues to act as a tool for the continuation of culture, story-telling and identity. This powerful three-part cross-form event features an outstanding line-up of First Nations artists, including Jessie Lloyd, Troy ‘Jungaji’ Brady, Dean Brady, Ari ‘Airileke’ Ingram, Jem Cassar-Daley, Ney Ney, Clint Bracknell, the First Nations Vocalists (Lyndon Davis, Helena Gulash abd Deline Briscoe) and the Gubbi Gubbi Dance Troupe. Bring a picnic and join us at dusk and under the stars in Buderim Park,to celebrate the end of a lazy, long festival weekend.
Where: Buderim Amphitheatre, 5 Church Street, Buderim, Kabi Kabi Country.
When: Sunday, June 19, 5pm to 7pm.
Tickets: Via Try Booking.
Long Table Lunch
Putting the feast back into festival, the Long Table Lunch will bring together the culinary and performing arts, combining delicious produce from the Sunshine Coast with the captivating music of Melissa Western and Shenzo Gregorio. Settle in for a delicious three-hour food and musical extravaganza, prepared by an award-winning chef and staged in the stunning surrounds of the Maleny hinterland. Interweaving the much-loved genres of jazz and classical music, Melissa and Shenzo will perform a concert that evokes the warmth and hospitality of chamber music’s intimate home settings of days gone by. It’s presented in conjunction with The Curated Plate local food festival.
Where: 94 Maleny-Kenilworth Road, Maleny, Jinibara Country.
When: Saturday, July 30, 11.30am to 2.30pm.
Tickets: $185 via Try Booking.
Free Community Engagement Concerts
Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Churches of Christ Sunshine Coast Home Care, In association with Wishlist and the Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival, will present two free day-time concerts at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the Churches of Christ Sunshine Coast Home Care Auditorium for patients, their families, staff and the general public. They concerts are part of the festival’s Community Engagement Program, which aims to bring music to communities who are unable to access the main festival events. They also aim to build the region’s cultural capacity through an emerging artist mentoring program. Distinguished Queensland Conservatorium graduates Francis Atkins (piano) and Julia Hill (violin) will present popular classics, including Satie, Debussy and Rachmaninoff, in a joyous and uplifting concert.
Where: Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Kabi Kabi Country and the Auditorium,
Parklands Blvd, Little Mountain.
When: Tuesday, July 14, 11.30am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
Tickets: Register at Try Booking via Sunshine Coast Music Festival.
For more information and the full festival schedule, see Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival.
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