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Australian Festival of Chamber Music Artistic Director Jack Liebeck has unveiled his first program, and it leads with three powerful world premieres over the first three days, part of a stunning line-up of over 130 works in total, to be staged from 29th July to 7th August in Townsville, Queensland.

The 31st Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) boasts 32 events, 33 world class artists including five international and 28 Australian musicians, and three major new festival experiences including Guilty Pleasures, AFCM Illuminates and Festival Garden.

Queensland Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the Australian Festival of Chamber Music will make a triumphant return to Townsville with more than 30 of the world’s finest classical musicians bringing marvellous music to the magical setting of North Queensland and adds “this long-running renowned festival presents chamber music that sounds like paradise, played in paradise.

“A highlight this year will be the powerful premiere of Nginda Ngarrini Bi Ngya, performed by renowned Yorta Yorta composer and soprano, Deborah Cheetham AO, with the Goldner String Quartet, developed with additional support from the Queensland Government. This performance will be sung in Wulgurukaba language, acknowledging the local Wulgurukaba people of Gurambilbarra.   

“The Queensland Government has supported the Australian Festival of Chamber Music for more than three decades, enabling its showcase of music and the festival’s growth as a significant cultural tourism experience that delivers economic benefits for the region. I encourage Queenslanders and visitors to the state to embrace the melodic magic of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music 2022.”

The Festival opens with three world premieres over three days. On opening Night, 29th July, Deborah Cheetham’s work Nginda Ngarrini Bi Ngya, which was especially commissioned for AFCM, will be performed. Written in the language of the local Indigenous people, it features Deborah singing with the Goldner String Quartet.

The Governor’s Gala concert on Saturday 30th July will deliver an epic world premiere music moment - 25 Australian composers were commissioned to write short variations on Beethoven’s iconic ‘Ode to Joy’ to mark the 25th anniversary of the famous Goldner String Quartet; the work will be premiered by the Goldners at this event!

Rounding out the trio of world firsts, Australian composer Paul Dean will unveil his premiere during the Sunday evening concert, aptly titled The 22’s, and featuring pieces straddling 400 years, from 1722 (Albinoni’s Concerto for oboe in D minor, Op. 9, No. 2), 1822 (Mendelssohn’s Piano Quartet No 1 Op 1 in C minor), 1922 (Peter Warlock’s The Curlew) and Dean’s specially written Concerto for Chamber Orchestra representing 2022.  

That’s not all for Paul Dean, he is also Composer-in-Residence for the Festival and leads a strong Dean family presence at the AFCM; his niece, soprano Lotte Betts-Dean as a guest artist will perform her father Brett Dean’s work, and his wife Trish Dean (cello) makes her AFCM debut.

The artist line-up is led by internationally applauded didgeridoo star William Barton returning to the Festival with his own compositions, and soprano and composer Deborah Cheetham, joined by Kirsty McCahon (double bass), James Crabb (accordion), Lloyd Van’t Hoff (clarinet), Daniel de Borah (piano), Alice Giles (harp), Imants Larsens (viola), Natsuko Yoshimoto (violin), Kristian Chong (piano) and the Goldner String Quartet, among others.   

Australian musicians heading north for the first time include Phoebe Russell (double bass), Alison Mitchell (flute), David Mitchell (bassoon), Jacob Enoka (percussion), Brigid Coleridge (violin, and now residing in Boston), Elina Faskhi (cello) and Emmanuel Cassimatis (oboe).   

International musicians making their AFCM and Australian debut include Charlotte Bonneton (violin and viola) from France, Daniel Grimwood (piano) from the UK and the famed Turkish cellist Jamal Aliyev while Canadian violinist Corey Cerovsek makes his AFCM debut. Daniel Grimwood and Jamal Aliyev are ONLY performing at AFCM in Australia. Festival Host will be ABC Classic’s Damien Beaumont.  

Full program information and tickets (on sale today at 10am) at www.afcm.com.au   

Image top: AFCM_Musicians Donica Tran, Lloyd Van't Hoff and Nadia Barrow in Townsville; and image above: AFCM 2022 Natsuko Yoshimoto and William Barton. Credit Andrew Rankin

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