You’re reading Limelight’s complete coverage of the
Australian Festival of Chamber Music
You’re reading Limelight’s complete coverage of the
Australian Festival of Chamber Music
- Jul 31 – Aug 9, 2020
- Townsville, QLD
Reviews
★★★★½ HOMELANDS
An ambitious concert that sought to capture whole worlds.
★★★★½ BAROQUE AROUND THE CLOCK
A smartly programmed conversation between baroque and 20th-century music.
★★★★½ TRACES AND TRANSFORMATIONS
A night of music across the spectrum, climaxing on a surprising note with Schoenberg’s beast – Verklärkte Nacht.
★★★★☆ CZECH IT OUT!
A mournful Popper and happy-go-lucky Copland between two immense Czech works.
★★★★☆ MAGICAL CONNECTIONS
The AFCM bids a fond farewell to Kathryn Stott’s first Festival as Artistic Director in a lavish, three-act gala.
★★★★½ LOVE LETTERS
Musical love notes written in everything from chansons to tango – and an eight-cello Tristan.
★★★★☆ GYPSIES, PIPERS AND DUKES
Pavel Fischer’s Mad Piper captivates Townsville in a lavish feast of folk-inspired music.
★★★★½ SUBLIME SCHUBERT
Francis Gouton and the Orava Quartet tackle a Schubert mammoth.
★★★½☆ BACH BY CANDLELIGHT
It’s Bach, Jim, but not always as we know it.
★★★★☆ EVENING SERIES – OP 127!
A clever pairing is more than simply programming by numbers.
Why I read Limelight
“As a musician living in the UK but directing a festival in Australia, Limelight Magazine is an absolute must have! I really love the mix of fast news, in-depth features and of course all the info on who is doing what. I frequently take it on my travels, without any doubt, and really enjoy catching up with all events Down Under. Reading it from Europe, Limelight quickly makes any distance disappear and I certainly wouldn’t want to be without it.”
Kathryn Stott
Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music
Why I read Limelight
“As a musician living in the UK but directing a festival in Australia, Limelight Magazine is an absolute must have! I really love the mix of fast news, in-depth features and of course all the info on who is doing what. I frequently take it on my travels, without any doubt, and really enjoy catching up with all events Down Under. Reading it from Europe, Limelight quickly makes any distance disappear and I certainly wouldn’t want to be without it.”
Kathryn Stott
Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music
Features
A MUSICAL ROAD TRIP TO TOWNSVILLE
Two musicians making their Australian debut at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Roberto Carillo-Garcia and Rachael Clegg, take a 1,334-kilometre road trip up the Queensland coast, with instruments in tow.
JOHANNES MOSER: ELECTRIC CELLIST
The renowned German-Canadian cellist tells Jo Litson about using visualisation to tackle stress, his electric cello, and balancing the risks from diving and mountain biking with music.
CONNOR D’NETTO: TICKING ALL THE BOXES
Premiering in Townsville, Connor D’Netto’s new string quartet is another step closer to completing a life-long musical bucket list.
KATHRYN STOTT TUNES INTO TOWNSVILLE
The director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music discusses the exciting musical connections in her second program.
LOTTE BETTS-DEAN ON THE WIDE WORLD OF SONG
The Australian mezzo discusses the wide-ranging repertoire she’ll be performing at this year’s Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
WU MAN ON PERFORMING TODAY’S MUSIC
The Chinese pipa virtuoso talks to Limelight about playing with Yo-Yo Ma for the Clintons, working with composers Tan Dun and Ye Xiaogang, and collaborating across musical cultures.
TINE THING HELSETH: CHAMBER MUSIC IS PART OF EVERYTHING I DO
We caught up with the Norwegian trumpeter in Townsville for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville.
JULIAN BLISS: I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO EXPERIMENT
The versatile British clarinettist talks jazz, Messiaen and why he wants to try his hand at Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto.
GRACE CLIFFORD RETURNS TO OZ
We talk to the Australian violinist, who won the ABC Young Performers Award at 16, about coming home for a string of concerts and debuts.
KATHRYN STOTT ON TAKING OVER TOWNSVILLE
A close friend of Piers Lane, the British pianist admits he will be a hard act to follow. We talk to the AFCM’s new AD about old ideas and new brooms.
ORLI SHAHAM DELVES INTO BRAHMS AND RECONSTRUCTS ADAMS
In Townsville for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the pianist pulls one composer apart and puts the
THE END OF THE PIERS SHOW
As Piers Lane prepares to pass the baton at this year’s AFCM, we look at the life and career of a great Australian pianist.
HARPSICHORDIST MAHAN ESFAHANI ON WHY HE PLAYS SAARIAHO
He realised early that if he wanted his instrument to be taken seriously he had to perform contemporary music.
“CLASSICAL MUSICIANS ARE NOT ODD PEOPLE,” SAYS PIERS LANE
In the lead up to his final AFCM as Artistic Director, the pianist reflects on his 11-year tenure.
TREY LEE: “I DIDN’T WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN”
Dodging bullets on the way to school, music as “competitive cage-fighting” almost turned the Chinese cellist off the
WHAT’S THE DELIUS?
Tasmin Little talks about chicken dinners at the Menuhin school, upcoming performances in Australia and intense collaborations with Piers Lane.
News
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC 2019 UNVEILED
Pipa virtuoso Wu Man, saxophonist Amy Dickson and cellist Johannes Moser are among the guests on Artistic Director Kathryn Stott’s second Festival program.
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC 2018 PROGRAM UNVEILED
Artistic Director Kathryn Stott has unveiled her first program for the Festival, with a swathe of new artists, premieres and plenty of old favourites.
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC ANNOUNCES NEW AD
British pianist Kathryn Stott will take over in 2018 following Piers Lane’s final year at the helm.
TASMIN LITTLE TO HEADLINE 2016 AFCM
The celebrated British violinist joins 34 other world-class soloists in Townsville for this year’s chamber music festival.