The highly acclaimed Countertenor will headline the inaugural year of the early music festival.

Following the announcement last week that the ill-fated but nonetheless highly acclaimed Hobart Baroque would be resurrected this year in Queensland as Brisbane Baroque, the headline act of the early music festival has been revealed as countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic. One of the world’s most outstanding early music voices, the performance at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in April will be the Croatian singer’s Australian debut.

Cencic, whose appearance at the festival has been supported by the Queensland government’s Super Star Fund which secures the exclusive performance rights for visiting international artists, will be joined by the Camerata of St John’s to perform a mixed program of Baroque favourites. Bringing such an accomplished performer to Australia is an achievement that Brisbane Baroque Artistic Director, Leo Schofield, is particularly proud of. “This will be a fantastic opportunity for Queenslanders and interstate visitors to hear one of the world’s greatest countertenors,” Schofield said. “Max Emanuel Cencic has performed at many of the world’s greatest opera houses in Italy, Germany, France, London and New York. His performance will be dazzling.” 

In addition to Cencic’s recital, Brisbane Baroque will also be presenting a production of Handel’s rarely staged opera Faramondo directed by Paul Curran; a concert performance of Henry Purcell’s most beloved masterpiece Dido and Aeneas performed by the Canticum Chamber Choir and Orchestra; a Gala performance of Handel favourites from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by British conductor Oliver Gooch; Heinrich Biber’s extraordinary cycle of 15 Rosary Sonatas, each using a different tuning for the Violin soloist, performed by Julia Fredersdorff, Donald Nicolson and Laura Vaughn; a performance of two of Bach’s most popular cantatas, BWV 78 and the infamous Coffee Cantata, performed by the Orchestra of the Antipodes; and a series of recitals by British wunderkind organist, 20 year-old Richard Gowers.

Brisbane Baroque takes place at venues across Brisbane, 10 – 18 April.