The inaugural Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival (SCCMF) was born out of COVID last year and burst onto the national festival scene over a bright and crisp winter weekend in June. The brainchild of classical cellist and all-round musician, Louise King, it is the culmination of twelve years of dreaming about creating a festival, that would fill a gap in providing professional chamber music in the community. The COVID lockdown enabled her to cement her vision, at the same time enthusing like-minded music lovers, business leaders, government and councils to support the idea. Engendering positive commitment by many in the community, remarkably the festival was up and running in just over a year.  

Karin Schaupp. Photo © Barry Alsop.

King is energetic and positive, passionate about all kinds of music, while rejecting being pigeon-holed as only a classical musician. A long-term resident of the Sunshine Coast, she has an innate knowledge of the region, its potential venues and available spaces, as well as the demographics of its many communities. She realised that presenting a festival offered two distinct choices; either base it...