Postscript to the 2019 festival . . .

 

Yet again we were treated to perfect Straddie weather and packed houses for the 12th Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival. To those of you who attended, thank you for your exuberant support – we all had a wonderful time making music together and hope that you enjoyed being a part of it as much as we did.

This year’s program was very fulfilling for me. The highlight was having the opportunity to really explore Czech music – some pieces well-known, some not so much – but all captivating and superbly written. There was a potent mix of joyfulness and dance, with a touch of melancholy – concise lessons in life, I think!

One of our special guests, Joe Chindamo, impressed with his huge musical talent – performing with his jazz trio at the Surf Club concert and next day presenting the Australian premiere of his evocative piece This House, rescored with woodwinds especially for the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival. It was a thrill to hear Brisbane-born composer Brett Dean’s masterpiece Sextet: Old Kings in Exile – it may not have been the easiest piece to play, but the performance was compelling. And we ended with one of my absolute favourites, Brahms’ String Sextet in G, a fitting finale to another wonderful festival.

Of course, planning is under way for next year’s festival. Please save the dates: 24–26 July 2020. The 13th festival promises to be as abundant with wonderful music and island experiences as this year’s!

You can visit our photo gallery to refresh your memories of the 2019 festival, and go to Facebook for a wealth of images:

https://www.facebook.com/StradbrokeChamberMusicFestival

If you missed out on tickets this time, and want to avoid disappointment in future years, sign up here to receive our enews messages, which give prompts about ticket release dates.

Rachel Smith,

Artistic Director