The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) is a ten-day international festival focused on chamber music held in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

, North Queensland commencing on the last Friday in July. The AFCM also incorporates a Winterschool for emerging artists. Some 30 to 40 chamber musicians from around Australia and the world converge on Townsville, each year to perform and teach emerging artists. The festival was founded in July 1991 and has been held annually ever since. In 2020 it celebrated its 30th anniversary. It is the largest festival dedicated to chamber music in the southern hemisphere."Dynamic team gears up". ''

Townsville Bulletin The ''Townsville Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper published in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, formerly known as the ''Townsville Daily Bulletin''. It is the only daily paper that serves the northern Queensland region. The paper has a print ...

'' "The Guide". Published 20 November 2006, p. 24 The AFCM is presented in partnership with all three levels of government as well as several commercial, tourism, regional development, and educational, organisations. The festival's

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

Paul de Jersey Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014. Education De Jersey was edu ...

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

History

The festival was founded in 1990 for a 1991 premiere by Professor Ray Golding, the then Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University and

Theodore Kuchar Theodore Kuchar (born May 31, 1963) is an American and Ukrainian conductor of classical music and a violist. Biography Kuchar was born in 1963 in New York City.classical and romantic periods, over the first five years Kuchar started inserting works of Bartok, Bloch, Martinu,

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

, expanding the musical depth for enthusiasts while maintaining the popular appeal.Matthew Westwood: "MATP Festival to tackle new directions". ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' Features, Published 4 July 2006, p. 14 The festival has tried to avoid a perception that it is only there for cultivated southerners, for example in 2005 for the first time the AFCM had a presence at a

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

football match and in 2006 increased publicity focusing locally.

2007 Australian Festival of Chamber Music

In 2007 the AFCM gained a new artistic director in Piers Lane AO. Lane, an Australian, a leading international pianist who is based in London; The 2007 programme involved vocalists and more variety than previous years to appeal to a broader audience, taking a "lifestyle approach" and focussing on music, wine and food.

2017 Australian Festival of Chamber Music

The 2017 Festival – the last under Piers Lane, was the highest box off results on record.

2018 Australian Festival of Chamber Music

In 2018 Piers Lane AO. Lane. passed the Artistic Directorship to his friend and colleague, Kathryn Stott, also a leading international pianist based in Manchester; The 2018 programme & Festival was a resounding success with the second highest box office on record.

2022 Australian Festival of Chamber Music

In 2022 British/German violinist, director and festival director Jack Liebeck will deliver his first program as artistic director. Located in Townsville the festival run
29th July-7 August 2022
Incoming Artistic Director Jack Liebeck has created a truly exciting program for his first Festival. It is innovative and contemporary whilst still showcasing the classic composers and favourite works of chamber music through the centuries. There are some new elements too, including what he's describing as * Guilty Pleasures – musicians playing their all time favourite piece (classical or other), * AFCM Illuminates – informative lectures connecting music to science, and * Festival Garden – an informal outdoor space for listening to music and enjoying food and wine. The 2022 Festival Program was unveiled on Tuesday 1 March.
AFCM Friends
Priority Booking Period – commenced 10am AEDT, Tuesday 1 February and closed at 5pm, Wednesday 23 February 2022.
General Public Ticket Sales
– commenced 10am AEDT, Tuesday 1 March 2022.

2023 Australian Festival of Chamber Music

The 2023 Festival is scheduled for 28 July 2023 – 6 August 2023. The Festival will once again have Jack Liebeck as the Artistic Director. 1 February 2023 – Tickets on sale for AFCM Friends 1 March 2023 – Tickets on sale for everyone

Audience

Festival attendance has reached over 17,000 in recent years, with the free concert in the park attracting close to 5,000 attendees. About 60% of the Festival audience are visitors to Townsville, mostly intrastate and interstate visitors. International guests make up 2-3% of the audience.

Winterschool

An important element of the festival is its education program. The AFCM Winterschool provides young emerging musicians and school students with coaching and development opportunities. Masterclasses by visiting musicians are offered as part of the Winterschool program. Each year approximately 25 tertiary level music students attend the Advanced Winterschool program. Entry to the program is by application. Entries usually open in January and close by May.

2022 Winterschool

The Winterschool Director is Lloyd Van’t Hoff: Lauded by Limelight Magazine for his "life-affirming music-making", Lloyd Van’t Hoff enjoys a career as a vibrant young clarinettist, chamber musician, collaborator and educator. Having been crowned the 2015 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year, Lloyd regularly performs as a concerto soloist and tutti player with many of Australia’s symphony orchestras and as a soloist and chamber musician at festivals and venues around Australia and the globe.

Day off activities

Each year the Festival has a "day-off" during which festival patrons have an opportunity to hear chamber music but in more unusual settings.

Orpheus Island Cruise

The Orpheus Island Cruise has been one of the highlights for festival patrons. En route to Orpheus Island, whales have been often cited in the waters around the Palm Island group. Upon arrival at the remote end of Orpheus Island, patrons can enjoy the secluded beach and adjacent national park before settling down for a short performance from festival artists. The first tour to Orpheus Island took place in 2013 and was repeated in 2016 and each year since.

Outback Tour

From 2002 to 2010, the Outback Tour brought some of the best music in the world to some of the most isolated places in the world. In 2006 enthusiastic music lovers, join six musicians (including didgeridoo player William Barton) in a five-day tour of Outback Australia, visiting

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known a ...

, Ernest Henry Mine,

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, base ...

, Normanton and

Karumba Karumba is a town and a coastal locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people. Geography Karumba is in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, by road from Norma ...

focusing on fine food and music and masterclasses with hands on experience of the Queensland mining industry and communities. Works included;

Peter Sculthorpe Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighboring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigin ...

– String Quartet No. 9; Philip Glass – String Quartet No. 2 ''Company''; Hardin (aka

Moondog Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his ...

) – Synchrony No. 2; Lee – Morango – Like a Tango; Barton – Sacred Song and Hindson – Technologic.

References

{{Chamber music festivals Music festivals in Australia 1991 establishments in Australia Townsville Chamber music festivals Festivals in Queensland Recurring events established in 1991