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Exploring Artistic Horizons: A Dive into the Canberra International Music Festival 2025

The Canberra International Music Festival 2025 presents an exciting array of events that blend various artistic disciplines, from music to visual art, offering an immersive cultural experience. Featuring innovative collaborations and performances by renowned artists, the festival includes highlights such as 'Shock Lines' with glass sculptures and soundscapes, the orchestral brilliance of 'Fantasia,' and the introspective journey of 'Five Short Blasts.' This year's festival is a celebration of creativity and cultural exchange, showcasing both contemporary and classical works across stunning venues in Canberra.

Mar 26, 2025
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1. Shock Lines
Shock Lines is an interdisciplinary collaboration between glass artist Caitlin Dubler, Canberra-born percussionist Niki Johnson, and sound designer Natasha Dubler that works across installation, performance and musical composition. Their self-titled work features suspended glass-sandstone sculptures, live percussive performance, and immersive surround sound.
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Apr 30, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Kingston · Canberra Glassworks

2. Fantasia
A program of exquisite contemporary Australian works alongside masterpieces of string orchestra repertoire. A new violin concerto by one of Australia’s most respected composers, Richard Mills, who has conceived the work with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Artistic Director Sophie Rowell as the soloist.
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Apr 30, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Canberra · Canberra Grammar School

3. Five Short Blasts
In the early morning, when the wind drops, when the waters of Lake Burley Griffin that now submerge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri plain are still, we head out on the water in a small flotilla to listen. Five Short Blasts – the name of the signal known instantly to mariners as an expression of uncertainty or alarm – has surfaced the sounds and stories of oceans, ports and rivers through major festivals in Melbourne, Hamburg, Perth and Prague.
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May 1, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Queen Elizabeth Terrace

4. Serioso and Serene
Beethoven’s self-titled Serioso quartet, composed during the politically charged Napoleonic era, reflects his personal and political struggles with a sense of urgency and defiant shifts in tone, embodying a longing for freedom. In contrast, Dvořák’s 14th and final String Quartet radiates a broad, hopeful vision, capturing his deep love for Czech folk traditions. Written after his time in the United States, the piece expresses both pride in his heritage and a subtle resistance to the political dominance over his homeland. Cheetham Fraillon’s Bungaree, is a powerful string quartet that highlights the often-overlooked relationship between explorer Matthew Flinders and Bungaree, a Kurringai man whose diplomacy and knowledge were instrumental in mapping Australia. Blending Indigenous Australian musical heritage with classical string quartet traditions, the piece honours Bungaree’s contributions and cultural legacy. Flinders Quartet bring us these powerful works that blend intense emotion with moments of profound calm and resolve.
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May 1, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Albert Hall

5. Shock Lines
Shock Lines is an interdisciplinary collaboration between glass artist Caitlin Dubler, Canberra-born percussionist Niki Johnson, and sound designer Natasha Dubler that works across installation, performance and musical composition. Their self-titled work features suspended glass-sandstone sculptures, live percussive performance, and immersive surround sound.
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May 1, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Kingston · Canberra Glassworks

6. Schubert Lieder
Much more than a lieder recital, this rare and beautiful concert features some of Schubert’s most darkly-hued songs, superbly delivered by David Greco’s mahogany bass-baritone, and intensified by rich and expressive string quartet accompaniments. David has carefully structured his selection according to key and timbre, and the esteemed Australian Haydn Ensemble have chosen instrumental movements by Felix Mendelssohn (at his most Schubertian!) to contrast or reinforce each song. The movements date from the last tragic six months of Mendelssohn’s life, in which he battled both illness and bitter mourning for his sister Fanny. Go on this wild and sad journey; when you come up for the autumnal Canberra air, you’ll never feel more alive.
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May 1, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Albert Hall

7. Magic Realism
Magic Realism takes the listener through a theatrical and mystical sonic journey traversing medieval Europe and contemporary Australian Indigenous culture. Three master musicians steer us through two profound works: Hildegard von Bingen’s O Spectabiles Viri is magically reinterpreted by Erkki Veltheim with soprano Jane Sheldon.
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May 1, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

The Street Theatre

8. Five Short Blasts
In the early morning, when the wind drops, when the waters of Lake Burley Griffin that now submerge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri plain are still, we head out on the water in a small flotilla to listen. Five Short Blasts – the name of the signal known instantly to mariners as an expression of uncertainty or alarm – has surfaced the sounds and stories of oceans, ports and rivers through major festivals in Melbourne, Hamburg, Perth and Prague.
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May 2, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Lake Burley Griffin

9. VIULUT: Vänskä and Veltheim
An up-close and personal encounter with two of our most beloved Finnish-Australian violinists. Satu and Erkki together present a series of works that reflect on their personal creative and cultural identities.
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May 2, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

Embassy of Finland

10. Echoes of the Iron Curtain
Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra Satu Vänskä and modern piano maestro Konstantin Shamray unite for an exploration of the enchanting musical landscapes of Soviet Russia.
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May 2, 2025
Canberra International Music Festival

High Court of Australia

Conclusion
The Canberra International Music Festival 2025 stands as a testament to the transformative power of artistic collaboration. Through its diverse program, the festival offers audiences a chance to explore the intersections of music, art, and culture. From the innovative 'Shock Lines' to the introspective 'Five Short Blasts,' each event enriches our understanding of the arts' boundless potential. As the festival draws to a close, it leaves an indelible mark on all who partake in its offerings, reminding us of the enduring impact of creativity and cultural exchange.
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