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. 

Fantasia

Canberra Grammar School

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. 

Shock Lines

Canberra Glassworks

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.

Five Short Blasts

Queen Elizabeth Terrace

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. 

Serioso and Serene

Albert Hall

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. 

Schubert Lieder

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.

Magic Realism

The Street Theatre

Lake Burley Griffin

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. 

VIULUT: Vänskä and Veltheim

Embassy of Finland

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.  

Echoes of the Iron Curtain

High Court of Australia

In their first collaboration, Flinders Quartet and Paavali Jumpannen explore two powerful piano quintets that blend introspective depth with the intensity of their composers’ complex political landscapes. 

Quintessence

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. 

8 Pipers for Philip Glass is a musical odyssey in which the gloriously saturated sonic texture of eight bagpipes fills the hall, immersing the audience in a world of haunting resonance and complex beauty. This Australian debut showcases the powerful artistry of French pipers in a concert that demands to be heard, witnessed, and felt with every sense.  

8 Pipers for Philip Glass

Snow Concert Hall

Incorporating live music performance, film, projections, ritual theatre, sculpture and sound design, this time-and-space-bending ‘live cinematic concert’ explores changing emotions, sometimes sad, sometimes surreal or exhilarating, around the vexed question of our modern-day relationship with the Australian naturallandscape… What is this “estranged” relationship? What is holding us back? What happens if we just go out there?

Duet for One

National Film and Sound Archive

In this exquisite program, we present a rare side-by-side concert with two international piano powerhouses: Paavali Jumpannen (FIN) and Konstantin Shamray (RUS). These pianists are formidable, fearless and flawless interpreters of epic solo piano works. Double Klavier centres around two landmark works showcasing their extraordinary talent and virtuosity. 

Double Klavier

Australia Fair?

The Magnetic Quiet Zone (TMQZ) is an immersive, 35-minute (looped) audio-visual installation exploring the frozen sounds and stagnant silences, the strange atmospherics and dynamic forces operating at the margins of our planet. Drawing on the Antarctic research of sound artist Philip Samartzis, visual artist Martin Walch, and writer/composer Sean Williams, TMQZ uses field recordings, digital imaging and animation, and ambient music to render complex behaviours, vast spaces, material encounters and wild weather to express the uncanniness of the ice continent. The animated video comprising images captured at 150 second intervals over the 2017/18 austral summer provides a record of light and shadow, mutable weather, and the rhythm of human activity to distort the fabric of space and time.

The Magnetic Quiet Zone

Acclaimed flautist Sally Walker was inspired to create Living Poems  through her experiences of playing her flute to enraptured dolphins and her friendship with dolphin researcher Dr Olivia De Bergerac.  Sally plays music accompanying videos and images of human-dolphin interactions over decades, and narrates a story illustrating the importance of dolphins, whales and their complex relationship with humans. 
With stirring words and music by composer Lyle Chan, and special appearances of music by Christopher Sainsbury and Miguel del Aguila, Living Poems is a work of art that asks a fundamental question: how are we meant to relate to these remarkable creatures?

Living Poems of the Sea

In a live cinematic performance by one of Australia’s most versatile sopranos. Jane Sheldon presents, for the first time in one concert, a live multi-channel spatialised rendition of her two most recent solo albums. From the stark and ethereal to harmonically saturated, Jane’s immersive sound world transports us to an otherworldly place in a way that only her angelic voice can.

Flowermuscle and the River Styx

‘A Book of Hours’ is a revelatory screen-dance presentation featuring stop-motion film, on stage and filmed choreography with live classical contemporary soundtrack performed by Rubiks Collective, alongside stop-motion video works by visual artist Sal Cooper and choreographer Gerard Van Dyck.

A Book of Hours

MOSSO: music in motion

A program of works centred around the formidable soloist and Principal Cello of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Finnish star musician, Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve. Tipi is equally at home playing the timeless masterworks for the instrument as well as breathing a calm and assured maturity into new works.

Cycles and Variations

Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture

Set in Canberra’s striking contemporary pavilion, LESS, this free outdoor event offers a unique fusion of tradition and modernity. A quartet of French pipers will bring vibrant energy to this brutalist yet majestic structure, nestled within the reimagined industrial landscape of Dairy Road in Fyshwick. 

Sonneurs

LESS and surrounds

Anchored by the beloved hymn Finlandia and featuring a debut collaboration with an ensemble of powerhouse, Australian-based Finnish musicians, this program promises to captivate audiences with its scale and artistic depth. Featuring over 200 voices from local choirs and community singers, it celebrates Finnish-Australian relations in a unique, participatory event. Audiences can enjoy the world premiere of music sung in the ancient language of Gathang, composed by Nicole Smede or revel in the return of beloved artists from the current and previous festivals. With a strong presence of female voices including CIMF composer-in-residence Olivia Davies and the legendary Kaija Saariaho, this program spotlights Australian composers alongside Finland’s finest, culminating in an inspiring and heartfelt festival finale. 

Canberra International Music Festival

Apr 30, 2025

Fantasia

Apr 30, 2025

Shock Lines

May 1, 2025

Five Short Blasts

May 1, 2025

Serioso and Serene

May 1, 2025

Shock Lines

Canberra International Music Festival