I am delighted to present to you the programme for the 21^st Australian Festival of Chamber Music. We've come of age! I trust the programme reflects that sense of confidence and experience, youthful zest and excitement that characterises young adulthood.

Lots of familiar faces from past festivals will be making an appearance again this year: Damien Beaumont, Kees Boersma, Michael Collins, Timothy Constable, The Goldner String Quartet, Michael Goldschlager, Vernon Hill, Louise Hopkins, Ben Jacks, Jack  and Victoria Liebeck, Simon Oswell, Bree van Reyk and  Matthew Wilkie. Complementing them, we have major international and Australian artists visiting the festival for the first time. You will discover their names for yourself as you peruse the brochure - but I have no doubt the veteran piano duo, Richard and John Contiguglia, identical twins, will be a hit with everybody -  such ensemble as theirs is rare. And talking of identical twins, we're thrilled that Martin Wesley-Smith will be our Composer-in-Residence this year.

The programme is a mix of some things old, some things new, some things borrowed and some things blue. Various composers have been included to salute important anniversaries this year. Liszt, Mahler, Menotti and York Bowen (the so-called English Rachmaninoff) fall into this category - as does our own Percy Grainger. It's fifty years since his death, but his music retains its inimitable freshness and originality. No composer communicates joy more readily than he does. We also recognise the 150^th anniversary of the birth of Percy's friend and admirer: Dame Nellie Melba. Louise Page and Phillipa Candy reveal her life and career in words and music. I love stories and this year's festival will be full of them! I have commissioned Jessica Duchen from London to write a script about the relationship between Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. That will be filled with musical illustrations, including Australia's great Wagnerian Lisa Gasteen strutting her stuff. Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale, the Wesley-Smith's children's story Pip and Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Snow Queen (in a musical version with string quartet) will all feature.

A great excitement this year is a visit by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, who have timed their Northern tour to coincide with the opening of AFCM. We shall have a Governor's Gala to end all Governor's Galas : AFCM's visiting overseas artists will appear as soloists with the QSO and Johannes Fritzsch in six concerto performances.

The artistic success of the AFCM is only made possible by the sponsorship and patronage of many generous and enlightened individuals and organisations at government, corporate and private levels. Sincere thanks are due to all those who feel able to help us in these difficult times and to the devoted listeners who so avidly support our Festival.

I know that AFCM regulars will look forward to being part of our community again at the end of July, but would encourage anyone even vaguely interested in music and sunny winters to come and experience the warm welcome that Townsville proffers during our Festival. We want our coming-of-age audience to have the best time ever! I wonder would numerologists see any happy significance in our turning 21 in 2(01)1?

Piers Lane
Artistic Director