Relive the 2026 Festival Program
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Relive the 2026 Festival Program
Monday July 27
10:00 am CPAC Studio
AFCM Concert Conversations 2
AFCM Concert Conversations begin each morning with Artistic Director Jack Liebeck in conversation with guest Festival artists, sharing stories and insights from their musical journeys. Each session is followed by a 45-minute performance, with tea and coffee served.
Tickets start from $30 for patrons under 30 years of age and $89 for AFCM Friends.
* Excludes bookings fees.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
- Included in Gold and Gold Plus Subscriptions
- Available for selection in Silver & Silver Plus Subscriptions
Concert Details
INTERVIEW
Interview Guests
Karin Schaupp, Simon Martyn-Ellis, Ben Jacks, Stefan Dohr
GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN
Sonata in F minor for Bassoon, TWV 41:f1
Jackie Newcomb, Julian Smiles, Simon Martyn-Ellis
DJANGO REINHARDT (Stẻphane Grappelli)
Minor swing
Jack Liebeck, Simon Martyn-Ellis
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Concerto in D major for Guitar and String Quartet, RV 93
Karin Schaupp, Dene Olding AM, Doretta Balkizas, Irina Morozova, Christian-Pierre La Marca
JORGE MOREL
Danza Brasilia
Karin Schaupp
ROBERT KAHN
Serenade in F minor, Op. 73
Emmanuel Cassimatis, Stefan Dohr, Kristian Chong
JOSHUA DAVIS
Die Schere ist in den Brunnen gefallen
Stefan Dohr, Ben Jacks, Piers Lane AO
Featured Artists
-
Emmanuel Cassimatis (Oboe)
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Stefan Dohr (French Horn)
-
Jack Liebeck (Violin)
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Karin Schaupp (Guitar)
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Simon Martyn-Ellis (Gallichon)
-
Ben Jacks (French Horn)
-
Christian-Pierre La Marca (Cello)
-
Irina Morozova (Viola)
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Dene Olding AM (Violin)
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Jackie Newcomb (Bassoon)
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Doretta Balkizas (Violin)
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Julian Smiles (Cello)
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Piers Lane AO (Piano)
-
Kristian Chong (Piano)
AFCM International Public Masterclasses offer audiences a rare behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process, as AFCM Pathways Program participants work one-on-one with world-class Festival artists. Open to the public, these sessions explore interpretation, technique and musical storytelling in real time, culminating in a special Pathways Showcase concert on Friday 31 July at Bulmba-Ja, at 2:00pm.
AFCM International Public Masterclasses are FREE to attend and open to the general public, Seating is strictly limited.
Concert Details
Masterclass
3:00 pm Bulmba-Ja Theatre
AFCM Illuminates 2 - Einstein the Musician, with Professor Brian Foster
Albert Einstein once said that if he were not a physicist, he would have been a musician. In this illuminating lecture, Professor Brian Foster explores the profound relationship between music and science, revealing how rhythm, harmony and imagination shaped Einstein’s thinking, and how music continues to influence the way we understand the universe.
Tickets start from $30 for patrons under 30 years of age and $41 for AFCM Friends.
* Excludes bookings fees.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
- Included in Gold Plus Subscriptions Only
- Available for selection in Silver & Silver Plus Subscriptions
Concert Details
Lecture
Professor Brian Foster
Featured Artists
5:00 pm CPAC Theatre
AFCM Ray Golding Sunset Series 2 - Baroque Sunset
Recharge your body and soul with the first of two baroque music concerts!
Tickets start from $30 for patrons under 30 years of age and $69 for AFCM Friends.
* Excludes bookings fees.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
- Included in Gold and Gold Plus Subscriptions
- Available for selection in Silver & Silver Plus Subscriptions
Concert Details
JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH
Concerto, FaWV L:d1, for gallichon
Jack Liebeck, Alexandra Raikhlina, Stefanie Farrands, Julian Smiles, Simon Martyn-Ellis
HENRY PURCELL
'Tis Nature's Voice, fr. Ode to St. Cecilia
Robin Tritschler, Simon Martyn-Ellis
HENRY PURCELL
Music for a while
Robin Tritschler, Simon Martyn-Ellis
HENRY PURCELL
“If music be the food of love” Z. 379A
Robin Tritschler, Simon Martyn-Ellis
HENRY PURCELL
Now that the Sun hath veiled his Light
Robin Tritschler, Simon Martyn-Ellis
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Trio Sonata in G minor, RV 85
Simon Martyn-Ellis, Doretta Balkizas, Julian Smiles
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Cantata Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht, BWV 55
Robin Tritschler, Joshua Batty, Emmanuel Cassimatis, Alexandra Raikhlina, Dimity Hall, Irina Morozova, Charlotte Miles, Simon Martyn-Ellis
Featured Artists
-
Stefanie Farrands (Viola)
-
Jack Liebeck (Violin)
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Julian Smiles (Cello)
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Simon Martyn-Ellis (Lute)
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Robin Tritschler (Tenor)
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Dimity Hall (Violin)
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Irina Morozova (Viola)
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Charlotte Miles (Cello)
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Joshua Batty (Flute)
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Emmanuel Cassimatis (Oboe)
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Simon Martyn-Ellis (Gallichon)
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Simon Martyn-Ellis (Theorbo)
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Alexandra Raikhlina (Violin)
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Doretta Balkizas (Violin)
6:30 pm Esplanade
Pathways Pop-Up
Concert Details
7:30 pm CPAC Theatre
AFCM Evening Concert 2 - Cairns' Colossal 150th
This evening, we explore pivotal moments in the story of Gimuy—the place now known as Cairns—on the lands and waters of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people, whose culture and connection to Country extend back 60,150 years. The program opens with works incorporating Yidinji songs and language sung by the Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir. We then hear pieces aligned with key years in Cairns’ history - from 1770—the birth year of Beethoven and the year James Cook first saw Trinity Bay, to music written in 1876, when Cairns was established as a township and on to 1923, when it was officially made a city. Together, these works invite us to reflect on the many layers of history that shape this place and offer a musical perspective on our new home.
Tickets start from $30 for patrons under 30 years of age and $86 for AFCM Friends.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
- Included in Gold and Gold Plus Subscriptions
- Available for selection in Silver & Silver Plus Subscriptions
Concert Details
Welcome to Country
Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir
Storm Bird
Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir
Birinyi
Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir
SAM WU
Along the Pacific Flyway
Kara Thorpe, Gahyun Lee, Justin Wang, Jude Austen Kaupe, Dylan Roberts
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Sextet for Two Horns and String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 81b
Alexander Sitkovetsky, Dene Olding AM, Stefanie Farrands, Christian-Pierre La Marca, Stefan Dohr, Ben Jacks
INTERVAL
GABRIEL FAURE
Sonata No. 1 in A major for Violin and Piano, Op. 13
JOAQUIN TURINA
Sinfonia Sevillana Op 29
Featured Artists
-
Stefanie Farrands (Viola)
-
Alexander Sitkovetsky (Violin)
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Stefan Dohr (French Horn)
-
Ben Jacks (French Horn)
-
Christian-Pierre La Marca (Cello)
-
Qian Wu (Piano)
-
Karin Schaupp (Guitar)
-
Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir (Choir)
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Dene Olding AM (Violin)
-
Kara Thorpe (Flute)
-
Gahyun Lee (Oboe)
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Justin Wang (Clarinet)
-
Jude Austen Kaupe (French Horn)
-
Dylan Roberts (Bassoon)
