NAFA 2020

AFCM PRESENTS

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) is proud to again partner with the North Australia Festival of the Arts (NAFA) and bring a program of cultural events to Townsville. The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unimaginable toll on arts organisations, artists and events around the world, including the postponement of AFCM to July 2021, so we are thrilled to work with NAFA and Townsville City Council to present some chamber music concerts, music workshops and a free community concert in the park during October 2020.

Virtual Queens Gardens Concert

Saturday 24 October, 5pm, Queens Gardens - Proudly supported by wilson/ryan/grose 
Co-presented by AFCM and Townsville City Council 
Free event – registration required due to Covid-19

The annual Queens Gardens Concert, co-presented by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and Townsville City Council, will look a little different this year. There will still be plenty of music performed by local groups the 1RAR Band and Amadeus Choir, along with AFCM artists performing from their home cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Prague, but the performances will be beamed to us on the Council’s Super Screen in Queens Gardens. Your hosts are local personalities Glenn ‘Minty’ Mintern and Judy Higgins-Olsen and they will be onsite presenting the magnificent line up of music. So pack a picnic and bring the whole family down to the park for a wonderfully entertaining afternoon.

FREE event however registration is required due to the limited audience seating available to ensure a COVID-Safe environment. 

Registration is required - please complete your details HERE

An Evening with Daniel de Borah 

Friday 16 October, Townsville Civic Theatre, C2. 7:00pm for 7:30pm performance 
Presented by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in association with NAFA 

This performance is proudly supported by James Cook University.

One-hour piano recital live streamed on Melbourne Digital Concert Hall 
Adults $55, AFCM Friends $49.50 BUY TICKETS

Click link toMDCH live stream at home $24

Enjoy an evening of fine music with pianist Daniel de Borah and enjoy a wonderful program of music featuring Bach and Schumann. 

Daniel de Borah is recognised as one of Australia’s foremost musicians, consistently praised for the grace, finesse and imaginative intelligence of his performances. His wide-ranging performance schedule finds him equally at home as concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Since his prize-winning appearances at the 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition, Daniel has given recitals on four continents and toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Australia. As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Auckland Symphony Orchestras. He now lives in Brisbane where he serves as Head of Chamber Music at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University.

Program includes:

JS Bach, arr. Siloti - Organ Prelude in G minor 
JS Bach, arr. Siloti - Organ Prelude in E minor 
JS Bach, arr. Siloti - Prelude in B minor 
Schumann, arr. Liszt - Widmung 
Schumann, arr. Liszt - Frühlingsnacht 
Schumann - Kreisleriana, Op.16 

An Evening with the Orava Quartet

Saturday 17 October, Townsville Civic Theatre, C2. 7:00pm for 7:30pm performance 
Presented by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in association with NAFA

This concert is proudly supported by James Cook University

One-hour recital live streamed on Melbourne Digital Concert Hall
Adults $55, AFCM Friends $49.50 BUY TICKETS
Click link to MDCH live stream at home $24

Enjoy a wonderful evening of music with the exceptionally talented Orava Quartet.

The Orava Quartet has been hailed by Limelight magazine as “the most exciting young quartet on the block” and predicted by The Australian to become “one of Australia’s proudest cultural exports.” Known for their genuinely thrilling performances, the Quartet – brothers Daniel and Karol Kowalik (first violin and cello), violinist David Dalseno and violist Thomas Chawner - bring their unique sound and breathtaking intensity to the classics of the string quartet canon, and more. Selected by Deutsche Grammophon for its historic, first Australian recording release in 2018, received with widespread critical acclaim, Orava Quartet has performed throughout North America, the UAE, and Asia, as well as playing for Queen Sofia of Spain and Pope Benedict XVI. 

Program includes:

Haydn String quartet in B-flat major, Op.76 no.4 Hob.III:78  ‘Sunrise’ 
Schulhoff String Quartet no.1 (1924) 

Public Masterclass with Daniel de Borah - FREE EVENT

Saturday 17 October, Townsville Civic Theatre, C2. 10:30am - 12.00pm
Proudly supported by Townsville Grammar School
Presented by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in association with NAFA 

Have you ever wondered how music students learn, how teachers teach? Here is your chance to watch a lesson unfold as Daniel de Borah takes four leading piano students through a 90 minute masterclass. An internationally renowned soloist and Head of Chamber Music at the Queensland Conservatorium, Daniel will lead up to 4 lucky participants through a work of their choice. 

FREE event however registration is required due to the limited audience seating available to ensure a COVID-Safe environment. Register here.

Interested in being one of the four students? The masterclass is open to players of Grade 8 AMEB (or equivalent) and above. Expressions of interest including a 5-minute video and identifying two works you would like to perform should be emailed to info@afcm.com.au by Friday 29 September 2020.