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New to chamber music?
Start here.
Five short guides, in the order most people find useful - what chamber music actually is, the shapes it comes in, the pieces you'll recognise, AFCM's own history, and exactly what your first night at CPAC looks like.
Five things worth knowing before coming to Cairns-Gimuy
Read them in order, or jump straight to the one you're after - each stands on its own.
01 · The basics
What is chamber music?
No conductor, just a handful of the world's finest musicians listening hard to each other. Start here if you've never quite known how to answer the question yourself.
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02 · Who's on stage
Types of chamber ensembles
Duo, trio, quartet, quintet - meet the shapes chamber music comes in, through three real AFCM Pathways ensembles.
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03 · What you'll recognise
Five famous chamber music pieces
Mozart, Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Bach and Schubert - five works you've heard before, and exactly what to listen for when you hear them live.
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04 · The story so far
Chamber music festivals in Australia
AFCM has run every year since 1991 - the Artistic Directors who built the largest chamber music festival in the Southern Hemisphere, and where it's headed next.
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05 · The night itself
Your first concert: what to expect
From parking to your seat to the interval wine - exactly what a night at AFCM actually looks like, start to finish.
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There's no wrong way in
Plenty of AFCM's audience were first-timers once. You don't need to know a thing about classical music, or the etiquette that goes with it, to have a wonderful night - curiosity is the only requirement. Pick the guide above that answers your actual question, and start there.