BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE/CONTENT COURTESY OF CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Canberra is getting ready for its biggest musical event of the year – and you’re invited.
The Canberra International Music Festival will kick off its Opening Gala on April 27 and if you’re lucky enough to score a ticket before they sell out, you’ll see some leading names in live performance.
What’s on at the gala?
To celebrate the launch of this 10-day celebration of music, artists including Bach Akademie Australia, Kate Howden, and Ned McGowan will come together to show you what they’ve got. Composer Brenda Gifford will be a starring highlight, with a world premiere of her new commission Gambambarawaraga; an Indigenous take on the seasons.
The autumnal festival progresses with talent ranging from the Orava Quartet (3 May), Beowulf (5 May), and Barbara Blackman’s Festival Blessing (6 May, featuring rare solo piano works from Armenian composer Komitas). Headline shows include Israel in Egypt (30 April) and The Trout (5 May). And, of course, fans of the classics are sure to find satisfaction in a program that also features Monteverdi, Handel, Bernstein, Stravinsky, Bach, Debussy, and more among medieval music and English ballads. There’ll also be a work by Mary Finsterer, the festival’s 2018 Composer-in-Residence.
So where do I go?
The Fitters’ Workshop on the Kingston Foreshore will be transformed into a stage for CIMF, and the Talk of the Town series will take place in Gorman House. A musical morning tea is set to take over the National Arboretum, and the Turrell Skyspace at the National Gallery of Australia will be home to a sunset performance. Don’t forget to take part in culinary adventures in Muse – Food, Wine and Books.
Tickets from $25-$69 with special pricing for students and family events. Book now for the Opening Gala, 7.30pm April 27 at the Fitters’ Workshop, and check out more of the program at the Canberra International Music Festival.
Images supplied. Featured: credit William Hall.
