Australian Festival of Chamber Music

History

The festival was founded in 1990 for a 1991 premiere by Professor Ray Golding, the then Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University and Theodore Kuchar who continued as the artistic director for the next 16 years until 2006. The festival began conservatively focusing on the more contemporary music of the classical and romantic periods, over the first five years Kuchar started inserting works of Bartok, Bloch, Martinu, Shostakovich, expanding the musical depth for enthusiasts while maintaining the popular appeal.

The festival has tried to avoid a perception that it is only there for cultivated southerners, for example in 2005 for the first time the AFCM had a presence at a Cowboys football match and in 2006 increased publicity focusing locally.

In 2007 the AFCM gained a new Artistic Director in Piers Lane AO. Lane, an Australian, is a leading international pianist who is based in London; The 2007 programme involved vocalists and more variety than previous years to appeal to a broader audience, taking a "lifestyle approach" and focussing on music, wine and food.

Audience

At the 2006 festival about 10,000 tickets were issued with five concerts sold out, outperforming all previous years and 2005 by 20%; it had pre-sold 1200 tickets for one concert alone (Symphony Under the Stars at Queens Gardens) and had an average audience size of about 750 people. About 50% of audience numbers were from interstate or international guests to Townsville.

Winterschool

During the festival master classes are held for around 30 music students attending the Winterschool by the artists who also have a full schedule of performances.

Day off activities

Each year the Festival has a "day-off" during which festival patrons have an opportunity to hear chamber music but in more unusual settings.

Orpheus Island Cruise

The Orpheus Island Cruise has been one of the highlights for festival patrons. En-oute to Orpheus Island, whales have been often cited in the waters around the Palm Island group. Upon llanding,patrons had the opportunity to enjoy the secluded beach and adjacent national park before settling down for a short performance from festival artists. The tour first took place in 2013 and was repeated in 2016.

Outback Tour

From 2002 to 2010, the Outback Tour brought some of the best music in the world to some of the most isolated places in the world. In 2006 enthusiastic music lovers, join six musicians (including didgeridoo player William Barton) in a five-day tour of Outback Australia, visiting Cloncurry, Ernest Henry Mine, Mount Isa, Normanton and Karumba focusing on fine food and music and masterclasses with hands on experience of the Queensland mining industry and communities. Works included; Peter Sculthorpe – String Quartet No. 9; Philip Glass – String Quartet No. 2 Company; Hardin (aka Moondog) – Synchrony No. 2; Lee – Morango – Like a Tango; Barton – Sacred Song and Hindson – Technologic.