Music festival is taking it to the streets next year
Music writer IAN McLEAN reports from the launch of the 2026 Canberra International Music Festival.
Canberra International Music Festival
Daily critiques from the Canberra International Music Festival
MICHAEL WILSON reviews Finlandia, the finale of the Canberra International Music Festival 2025.
"The sounds of each piece rolled into the next work leaving listeners confused. And the production lacked professionalism and polish." IAN McLEAN is disappointed at the Canberra International Music Festival's Cycles and Variations concert.
"It was a privilege to experience the extraordinary artistry, and sensitive partnership, of these wonderful musicians." NICK HORN reviews Echoes of the Iron Curtain performed by Satu Vänskä and Konstantin Shamray.
Canberra International Music Festival
A grand hour of assured playing
"You would not have known that this was the first collaboration between Finnish pianist Paavali Jumppanen and Australia’s Flinders Quartet, so assured was the performing," writes reviewer ALANNA MACLEAN.
Canberra International Music Festival
Musical experiments not uniformly successful
"Dramatically, there is room for improvement in this production. Stage movement could be more theatrically aware... momentum was lost as a result." NICK HORN reviews the Canberra International Music Festival show Magic Realism.
Canberra International Music Festival
Musical lake journey with a message
HELEN MUSA reviews Five Short Blasts, a performance/happening for the Canberra International Music Festival around Lake Burley Griffin.
"This all-female ensemble is a refined and intuitive group that proved more than capable of capturing the essence of music across centuries." ROB KENNEDY reviews the Canberra International Music Festival recital by the Flinders Quartet.
ANGELA GIBLIN reviews the Canberra International Music Festival performance of the Australian Haydn Ensemble at a packed Albert Hall.
Canberra International Music Festival
Packed orchestral program gets festival ‘off to a great start’
SARAH BYRNE reviews the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's opening performance of the Canberra International Music Festival... off to a great start, she says, but "print your programs before you go".
ROB KENNEDY reviews pianist Reuben Tsang's performance for the Canberra International Music Festival.
"The performance provided a moving, sensory experience." KERRY-ANNE COUSINS reviews Shock Lines at the Canberra International Music Festival.
Since May, when Canberra International Music Festival director Roland Peelman stepped down after a whirlwind 10 years, there's been a changing of the guard, reports arts editor HELEN MUSA.
The new director of the Canberra International Music Festival, Eugene Ughetti, unveiled his program for 2025 at the Italian ambassador’s residence on Monday evening under the theme of Liberté.
"Ashley Hribar’s accompaniment was extraordinary. He improvised as the film played, giving an original response with his accompaniment that was edgy, musical and always totally appropriate," writes reviewer LEN POWER.
"Making live music for real-time listeners was the main thrust of Sunday's closing concert for the 30th Canberra International Music Festival, appropriately themed Mulanggari (alive)," writes reviewer HELEN MUSA.
Reviewer DANTE COSTA has a niggle about the final half of the Six Brandenburg Concertos. "I am not entirely convinced that this was the best venue to showcase the beauty and technicality of this ensemble’s masterful performance."
This was a production of great credit to the Bach Akademie Australia and to the festival. Events such as these can often be the only opportunity to present such work in this way," writes reviewer GRAHAM McDONALD.
LEN POWER reviews the Canberra International Music Festival's American Modern concert.
