Australian Festival of Chamber Music Unveils Bold 2026 Program in Cairns
The 2026 Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Cairns features a defiant new program of international masters, fresh commissions and immersive multimedia performances.
Harry Taruva 
Cairns - The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) has officially launched its 2026 season, announcing a provocative program that seeks to redefine the genre through themes of defiance, legacy and tropical reinvention.
Scheduled to run from July 24 to August 1, 2026, the festival will transform Cairns into a global epicenter for classical music, blending international virtuosity with the unique environmental heritage of North Queensland.
Under the guidance of Artistic Director and acclaimed British violinist, Jack Liebeck, the 2026 iteration moves away from traditional chamber music tropes, opting instead for cinematic storytelling and high-stakes emotional narratives.
The program features a diverse array of performances, ranging from multimedia tributes to the natural world, to the completion of lost Holocaust-era compositions.
"The Australian Festival of Chamber Music is built on surprise, storytelling and extraordinary musicianship," stated Jack Liebeck.
"From comic tales of composers’ untimely ends to deeply moving works of remembrance and environmental reflection, these concerts represent the breadth, imagination and emotional power at the heart of this year’s Festival," he said.
The 2026 lineup boasts a significant international presence, including Berlin Philharmonic Principal Horn Stefan Dohr, French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca, and the Sitkovetsky Piano Trio.
The Sitkovetsky Piano Trio
The artists will join elite Australian musicians such as Piers Lane and Karin Schaupp to deliver a series of world-class performances against the backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
Among the highlights of the nine-day event is the "Horrible Histories, Composer Edition," an irreverent exploration of the dramatic and often absurd deaths of famous composers that blends humor with sublime performance.
Another significant addition is "Epoch Echoes," featuring the world premiere of a work begun 80 years ago by Gideon Klein in a Nazi concentration camp and completed for the festival by Australian composer, Lee Bradshaw.
Furthermore, the "Wonderful World" program offers an immersive multimedia experience curated by Christian-Pierre La Marca, featuring cinematography by Yann Arthus-Bertrand set to the music of Philip Glass and Fauré.
The festival also marks significant milestones for the host city.
The "Cairns Colossal 150th" concert will celebrate the city’s sesquicentennial history through a musical timeline spanning centuries.
Additionally, the program features a rare "A Tale of Two" recital, bringing together current director Jack Liebeck and former director Piers Lane in a performance of Elgar and Brahms, symbolizing a meeting of leadership and artistic legacy.
The AFCM remains a vital fixture in the Australian cultural calendar, supported by the Queensland Government, the Cairns Regional Council and the Australian Government through Creative Australia.
