About Us
THE QUEENSLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL IS A BIENNIAL STATE-WIDE CELEBRATION OF MUSICAL EXCELLENCE, A MAJOR CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC SUCCESS STORY WITH A NATIONALAND INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION, AND AN UNPARALLELED GEOGRAPHIC REACH.
QMF transcends boundaries. Over 17 days, the best of local, national and international talent performs every conceivable style of music to Queenslanders in Brisbane and in regional and remote centres.
Under the artistic directorship of Deborah Conway, the highly successful QMF 2009 staged 44 events in 20 regions across the state, playing to a passionate audience of over 148,000.
The majority of QMF events are free, and many feature large-scale collaborative community engagement. No music is left unloved in a program that moves and inspires with new and surprising cross-genre exchanges from around the state, the country and the globe.
Hidden Republic, the opening event for QMF 2009, is a prime example. It is an idea that took on a life of its own, growing from an initial plan into the largest concert event ever seen on Thursday Island. Thirty-three musicians from the Queensland Youth Symphony shared the stage with Black Arm Band members and Torres Strait Islander performers in an event that linked Queensland from north to south through a live webcast on the internet and shown live to a big screen in the centre of Brisbane.
Other equally ambitious, visionary and quirky projects abounded throughout the State. A Finnish accordionist created Earth Machine Music through working with local farmers and machinery enthusiasts in outback Queensland, with one performance in tandem with the local camel racing event. In Charleville, a new major music-theatre piece celebrated the town and its people with three performances on the banks of the mighty Warrego River.
Meanwhile back in Brisbane, three writers and three composers with wildly different styles were shaken and stirred to collaborate on Presidentsland, three new works that explored what Queensland might look, feel, taste and most importantly sound like in the future. On the closing weekend of the Festival, a stellar line-up of Australian talent played to a sell-out crowd at Brisbane Riverstage for Cannot Buy My Soul, a tribute to Queensland’s legendary Kev Carmody.
Throughout Queensland, the Festival ignites artistic potential. In collaboration with shire councils and the community at large, QMF inspires participation in music-making and performance that reflects local culture and tells local stories.
QMF makes the joy of music accessible to all, creates unique experiences that connect people with place and community, and celebrates the richness and diversity of Queensland’s musical and geographical landscapes.
Artistic Director Deborah Conway will be directing the next QMF in July 2011. Whether your primary interest is serious contemporary music, world music, regional cultural development, or just taking in fantastic entertainment, there will be a myriad of events throughout the state to connect with.
