BANGALOW CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL CANCELLED FOR 2024 AND RELOCATED TO MOUNT TAMBORINE, QUEENSLAND

It is with heavy hearts that Southern Cross Soloists (SXS), announces the very difficult decision to cancel this year’s 21st Bangalow Chamber Music Festival and permanently relocate the festival to Queensland.

Increased costs and lower than average ticket sales have led to the cancellation decision. Some tickets have been sold already. Organisers will be communicating with each ticket holder directly.

In its place, SXS will be offering a one-day, two concert bespoke taster event with headline artists Australian guitarist Slava Grigoryan, Finnish pianist Paavali Jumppanen and Polish violinist Jakub Jakowicz on Sunday 18 August, 2024 at the stunning acreage surrounds of Shambala Estate, Tamborine Mountain in the Scenic Rim, Queensland. Shambala Estate presents an enchanting venue, hidden amidst the lush rainforest of the Gold Coast hinterland, offering picturesque vistas and serene surroundings, with perfect acoustics for an intimate boutique chamber music performance. Tickets for the one-day Soloists’ Mountain Showcase can be purchased here:

Soloists Mountain Showcase >

We're optimistic and excited about the possibilities in Queensland, particularly in Mount Tamborine, which we believe offers the same charm and potential for our loyal audience. As we embark on this new chapter, we remain committed to delivering a high-quality chamber music experience in a stunning location. We encourage everyone to join us this year for a special 'taster' event in the new rainforest setting of Tamborine Mountain as we look towards the future for SXS’s annual festival event in its new Queensland home.

It is SXS’s intention to permanently relocate the owned and operated Chamber Music Festival to Tamborine Mountain, Queensland for its 21st coming-of-age edition, where it can attract Local and State funding and allow SXS to align with the Queensland’s preparedness for the 2032 Brisbane Cultural Olympiad. The 21st edition will occur in 2025 with early development planning begun. As an Arts Queensland funded organisation, SXS’s strategic future is to align with Arts Queensland’s Creative Together roadmap.

SXS is proud to announce its partnership with Tamborine Mountain Arts Precinct (TMAP), a non-profit organisation formed in 2023 to establish a world-class arts precinct in the heart of Tamborine Mountain. This unique cultural partnership will allow both not-for-profit organisations to join forces and further their aims to generate jobs for Queensland artists and arts workers, local artisans, and the broader community. 

Chair of SXS, Marg O’Donnell AO said, “It is a unique opportunity to engage with TMAP and to assist in the process of establishing of a world-class arts precinct for Tamborine Mountain that can also serve as an Emergency Hub for a region that has been hit hard by climactic events. We all know arts venues are in much need and assist greatly with the well-being and social cohesion of communities in order for them to thrive. We are proud to put our 20-year brand energies of our Chamber Music Festival behind this new long-term venture.”

John Tardy, Co-Founder of TMAP said, “We are delighted to be partnering with SXS, a prestigious organisation that is also Company in Residence at the State’s flagship cultural precinct, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and look forward to working with SXS to enact our own arts precinct plans here in Mount Tamborine. I thank Shambala Estate for their support of the Soloists’ Mountain Showcase, which will be a delightful day on the mountain for all.”

The Chamber Festival (BCMF) has been successfully running in the Bangalow Township annually since 2002, bringing virtuosic international and national talent, along with interstate tourists’ dollars to the region.

Tania Frazer, the Artistic Director of the Festival since 2011 said, “This decision has been a difficult one, and not something we have taken lightly. The financial landscape has changed significantly since the festival's inception, especially with the area's growing popularity, making it increasingly expensive to host events. As a non-profit organisation relying solely on ticket sales, this presents a significant challenge. While bidding farewell to Bangalow is bittersweet, we're deeply grateful for the unwavering support from its community members, including Rebecca and John Zentveld, Digby Hildreth, Grant Rasheed, Mary O’Connor, and Brian Warrick.”

SXS would also like to take this opportunity to thank long-time supporters of the Festival, the Bangalow Herald, and Northern Rivers ADFAS. We also acknowledge the donor support of Festival honorary members Joe and Rose Hoffmann and long-time donor supporter Bernard Cole QC along with our SXS Artist Chair donors for 2024.

With two decades in successful operation, SXS and its Chamber Music Festival wholeheartedly thanks the communities of the Northern Rivers Region for their support and hopes to lure them across the thin-line border to Tamborine Mountain, Queensland for the taster event on Sunday August 18 and the re-born 21st Festival in 2025.

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