Canberra International Music Festival facts for kids

The Canberra International Music Festival is a super cool event held every year in Canberra, Australia. It's a big celebration of music that brings together amazing musicians from all over the world. The festival was started by Ursula Callus in 1994. She was the head of a group called Pro Musica.

The very first festival in April 1994 was called the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival. It won an award for being super innovative in music! Since 1997, the festival has happened every single year. In 2008, its name changed to the Canberra International Music Festival, which is what we call it today.

From 2005 to 2008, the festival grew a lot! A kind supporter of the arts, Barbara Blackman, helped pay for this growth. Now, the festival puts on about 30 concerts each year. A famous composer named Peter Sculthorpe was a special guest of the festival. In 2009, the festival celebrated his work, even bringing back his opera Rites of Passage for the first time in 35 years! This was a special way to celebrate his 80th birthday.

The festival has also been important for new music. It has featured new pieces by famous composers like Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki. It also showed the first concert performance of The Gift of the Magi by Einojuhani Rautavaara and "Shining Island" by Peter Sculthorpe. In recent years, the festival has also had a special "Composer-In-Residence." This is a composer who spends time at the festival, often sharing their work and ideas.

The Canberra International Music Festival also helps young musicians from all over Australia. They get to join special classes called masterclasses. They also get to work with and perform alongside international artists. This gives them an amazing chance to learn and grow their musical talents.

Who Leads the Music Festival?

The festival has had several talented people guiding its musical direction. These leaders are called Artistic Directors.

Past Artistic Directors

• Ursula Callus
• Nicole Canham
• Christopher Latham

Current Artistic Director

The person leading the Canberra International Music Festival right now is Roland Peelman. He helps decide which musicians perform and what music is played.