2026 Festival Overview by Elizabeth Dalton

 

This year the Bowral Autumn Music Festival celebrated twenty years since its inception. With a top line-up of musicians, we were treated to a feast of wonderful chamber music over the four days from March 26 – March 29, 2026. Artistic Director, Vatche Jambazian, now in his third year, presented a variety of ensembles and repertoire, all of high professional quality. Concert 1 opened with Trio Henri, featuring oboe (Celia Craig), bassoon (Ben Hoadley) and Michael Ierace (piano) in a program that showcased the double reed repertoire with works by Henri Brod, after whom they named their trio, Benjamin Britten, Joe Chindamo, William Hurlstone and Andre Previn. 

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Day 2 commenced with the St Mary’s Cathedral Scholars, who processed down the nave of St Jude’s singing ‘Attende Domine’. This then led into an uninterrupted program of sacred choral music featuring a performance of Tenebrae with psalms, hymns, and Gregorian chant conducted by tenor soloist, Richard Butler, with organ improvisations by organist Daniel Justin. 

Concert 3 saw a return visit of the Nexas Saxophone Quartet. This was very popular with young and old alike in a near full-house performance. A selection of works that centred around a Romeo and Juliet theme, with works by Matthew Hindson, Leonard Bernstein and Serge Prokofiev, as well as Bach, Piazzolla and Gounod, depicted the varying colours and tonality of each of the different size saxophones. 

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On Saturday afternoon we were treated to an outstanding performance by Emily Sun (violin) and Vatche Jambazian (piano). Their captivating program included sonatas by Schubert and Richard Strauss, both major works of the repertoire. The real jewel, however, was the violin sonata by contemporary Turkish composer, Fazil Say, entitled ‘Mount Ida’. Composed in response to a major environmental event of destruction of landscape and wildlife in his home country, Say poignantly depicted the decimation of nature with edgy music, represented by percussive pounding and heavy staccato rhythms from the piano and birdlike figures from the violin. It was a very moving performance.

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Ironwood Chamber Ensemble presented Concert 5 on Saturday evening. This was an historically-informed performance of a beautifully curated program, which brought together two of Schubert’s disparate musical genres, lieder and a string ensemble with fortepiano. Schubert’s ‘Trout’, both song and quintet, formed the basis with lieder sung by Anna Fraser (soprano) interspersed between each movement of the quintet. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear the unique sound of chamber music on gut strings with the fortepiano.

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The last concert on Sunday afternoon featured Trio Kin, with Emma Mc Grath (violin), Hyung Suk Bae (cello) and Vatche Jambazian (piano). The program featured the world premiere of Ross Edwards’ Piano Trio no.2, especially composed for these artists. They also played works by Rachmaninoff, CPE Bach and Mendelssohn, all major works of the chamber music canon.

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The Festival was further enhanced by pre-concert discussions with some of the performers who let us in to their world with candid conversations about their careers as professional musicians. A Service led by Rev Dr Gavin Perkins with Allan Beavis, conducting the St Jude’s Chamber Choir and organist Brett McKern brought the Festival to a close.

 

Thanks are very much due to St Jude’s for hosting the event and to Festival Administrator, Eliza Corley who works tirelessly all year to ensure the smooth running of every aspect of the Festival. She is supported by members of the Festival Committee who generously volunteer to make the weekend a special experience for all lovers of chamber music.