When you see classical guitarist Karin Schaupp take to the stage in Southern Cross Soloists’ first concert for the year, it may come as a surprise to see her wearing a stethoscope.
Now, she may be a world-class musician, but she is no medico. The thing is that the piece she will play is called Music For Heart and Breath and as she’ll be playing in unison with her own heartbeat the stethoscope will come in handy. Composed by Richard Reed Parry, Schaupp will be accompanied by Sophie Ellis on viola.
The concert, Hush, will be in the Concert Hall at QPAC at 3pm on March 1 – and it will be the acclaimed chamber music ensemble’s first for the year. It is programmed – curated may be more accurate – by its newly minted artistic director, acclaimed flautist Tim Munro, who is an associate professor and head of winds at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. (Munro will be joining as an ensemble member for the concert.)
Munro, 47, is a triple-Grammy-winning musician – a teacher, flautist, writer and broadcaster. He was the flautist and co-artistic director of American contemporary music sextet Eighth Blackbird from 2006 to 2015. He toured the US and internationally, premiering more than 100 works, co-curating festivals, playing as a concerto soloist, collaborating with artists that ran the gamut and winning three Grammy Awards. Eighth Blackbird sought engaging, stimulating musical experiences that drew audiences close.
That’s what he’s trying to do now with his programming for SXS. He’s been back in Australia for three years and was rather cleverly nabbed by SXS.
SXS chair Marg O’Donnell says the appointment of Munro marks a significant new chapter in the ensemble’s evolution.
“As we celebrate our 30-year milestone, the board was delighted to appoint Tim Munro to lead SXS into its next iteration,” says O’Donnell.
“Tim is at home performing in town halls, primary schools and on the main stage at Carnegie Hall. He was the driving force behind the celebrated 21st SXS Chamber Music Festival on Tamborine Mountain last year. His vision, imagination and commitment to artistic excellence promise an extraordinary 2026 QPAC series. Though the ensemble has evolved over three decades, one thing has remained constant: the power of exceptional live performance to connect and inspire audiences.”
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Munro’s aim is to inspire – and relax – people with this first concert, titled Hush. But before continuing, I need to clear something up. I wanted to confirm that this concert has nothing to do with the Australian glam-rock band Hush.
“People of a certain age will ask the question,” I suggest when we chat.
“I don’t know them,” Munro says. “Pop cultural references are lost on me.”
But as we chat, he Googles the band Hush (Countdown favourites) and finds they are still popular on Spotify.
“Twelve thousand people are listening to them each month,” he says.
“Maybe you could play one of their big hits?” I joke. “Like Bony Maronie?”
He’s intrigued. “Maybe we will do an encore?” Hmmmm. I’m thinking not, but it’s nice that he humours me.
That aside, Munro has curated a heartfelt and thoughtful program that explores “the beauty of human connection through music that comes in quiet spaces”.
“There are a couple of racy moments, but I wanted to do a concert that leads us towards peace and calm and night,” he says.
The inspiration for the concert came from the Hush Foundation, an organisation that “transforms healthcare through kindness and the arts”.
“In a world that hums with distraction, chamber music offers a rare invitation to pause, to look inwards,” Munro says.
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Karin Schaupp will open the concert with a new piece, Hacienda Heart, by Melbourne composer Peta Salsjo, written for Schaupp. This will be a world premiere.
“I would describe it as being very moving and introspective and coming home to yourself,” Schaupp says. “The guitar definitely does this well.”
Schaupp will play throughout the concert, which will also include music by Schubert, Purcell, Faure and others.
How to finish a concert like this? Well, Munro has chosen Max Richter’s Dream 3 from his larger work, Sleep.
“We don’t want to become known as the soporific players, but this will be perfect for people going to sleep,” Munro says. “It will feature the full ensemble, and it will essentially nudge the audience into a certain mental state. It will feel like the music gradually floats away into the ether – and that’s a nice way to end.”
On Sunday, June 14, SXS presents Carnival of the Animals.
“This is a fun one,” Munro says. “The natural world bursts to life. Birds flock, a swan glides past, kangaroos bound. And in the distance, a dinosaur comes back to life after one hundred million years.
“Groundbreaking research by Anthony Romilio (Australia’s top paleontologist four years in a row) informed Robert Davidson’s Carnival of the Extinct Animals. And Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals is given a distinctly Australian voice through an adaptation by Michael Leunig. We’re joined by friends and world-class artists Anna Grinberg and Liam Viney, who tour internationally as the Grinberg-Viney duo.”
Then on October 18, SXS closes out its 2026 QPAC season with Sacred and Profane.
“This program is especially close to my heart,” Munro says. “I love Bach’s music, and I love how movement can enhance live music-making. We will be joined by local circus stars, past members of Circa, whose movements will match the ethereal world of solo Bach.
“These quiet moments sit beside the playful brilliance of Poulenc, Stravinsky and Shostakovich, and the sheer joy and wild virtuosity of Jennifer Higdon’s Zaka.
“Join us for our 17th QPAC season, one that promises to take you to many places … a quiet musical retreat, a circus top and Australia in the Cretaceous Period.”
And don’t forget the 22nd SXS Chamber Music Festival, August 14 to 16, when Tamborine Mountain becomes a playground of sound.
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