Locked out, run over and stabbed by a baton … hell, classical music can be downright dangerous at times. And it gets a darkly funny twist at this year’s Australian Festival of Chamber Music, thanks to some imaginative programming by acclaimed British violinist and artistic director Jack Liebeck, who likes to have a bit of fun with his festival.
Think chamber and classical music is serious, stuffy and a little intimidating? Think again. At this year’s AFCM in Cairns (Gimuy) at the end of July, audiences are invited by Liebeck to laugh, gasp and marvel at the wildly bizarre lives – and deaths – of some of history’s greatest composers in one of the Festival’s most entertaining events, Interrupted Endings, Composer Edition. Because at AFCM, even dead composers get a second act.
This delightfully irreverent concert takes audiences on a journey through centuries of extraordinary music and extraordinary misfortune, proving that behind every masterpiece is a very human story.
Did you know, for example, that the English composer Henry Purcell allegedly froze to death after being locked out of his own home? Or that French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully accidentally stabbed himself in the foot with his conducting staff, leading to a fatal infection?
Australia’s own Isaac Nathan, often described as the father of Australian music, became the victim of Sydney’s first recorded fatal tram accident in 1864. And French composer Ernest Chausson tragically cycled headfirst into a wall. As Jerry Seinfeld might say … that’s a shame.
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These stories may be grim, but the music is glorious. And at AFCM, even dead composers get a second act.
Presented on July 26 at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Interrupted Endings, Composer Edition is exactly the kind of bold, playful programming that is redefining what a chamber music festival can be.
“This concert is a wonderful reminder that composers weren’t distant historical figures. They were people with extraordinary lives, quirks and sometimes extraordinary bad luck,” Liebeck says. “Once you know their stories, the music becomes even more powerful because you connect with the humanity behind it. That’s what AFCM is all about – creating memorable experiences that bring audiences closer to the music.”
Liebeck has form when it comes to programming outside the box. His Guilty Pleasures series featured visiting musicians playing unexpected music, including rock anthems, and last year there was Duelling Composers: Staves Drawn!
“We all know about epic rock music rivalries like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, but did you know the classical music world also had such feuds,” Liebeck told us at the time. “I thought the idea of duelling composers would be interesting and amusing. These composers were often competing with each other, and they had differing views about what the purpose of music was. Brahms seems not to have liked many others. He certainly didn’t like Tchaikovsky or Liszt.”
Having fun with his programming is not just self-indulgence, because Liebeck has his audience in mind and he wants to entertain. Bless him.
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In 2026, after its move from Townsville, AFCM enters an exciting new chapter, transforming Cairns into a global chamber music capital where extraordinary performances unfold against the backdrop of two World Heritage-listed wonders – the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
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Public Masterclass in Townsville last year as part of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
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Concert Conversations at last year’s Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
Under the direction of Liebeck, this year’s program balances global excellence with powerful storytelling and unforgettable experiences that invite new audiences to discover classical music in entirely unexpected ways.
The event forms part of a festival program that is bold, cinematic and unafraid to take risks, sitting alongside performances that reimagine Schubert’s Winterreise for tropical North Queensland, complete a Holocaust-era work left unfinished for 80 years, and celebrate humanity’s connection with the natural world through breathtaking music and film.
Leading the international line-up this year is Berlin Philharmonic principal horn and global soloist Stefan Dohr, beloved Australian pianist and former AFCM artistic director Piers Lane, French cello star Christian-Pierre La Marca and Irish tenor and Gramophone Award-winner Robin Tritschler.
They are joined by artists from Germany, France, China, Ireland and the UK, alongside Australia’s finest musicians and emerging talent, creating a program that balances global excellence with artistic discovery and collaboration.
Melbourne-born cellist Charlotte Miles, now based in Germany, returns to AFCM after making a standout impression at last year’s Festival. One of Australia’s most exciting classical exports, she has quickly established herself on the international stage for her expressive power and technical brilliance.
Australian Festival of Chamber Music takes place Cairns (Gimuy), July 24 to August 1.
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