Southern Cross Soloists’ 2026 season journeys from serene soundscapes to circus wonder and the age of dinosaurs
Southern Cross Soloists is stepping into 2026 with fresh leadership and a bold new QPAC Concert Series program that promises to spark curiosity, connection and a little wonder along the way. Celebrating 31 years of chamber-music excellence, the Brisbane-based ensemble is welcoming home triple-Grammy Award-winning flautist Timothy Munro as its new artistic director – a Queensland talent whose global career now circles back to where it all began.
Timothy Munro’s arrival marks an exciting and adventurous new chapter for Southern Cross Soloists, which continues its long-running partnership with QPAC for its 17th Concert Series. The 2026 season unfolds across three thoughtfully crafted concerts, each shaped by Timothy’s imaginative touch and Southern Cross Soloists’ trademark virtuosity. Long-time audiences will also spot familiar faces, with retiring co-artistic directors Ashley Smith (clarinet) and Margaret Blades (violin) joining the ensemble on stage throughout the year.
The season opens on Sunday March 1 with Hush, an invitation to slow down and let the world soften. Joined by internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Karin Schaupp, the ensemble promises an afternoon of luminous calm, with works by Marais, Fauré, Albéniz and Schubert setting a serene tone for what’s to come.
Things take a lively turn on Sunday June 14 with Carnival of the Animals, a playful celebration of creatures real and imagined. The program pairs Robert Davidson’s Carnival of the Extinct Animals – inspired by groundbreaking dinosaur research from leading Australian palaeontologist Anthony Romilio – with a reimagining of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals that’s been given a distinctly Australian voice by Michael Leunig. Together, the works conjure everything from bounding kangaroos and swooping birds to long-lost prehistoric giants. Internationally touring piano duo Anna Grinberg and Liam Viney join the ensemble for this spirited mid-season performance.
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The finale arrives on Sunday October 18 with Sacred and Profane, a program that blurs boundaries between music and movement. Former Circa artists weave contemporary circus, movement and dance through Bach’s ethereal soundscapes, set alongside electrifying works by Poulenc, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Jennifer Higdon.
With a season that moves from musical sanctuary to playful spectacle to breathtaking physicality, Southern Cross Soloists’ 2026 QPAC Concert Series is shaping up to be one of its most compelling yet. And it doesn’t end at QPAC – the ensemble will also return to Tamborine Mountain from August 14–16 for the 22nd annual SXS Chamber Music Festival, continuing its long-running tradition of bringing chamber music to the hinterland.
Visit the Southern Cross Soloists website to book or to secure your season tickets.
This article was written in partnership with our good friends at Southern Cross Soloists.