Australia’s largest classical music festival!

The 32nd annual 4MBS Festival of Classics presents an abundance of classical music performances across Brisbane and beyond!

From solo pianists to symphony orchestras, singers to sumptuous choirs, there’s a concert for every classical music lover. Discover gifted students and global stars in this showcase of Queensland musicians by the hundreds, celebrating the wealth of talent in this wonderful state!

4MBS Festival of Classics 2025 brochure

Click image above to view/download
the Festival brochure!

This year’s festival focuses on three themes over three weeks:
-Cinema Classics
-Beautiful Baroque
-Really Romantic


Scroll below to choose your own classical adventure!

Week One: Cinema Classics
Week Two: Beautiful Baroque
Week Three: Really Romantic

Official Festival Events:

Mr Mark's Cushion Concerts
Art of the Score: The Music of Hans Zimmer
From Handel to Hollywood
Return of the Three Countertenors
Part and Bach
Without Words
Piano Marathon
Beethoven Violin Sonatas
Introduction to Famous Film Music
Classic Jazz
Empire of Sound
Baroque Splendour
Queensland Day Concert
A Woman's Life and Love
Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria
Classics at the Movies
Basically Baroque
Baroque Spectacular
The Romantic Lied: Brahms and Wagner
Masterclass
Gilbert and Sullivan Spectacular

PERFORMERS:
– MARK HOOPER, Piano

VENUE:
4MBS Performance Studio
384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo

EVENT 1 | Sun 18 May 9.30am
(5 years and under, 45 mins)
EVENT 2 | Sun 18 May 11am
(6+ years, 45 mins)

Discover the harp! Come and see how many pedals it has and what colour the strings are! Pianist Mr Mark and a guest harp player will introduce children to this angelic instrument. MARK HOOPER (‘Mr Mark’) has been entertaining and educating children since he was a music student at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Royal College of Music, London. He has refined and polished the art of introducing children to musical instruments and music, regularly performing concerts for children. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please bring cushions to sit on the floor.

PERFORMERS:
– WARWICK ADENEY, violin
– MARK HOOPER, piano

VENUE:
4MBS Performance Studio
384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo

Sunday 18 May 3pm

Experience the virtuosity of violinist Warwick Adeney (former Concertmaster at Queensland Symphony Orchestra) and renowned pianist Mark Hooper in this intimate recital of Beethoven’s brilliant Violin Sonatas.

BEETHOVEN | Violin Sonata No.4 in A minor & Violin Sonata No.10 in G major

PERFORMERS:
Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra

VENUE:
Conservatorium Theatre
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Brisbane

Tuesday 20 May 6.30pm
Thursday 22 May 7.30pm
Saturday 24 May 2.30pm

Based on stories from Homer’s Odyssey, Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria tells the story of Penelope’s 20-year wait for the return of her husband, Ulysses after the Trojan wars. This modern adaptation of the 1640 Monteverdi opera by Uzbekistan-born Australian composer, Elena Kats-Chernin, was premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2012, and explores the tenacity of a wife’s refusal to accept that her husband may not return as the rest of the world has moved on.

PERFORMERS:
– QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
– CASSANDRA SEIDEMANN, mezzo soprano
– ANDREW POGSON & DAN GOLDING, hosts
– VANESSA SCAMMELL, conductor

VENUE:
QPAC Concert Hall

Friday 23 May 7.30pm
Saturday 24 May 1.30pm
Saturday 24 May 7.30pm

Celebrate one of the unofficial Kings of Movie Scores: Hans Zimmer. With a musical range more expansive than the Pride Lands of the Lion King (which he scored), settle in for an evening spanning several genres across the 80s, 90s, noughties and now! From the brooding tones of The Dark Knight to the heart-warming melodies of Kung Fu Panda, the magnitude of Zimmer’s works is guaranteed to keep you enthralled from Inception to Interstellar. Puzzle yourself with crescendos of The Da Vinci Code, then jump aboard the Black Pearl and plunder with The Pirates of the Caribbean before a well-earned break with Cameron and Kate in The Holiday. Hosted by the creators of the popular podcast, Art of the Score, Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding, with conductor Vanessa Scammell, your journey through these titans of technicolour will have you Zimming with enjoyment!

Saturday 24 May 10am

VENUE:
4MBS Performance Studio
384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo

Explore some of the greatest classical film scores in this talk by GARY THORPE OAM, 4MBS General Manager. Discover the important role music has played in the development of cinema since the early 1900s.

PERFORMERS:
– BRISBANE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
– MARK HOOPER, piano
– XINAN MAI, piano
– ADAM HOEY, organ
– PETER MORRIS, conductor

VENUE:
The Old Museum Concert Hall
480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills

Sunday 25 May 2pm

Swoon to the sounds of the silver screen with this concert of classical masterpieces from iconic films! Enjoy R. Strauss’ opening from Thus Spake Zarathustra and J. Strauss II’s The Blue Danube (from 2001: A Space Odyssey), Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries (from Apocalypse Now), Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ’ (from Babe), Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto (Dangerous Moonlight), plus music by Barber, Mozart, and more!

PERFORMERS:
ARIOSO CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
– JUDIT MOLNAR, soprano
– MARGARET CALEY, baroque violin
– SHANNON SCHELTEMA, viola da gamba
– JANET BREWER, harpsichord

VENUE:
St Paul’s Anglican Church
554 Vulture Street East, East Brisbane

Sunday 25 May 3pm

Luxuriate in timeless Baroque music which features in film scores, including Master and Commander, Pride and Prejudice, The English Patient, Farinelli, Shine, Tous les matins du Monde, and Boogie Nights! From the sonorous sounds of the viola da gamba in Marais’ Le Badinage, the sensuous Lascia ch’io pianga by Handel, to Boccherini’s evocative La Musica Notturna, Baroque music captures every mood and has been used to great effect in many memorable screen moments.

PERFORMERS:
– QUEENSLAND YOUTH ORCHESTRA BIG BAND
– INVOICES, vocal ensemble
– CATHERINE LIKHUTA, 4MBS Composer in Residence and guest performer
– INGRID JAMES, host

VENUE:
Brisbane Jazz Club
1 Annie Street, Kangaroo Point

Thursday 29 May 7.30pm

Tap your toes to classic jazz standards plus surprises performed by Ukranian-born pianist CATHERINE LIKHUTA (4MBS Composer in Residence), Queensland Conservatorium of Music vocal ensemble INVOICES, directed by DAVE SPICER, and QUEENSLAND YOUTH ORCHESTRA BIG BAND directed by BOHDAN DAVISON. INGRID JAMES will host the night, in the cosy riverside Brisbane Jazz Club with its cabaret style seating. Meals and drinks available for purchase.

PERFORMERS:
– ENHARMONIE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
– ALLAN HALL, cello
– LEE NORRELL, flute
– TERTIA HOGAN, piano
– BERNARD WHEATON, tenor

VENUE:
4MBS Performance Studio
384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo

Friday 30 May 7pm

Of the many musical innovations that the Baroque Period gave to the world, the developments in Opera and the Sonata have endured to this day. Join ENHARMONIE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE and guest artist BERNARD WHEATON as we present a variety of works which celebrate Baroque Opera, and explore the Baroque Sonata and its legacy in more recent times. Featuring music by Lully, Handel, W.F. Bach, Couperin and Damase.

PERFORMERS:
– HARTLEY NEWNHAM
– ADAM LOPEZ
– TOBIAS MERZ
– QUEENSLAND BAROQUE
– JOHN FOSTER, artistic director

VENUE:
City Tabernacle Baptist Church
163 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill

Saturday 31st May 3pm

Back by popular demand! Last year’s stunning countertenor trio earned rave reviews and a standing ovation — so they’re back for more Baroque delights! Don’t miss this sublime concert featuring Purcell, Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, and more with the superb QUEENSLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA in the heritage-listed City Tabernacle Baptist Church.

PERFORMERS:
– QUEENSLAND YOUTH SYMPHONY
– NATHAN SMITH, flute
– SIMON HEWITT, conductor

VENUE:
QPAC Concert Hall

Saturday 31 May 7pm

Buckle up and prepare for an intergalactic adventure as your pilot, SIMON HEWETT, takes the helm of the Millennium Falcon – also known as the QUEENSLAND YOUTH SYMPHONY (QYS). This thrilling musical journey will traverse galaxies near and far, beginning with Liebermann’s dramatic and romantically charged Flute Concerto, performed by QYS principal flautist NATHAN SMITH. Next, they set course for the cinematic brilliance of John Williams’ The Empire Strikes Back Symphonic Suite, a suite as iconic as the saga itself. Finally, their journey ends with William Walton’s Symphony No. 2, a piece so evocative it seems the English composer might have visited Tatooine, Hoth, and the Dagobah System decades before George Lucas introduced us to “a galaxy far, far away”.

PERFORMERS:
– THE QUEENSLAND CHOIR
– SINFONIA OF ST ANDREW’S
– KEVIN POWER, conductor

VENUE:
The Old Museum Concert Hall
480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills

Saturday 31st May 7.30pm

Queensland’s premier chorus, THE QUEENSLAND CHOIR, presents a stunning program of timeless Baroque masterpieces in the historic Concert Hall of the Old Museum Building. Together with the SINFONIA OF ST ANDREW’S they will perform some of the most popular and spectacular music by three of the greatest composers of all time – J.S. Bach, Handel and Vivaldi – that perfectly demonstrates the vitality, elegance, grandeur and dramatic power of the Baroque era. 

HANDEL | Sinfonia:  Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (from Solomon) – Zadok the Priest – The King Shall Rejoice
BACH | Brandenburg Concerto No.3 – Jesu, joy of man’s desiring
VIVALDI | Gloria in D major RV.589

PERFORMERS:
– CANTICUM CHAMBER CHOIR
– CAMERATA – QUEENSLAND’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
– EMILY COX, conductor

VENUE:
St John’s Cathedral
Ann Street, Brisbane

Sunday 1 June 2pm

Arvo Pärt’s luminous and majestic Te Deum for choir and orchestra is framed by jubilant motets by J.S. Bach, including Singet dem Herrn BWV 225 and Lobet dem Herrn BWV 230. Arvo Pärt’s music, even in its minimalism, resonates strongly with the music of J.S. Bach despite the centuries that separate them.  In this, Pärt’s 90th birthday year, and the 30th anniversary of the founding of this acclaimed ensemble, CANTICUM celebrates with these two composers close to its heart. St John ’s Cathedral Brisbane provides the perfect space for this dazzling and uplifting music. CANTICUM warmly welcomes CAMERATA – QUEENSLAND’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA as its orchestra for this event.

Baroque Splendour

PERFORMERS:
– CORDA SPIRITUS

VENUE:
The Old Museum Concert Hall
480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills

Sunday 1 June 2.30pm

Enjoy beautiful Baroque music in this concert marking 10 years since the passing of 4MBS Broadcasts Manager and long time Announcer Howard Ainsworth.

RAMEAU Overture to Zoroastre
HANDEL Water Music (selections)
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No.3
CORELLI Christmas Concerto
TELEMANN Viola Concerto
Plus other favourites!

PERFORMERS:
– REBECCA CASSIDY, soprano
– STEPHEN EMMERSON, piano

VENUE:
4MBS Performance Studio
384 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo

Monday 2 June 7pm

Brahms and Wagner were the two towering figures of German music in the second half of the 19th century and this program celebrates and contrasts their achievements through that most Romantic of musical genres, the German Lied. Though Wagner is recognised primarily for his operas, his mastery of song is unmistakable in the set of five that he composed to texts by Mathilde Wesendonck. His infatuation/love for her would concurrently inspire both the Wesendonck Lieder and his most intensely passionate work, his opera Tristan und Isolde.  Though Brahms is often seen to be more classically-inclined, his lieder are among his most Romantic and most deeply expressive music, and complement those of Wagner perfectly. 

PERFORMERS:
– TIM MUNRO, flute
– STEPHEN EMMERSON, piano

VENUE:
Ian Hanger Recital Hall
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Brisbane

Wednesday 4 June 7pm

A journey through a century of German-language song, without words. Grammy-winning flautist TIM MUNRO and pianist STEPHEN EMMERSON explore the liminal space between song and instrumental music. Franz Schubert’s dark Variations on Trockne Blumen and Clara Schumann’s radiant Romances are linked to lieder composers including Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Alma Mahler and Webern. Emmerson and Munro have been friends for many years, but this will be the first full-length project they have devised and presented together.

PERFORMERS:
– WARWICK ADENEY, violin
– JOHN GRANGER FISHER, piano

VENUE:
Armitage Centre, The Empire
356 Neil Street, Toowoomba City

Friday 6 June 7.30pm

Celebrate Queensland Day in Toowoomba with this concert by two of Queensland’s most renowned classical musicians – violinist WARWICK ADENEY (former Concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra) and internationally acclaimed pianist JOHN GRANGER FISHER.

SCHUBERT Fantasy for Violin and Piano
SCHUBERT/LISZT Various Solo Piano Transcriptions
SAINT-SAËNS Danse Macabre
FRANCK Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
and more!

PERFORMERS:
– CATHERINE GUINEVERE LYNAGH, piano

PERFORMERS:
– WARWICK ADENEY, violin
– JOHN GRANGER FISHER, piano

VENUE:
Armitage Centre, The Empire
356 Neil Street, Toowoomba City

Saturday 7 June 10am

Following their concert from the night before, brilliant Queensland musicians, violinist WARWICK ADENEY and pianist JOHN GRANGER FISHER will each hold separate masterclasses for students and teachers.

VENUE:
Nickson Room, Zelman Cowen Building
The University of Queensland, St Lucia

EVENT 21 | Saturday 7 June 11am
– ALEX RAINERI + ROGER CUI
EVENT 22 | Saturday 7 June 1pm
– LIAM VINEY + ANNA GRINBERG
EVENT 23 | Saturday 7 June 2.30pm
– ALEX RAINERI + MAX FOSTER

Experience double the artistry in this year’s Piano Marathon! Hear five of Brisbane’s best pianists perform in ‘Piano 4 Hands’ format over three concerts in one day. Sample individual concerts, or experience all three in one go! Parking available on campus.

EVENT 21 | RACHMANINOV: The Isle of the Dead, op. 29  – Symphonic Dances, op. 45 

EVENT 22 | MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream incidental music, op.61, Overture arr. piano 4 hands – SCHUBERT: Fantasie in F minor, op. 103 – DAVIDSON, ROBERT: Carnival of Extinct Animals – MOZART: Sonata for Two Pianos, 1st movement, K448

EVENT 3 | BEETHOVEN: ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, 1st movement – DEBUSSY: Clair de Lune – NICOLAS, NATALIE: Bloom – TURLEY, ALEX: Kusama’s Garden – RAVEL: Rapsody Espagnole

PERFORMERS:
Voxalis Opera
– CASSANDRA SEIDEMANN, mezzo soprano
– REBECCA GOOBANKO, soprano
– JAKE LYLE, baritone
– SARKA BUDINSKA, piano

VENUE:
St Andrew’s Uniting Church
299 Ann Street, Brisbane City

Saturday 7 June 7.30pm

One of Voxalis Opera’s most celebrated recitals, A Woman’s Love and Life breathes new life into Schumann’s beloved Frauenliebe und -leben in a beautifully re-imagined 60-minute performance. Journey through the life of a woman in love—from the thrill of meeting her soulmate, through to the elation of their marriage and family life, and finally, years later, the heartbreak of his death. This poignant performance is sure to move audiences and bring tears to your eyes.

Mezzo-soprano CASSANDRA SEIDEMANN takes on the role of Schumann’s protagonist, reflecting on her life and enduring love. She is joined by soprano REBECCA GOOBANKO and baritone JAKE LYLE, and pianist SARKA BUDINSKA, who perform works by Grieg, Zemlinsky, Brahms, and other masterful composers. These additional pieces represent the young lovers at pivotal moments in their lives, visually and musically bringing the main character’s cherished memories to life.

PERFORMERS:
– MIRUSIA, soprano
– JASON BARRY SMITH, baritone & compere
– JESSICA LOW, mezzo-soprano
– BILLY BOURCHIER, tenor
– MATTHEW BROADBENT, bass
– UQ SINGERS
– QUEENSLAND MUSICAL THEATRE
– BRISBANE CHORALE
– ENSEMBLE Q
– PAUL DEAN, conductor

VENUE:
Brisbane City Hall Main Auditorium

Sunday 8 June 3pm

Be entertained by a glorious afternoon of music, laughter, and the timeless wit of comic opera’s most famous duo in concert. Join internationally-renowned soprano MIRUSIA, brilliant baritone JASON BARRY-SMITH (fresh from a triumphant production of The Pirates of Penzance) and more superb soloists! They will be accompanied by the exceptional ENSEMBLE Q ORCHESTRA, BRISBANE CHORALE, and UQ SINGERS, conducted by PAUL DEAN. 4MBS is pleased to be collaborating for the first time with QUEENSLAND MUSICAL THEATRE!

Every year in May/June, 4MBS Classic FM produces the 4MBS Festival of Classics – Australia’s largest classical music festival. 
On average, the Festival features 20-30 concerts in  10-15 venues, predominantly in Brisbane but throughout south-east Queensland. The Festival also extends to the airwaves, where we broadcast featured music programs surrounding that year’s theme.