ARTISTS ANNOUNCED 21ST SXS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN 22-24 AUGUST 2025

The 21st SXS Chamber Music Festival 2025 (SCMF), proudly owned, operated, and presented annually by Southern Cross Soloists (SXS), one of Australia’s most formidable and long-running national chamber music ensembles (30th anniversary year), announced today its artists for what will be a sensational eight event program. The 21st Queensland based edition, curated by recently appointed, three-time Grammy awarded Queensland musician, Festival Director Tim Munro, unfolds across three days from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August 2025. The festival is proudly presented by SXS in partnership with the Shambala Estate, Tamborine Mountain. 12 virtuosic artists from across Australia and internationally, will bring music to the mountain for a glorious Winter weekend escape on Tamborine Mountain, Scenic Rim, a place of outstanding natural beauty.

These exceptional artists will perform over 30 sublime chamber music works from 25 composers, 11 of whom are female, across the two-day, three nights multi award-nominated festival. Chair of the SXS Executive Board, Marg O’Donnell AO said, “One of our first roles as a new Board was to make the difficult but correct decision to move our long-running beloved Bangalow festival and rehome it permanently to Queensland. The Board and SXS are committed to providing employment opportunities for Queensland artists and arts workers, along with expanding our regional touchpoints. It is heartwarming to see the community response from Tamborine Mountain, a close-knit art loving community who have experienced the lion’s share of climatic disruptions and damage. The chamber festival will bring tourists to the area and provide affordable and accessible excellence in music-making for the local community and surrounding areas.”

Festival Director and SXS flute soloist Tim Munro said “Chamber music is all about intimacy and connection. It is where composers share private thoughts, and where performers bring their full selves. To be involved with the next iteration of SXS’s beloved Bangalow Festival is indeed an honour. And to do it in Tamborine Mountain —a place so beautiful that I feel my worries drop away—is extra special. I have gathered some of SXS’s world-class musical friends for a festival that shows them in many guises. There are intimate solos and big-hearted septets. Songs, both with and without words. Love found and love lost. Three continents of virtuoso birdsong.”

“Joining us for this journey are renowned classical guitarist Slava Grigoryan and cellist Sharon Grigoryan. Alexandra Flood returns from the Vienna Volksoper for a program dear to her heart, performed with one of the world’s great collaborative artists, English pianist Sholto Kynoch. Both appear courtesy of the Queensland Art Song Festival.”

“We also welcome back the internationally acclaimed Orava Quartet, award-winning pianist Liam Viney and the exceptional musicians of SXS, Co-Artistic Directors violinist Margaret Blades and clarinettist Ashley Smith.”

SXS has been nominated for two consecutive years for the prestigious APRA AMCOS ART MUSIC AWARDS for Excellence in a Regional Area for the 18th (2019) and 19th festival editions (2022) previously held in Bangalow, NSW. SXS has presented over 825 artists performing in more than 270 concerts for a combined audience of over 80,000, bringing exquisite music-making from virtuosic national and international musicians to the Bangalow township and the Northern Rivers NSW community for 20 years. Now rehomed to Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, 2025 sees the festival reborn in the stunning Shambala Estate – "Shambhala" refers to a mythical, sacred realm or place of tranquility, often associated with enlightenment and spiritual purity, and is a Sanskrit term meaning "place of peace" or "place of silence". The pre-taster two-concert event held by SXS in 2024, The Soloists’ Mountain Showcase, a precursor to the 2025 festival proper, included international artists garnering excellent patronage, two standing ovations and critical acclaim, including a 5-star review from Dr Gemma Regan for Limelight Magazine. 

Unfolding in the picturesque LGA Scenic Rim town of Tamborine Mountain in southeast Queensland, and within the stunning grounds of the Shambala Estate, the festival provides an ideal winter weekend lifestyle escape. Audiences will enjoy five mainstage Galaxy Ballroom Concerts, two intimate Chapel recitals and a Friday evening Festival Opening cabaret-style event. The duration of all events is no longer than 60 minutes. The full program and tickets to be released April 30, 2025.

Early Bird Ticket packages and lunches (Saturday/Sunday) are on sale now via the festival website https://www.sxsfestival.com/.

The 21st SCMF continues its tradition of working closely with local partners to deliver exceptional experiences for audiences, residents and visiting tourists. The award-winning Head Chef Yiani provides tantalising meals from the Shambala Estate kitchen with meals on sale now via the ticketing site. A fully licensed bar and coffee/tea cart will be available throughout the festival. Bring a picnic and have meal breaks in the stunning garden surroundings or eat your purchased meal in style in the comfort of the Waterfall Pavilion. 

4MBS Classic FM will again partner with the festival to provide bus shuttle opportunities for its subscribers. The festival is less than an hour’s drive from the Gold Coast and can be reached via regular shuttles from the Gold Coast and its airport. Accommodation can be easily sourced from https://visittamborinemountain.com.au/accommodation-on-tamborine-mountain/.

The 21st SCMF promises to light up the town of Tamborine Mountain and surrounding districts again this August with a thrilling program that embodies the significant achievement of presenting world-class classical music in a festival setting to audiences from all over Australia for over two decades. 

About Southern Cross Soloists (SXS) and the SXS Chamber Music Festival (SCMF):

SXS, celebrating its 30th Pearl Anniversary year, is a not-for-profit Brisbane based small arts organisation. SXS performs three concerts a year for its long running QPAC Series in the prestigious Concert Hall presented by SXS and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). SXS also delivers a successful Sunset Soiree Recital Series, now in its third year, which performs in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Redlands, and travels to regional Queensland towns. SXS commissions new Australian works for didgeridoo and small ensemble through its long legacy project the SXS Didgeridoo Commissioning Project 2022 – 2032 and has long running educational programs, the 12th Next Gen Program and 10th Margaret Schindler Vocal Scholarship. Synonymous with delivering virtuosic music-making both in Australia and internationally, SXS presents the annual SXS Chamber Music Festival (SCMF). This much-loved festival, now in its 21st year, is a calendar highlight for chamber music lovers nationally. 

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