Excellent audiences embrace three days of world-class music, families and community on Tamborine Mountain.
Southern Cross Soloists has celebrated a hugely successful 22nd SXS Chamber Music Festival, with excellent audience attendance, exceptional performances and sublime winter weather combining for a memorable three days of excellence in music making at Shambala Estate, Tamborine Mountain.
Held from 14–16 August 2026, the festival brought internationally acclaimed musicians together with emerging artists, school students, families and the broader Tamborine Mountain community, transforming the mountain into a vibrant meeting place for live music.
Audiences responded enthusiastically throughout the weekend, culminating in three standing ovations: one following a superb performance by the acclaimed Lyrebird Trio; for Timo-Veikko Valve’s solo performance and another for the festival’s joyous closing concert, Exsultate!, featuring internationally acclaimed Australian soprano Alexandra Flood alongside festival featured artists and SXS Next Gen emerging artists.
The performances capped a weekend that demonstrated the power of world-class music presented in an intimate regional setting—and the appetite audiences continue to have for experiencing extraordinary artists live.
Festival Artistic Director and three-time Grammy Award winning flautist Tim Munro said the atmosphere across the weekend reflected the festival’s 2026 theme, Safe in Sound—a celebration of family, connection and belonging.
“There was such warmth and generosity in the room throughout the weekend. Artists, audiences, young musicians and the local community were all part of the same festival family. To see audiences on their feet after these performances was incredibly moving, but equally special was seeing children discovering instruments, students performing alongside professionals and people simply spending time together through music.”
75 MUSICIANS COME TOGETHER TO OPEN THE FESTIVAL
That spirit of connection was established from the very first night when an extraordinary 75 musicians took to the stage for the festival’s opening concert, Coming Together. The large-scale community performance united the long-running Tamborine Mountain Orchestra, school students, SXS Next Gen artists and Southern Cross Soloists’ virtuoso musicians on the same stage.
At the heart of the concert was the world premiere of a new work by Australian composer Monash Lal, created for this remarkable gathering of professional, emerging, student and community musicians.
The opening became a powerful expression of what the festival set out to achieve in 2026: breaking down barriers between artist and audience, professional and amateur, and one generation and the next.
A FESTIVAL FOR EVERY GENERATION
Across the weekend, that sense of participation extended well beyond the mainstage.
Young children and their parents and grandparents participated in The Chapel for Meet the Instruments, an interactive introduction to the sounds and personalities of individual instruments.
Free Artist Talks brought audiences closer to the festival’s headline artists, while emerging musicians were given the opportunity to learn, perform and share the festival stage through the SXS Next Gen Program and Margaret Schindler Vocal Scholarship.
The wider Tamborine Mountain community also embraced the festival through events including the Community Folk Music Night at Fortitude Brewing Co., reinforcing the festival’s commitment to creating opportunities for people to experience music outside the traditional concert setting.
Southern Cross Soloists General Manager Maxine Williamson said the breadth of audiences attending this year’s festival was particularly rewarding.
“To see youngsters, parents, grandparents, local residents and visitors all sharing this festival was incredibly special. We had excellent audiences, extraordinary performances and beautiful winter days on the mountain, but what stood out most was the sense of community. This is exactly what we want the SXS Chamber Music Festival to be—a place where world-class artistic excellence and genuine community participation sit side by side.”
The festival’s internationally acclaimed line-up included Alexandra Flood, Timo-Veikko Valve, Aura Go, the Lyrebird Trio, Tim Munro and Ashley Smith, performing in intimate concerts across the weekend.
Against the spectacular backdrop of Tamborine Mountain, audiences were also able to enjoy Shambala Estate’s stunning gardens, food and hospitality, while the clear, cool winter weather showcased the Scenic Rim at its very best.
The successful 2026 festival builds on the strong momentum of 2025, when the event also attracted near- capacity audiences and visitors from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Northern NSW and interstate.
Now in its 22nd year, the SXS Chamber Music Festival continues to demonstrate that exceptional live music can flourish when internationally acclaimed artistry, emerging talent and community come together.
And after a weekend of standing ovations, children’s laughter, community music-making and sublime performances, Tamborine Mountain once again proved an extraordinary home for chamber music.
