Chamberfest 2026

CURATED BY SIOBHAN STAGG

FRIDAY 2–SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026

WELCOME

You are already an integral part of this festival. Yes, you!

In her book The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker posits that events don’t begin at the printed time. They begin when an invitation is sent out, at the first spark of contact between host and guests. The tone is set, and energy begins to flow.

Following Parker’s lead, I don’t think that Chamberfest will begin when the lights go down at the first concert in October. The festival experience begins the minute you read this text, feel even a slight surge of curiosity or anticipation, and commit to booking your place.

These five programs are deeply personal for me. I’ve travelled the world gathering impulses and poring over possible programs, imagining and re-imagining the emotional arc of the weekend.

With the state of the world, I think we need live music more than ever, as a healthy interruption to the algorithmic biases in our daily online worlds. I feel it’s fundamentally important for artists to engage with art from both sides of the stage. I’m a ravenous concert attendee and am fascinated by how our reception to music fluctuates on any given day, depending on what comes before or after it. Consciously or not, musicians

are responding to the audience’s energy in real time, every time they perform. This means that as an audience member, you contribute more to every performance than you may realise.

This Chamberfest weekend promises moments of absolute beauty, rapture and revelation. There will also likely be moments of newness and unfamiliar textures. But rest assured, I’ve carefully prepared the path ahead of you. It’s safe, authentic, enriching. I respect your presence enormously, and your unique energy will impact the music we make at UKARIA.

Siobhan Stagg Curator / Soprano

CONCERT ONE | ORIGINS

FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER 7.30PM

‘An evocative plainchant of Hildegard von Bingen begins each half of this journey through a millennium of creation stories.

Fauré’s late song cycle, La Chanson d’Ève (The Song of Eve) tells the genesis story through the eyes of Eve. We hear a little-known Mozartian gem about belief and conviction which you’re unlikely to have heard, but imagine if the Queen of the Night and Sarastro had couple’s therapy and worked it out.

After interval, a ghostly a cappella verse brings us close to Haydn’s Creation, with a ninety-second excerpt from Brett Dean’s evolution cantata In This Brief Moment in response. Sibelius gives us a rousing Finnish fairytale about a mermaid in the primordial soup in Luonnotar, before the concert finishes with two stunning songs of piano virtuoso Nikolai Medtner.

The brilliant Jonathan Ware dreamed up this program during lockdown and we’ve developed it through performances at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin and London’s Wigmore Hall. With candlelight, music boxes and displaced voices, it’s an epic concert of origin stories, with the human voice threaded through time.’

– Siobhan Stagg

INSPIRATION

Creation stories. Cycles of life. Music as marker of time and history, and teacher of cultural context.

RECOGNISE

The sound worlds of Mozart and Fauré.

DISCOVER

The piano virtuosity of Nikolai Medtner, and how his songs transport you to heaven.

Hildegard von Bingen

O vis eternitatis

Gabriel Fauré

La Chanson d’Ève

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Die ihr des unermesslichen Weltalls

Schöpfer ehrt, K. 619

Hildegard von Bingen

O quam mirabilis est

Joseph Haydn

Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün from The Creation

Brett Dean

Doch war noch alles nicht vollbracht

(… after Haydn…) from In This Brief Moment

Jean Sibelius

Luonnotar

Nicolai Medtner

Der Engel

Praeludium

Artists

Siobhan Stagg | Soprano

Jonathan Ware | Piano

Duration | Approximately one hour and forty-five minutes, including a twenty-five-minute interval.

CONCERT TWO | DEAD POETS SOCIETY

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 2.30PM

‘The storytelling genius of Schubert needs no introduction, and we are blessed to have one of his great native interpreters with Austrian mezzo, Sophie Rennert. Her voice is that of red velvet.

The Disappearance of Lisa Gherardini was inspired by the audacious, real-life theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in 1911. Kudos alert: Quatuor Agate won the prize for best performance of this piece at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, and this will be the Australian premiere.

Rachel Fenlon displays an exquisite multiverse of talent (playing piano, singing and reciting her own poetry). I close the concert with Debussy’s Ariettes Oubliées (Forgotten Songs) in a special arrangement for string quartet – onomatopoeia galore. I suspect there’ll be tears, a little chuckling and even some gasps of surprise in this concert.’

– Siobhan Stagg

INSPIRATION

Music as a communicative tool. Storytelling through the centuries. Characterisation using voice. Theatre of song. What does the voice have that other instruments don’t have? What are the risks of miscommunication?

RECOGNISE

Schubert’s undulating Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel).

DISCOVER

Rachel Fenlon singing like an angel while accompanying herself at the piano… it’s mind-blowing.

Franz Schubert

Der Musensohn

Gretchen am Spinnrade

Die Gebüsche

Des Fischers Liebesglück

Der Zwerg

Licht und Liebe

Dinuk Wijeratne

The Disappearance of Lisa Gherardini

Rachel’s Mix: Echoes and Apparitions

Benjamin Britten The Salley Gardens

George Crumb The Night in Silence

Under Many a Star

Rachel Fenlon Sing Nature Alive (poem)

Hugo Wolf Mignon: Kennst du das Land?

Radiohead Everything in Its Right Place Franz Schubert Der Leiermann

Claude Debussy

Ariettes oubliées (arr. Joan Bachs)

Artists

Siobhan Stagg | Soprano

Sophie Rennert | Mezzo-soprano

Rachel Fenlon | Soprano / Piano

Jonathan Ware | Piano

Quatuor Agate

Duration | Approximately one hour and forty-five minutes, including a twentyfive-minute interval.

CONCERT THREE | KURTÁG 100 – KAFKA FRAGMENTS

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 6.00PM

‘Have you ever been to a 100th birthday party? As part of my research for this festival, I attended György Kurtág’s 100th birthday concert in Budapest. The Maestro gets around in a wheelchair these days, but his eyes are crystal clear. “My mother tongue is Bartók,” Kurtág says, “and Bartók’s mother tongue is Beethoven.”

To celebrate Kurtág’s rare milestone, we feature one of his most important pieces: the Kafka Fragments from 1985/86. These are forty short aphorisms, commenting on life with great philosophical insight. When I first heard them performed, they permeated my consciousness and echoed in my mind for days.

Natsuko Yoshimoto takes on the formidable violin part, with the disarming vocal lines shared between our three Chamberfest vocalists: Rachel Fenlon, Sophie Rennert and me. This isn’t musical

hedonism (come to the Sunday evening concert for that) but it’s important reading for life.

A journalist in Budapest said that Kurtág’s music had taught him to listen more deeply, to work through his initial resistance to dissonance. I can’t help but wonder… maybe this is one of the reasons why we need contemporary music: to expand our comfort zones, and train our mental muscle to not resist difference, but to gently lean in.

This hour-long program will be followed by a chance to debrief, discuss and reflect over dinner and a Q&A with the artists.’

– Siobhan Stagg

INSPIRATION

Music as philosopher and provocateur. Asking ourselves hard questions. Building tolerance and respect. Uniting in our commonalities and celebrating our differences.

RECOGNISE

If you liked my performance of Messiaen’s Poèmes pour Mi at UKARIA in 2020, you will love this!

DISCOVER

Due to the virtuosic nature of this piece, it’s rare to hear it performed live.

György Kurtág

Kafka Fragments, Op. 24

Artists

Natsuko Yoshimoto | Violin

Siobhan Stagg | Soprano

Rachel Fenlon | Soprano

Sophie Rennert | Mezzo-soprano

Duration | Approximately one hour, without interval.

CONCERT FOUR | THE MIGHTY AND MUNDANE

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2.30PM

‘This concert begins with four minutes of four hands at the piano – an aural ‘ginger shot’ of zingy energy.

We celebrate a fresh song cycle by two Adelaide women: Anna Goldsworthy and Anne Cawrse. In Snapshots, Goldsworthy’s poetry reckons with love in a nontraditional way, observing how ‘failed’ relationships morph into new and different futures for families today. With splashes of humour and deep sincerity, this is like Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben ( A Woman’s Love and Life) for the twenty-first century, and I’m so proud to present it for you here.

Despite tech advancements and social progress, aren’t we just repeating the same patterns, over and over? I don’t know the answer, but when the Chanson perpétuelle (Perpetual Song) sounds this good, the catharsis is real.

Quatuor Agate commissioned Last Flight from Ukrainian composer Anna Korsun as part of their ECHO Rising Stars nomination in 2024/25. I heard them play it in Barcelona and it was riveting.

Judith Wright’s pithy poem After the Visitors speaks of the feeling at the end of a dinner party when you take off your social mask and wonder… which version is the ‘real’ me? My heart explodes with light when I hear To a Child and I’m gripped by Failure of Communication. These ‘young’ Australian pieces were commissioned by Katie Noonan with the Brodsky Quartet a few years ago, and I’m grateful for such wonderful additions to the Australian chamber music canon. The latter has a stretch of vocal improvisation, where I can bring out my jazzy Mildura roots!’

– Siobhan Stagg

INSPIRATION

Music as educator, bias-breaker, social mirror, empathy machine. Passing of the guard and updating emotional software.

RECOGNISE

Bach and Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle.

DISCOVER

The evocative poetry of Australians Judith Wright and Anna Goldsworthy, matched with instantly affecting music by celebrated living composers.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit,

BWV 106 (tr. Kurtág)

Francis Poulenc

Prélude from Sonata for Four Hands, FP8

Anne Cawrse

Snapshots of Love and Life

Ernest Chausson

Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37

Anna Korsun

Last Flight

Andrew Ford

After the Visitors

David Hirschfelder

To a Child

John Rodgers

Failure of Communication

Artists

Siobhan Stagg | Soprano

Rachel Fenlon | Soprano / Piano

Sophie Rennert | Mezzo-soprano

Jonathan Ware | Piano

Quatuor Agate

Duration | Approximately ninety minutes, including a short pause.

CONCERT FIVE | FULL FLIGHT – ONE DESTINATION

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 6.00PM

‘The Chamberfest team unites and expands into a mini orchestra for Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) and the exquisite Rosenkavalier trio (arranged especially for us by James Ledger). I’ve sung the part of Sophie in this opera on some of the great stages of Europe, but tonight I’ll debut the elegant Marschallin alongside Sophie Rennert as Octavian and Rachel Fenlon as Sophie von Faninal. This will be LUSH.

While intending the closing program to be transportive, it accidentally developed a Viennese flavour. Rachel serenades us with some of Berg’s Early Songs, and Sophie and Jonathan evoke a fantasy world with songs by Gustav Mahler. Quatuor Agate perform one of their signature pieces, Korngold’s Second String Quartet.

This will be a classy, rousing Viennese party to finish the festival, and you’re invited. RSVP today!’

– Siobhan Stagg

INSPIRATION

Music as mover of souls, connector of beings. Endings, closure, resplendence – hearts in full flight.

Remembering that no matter our struggles or our views, we’re all on a journey that ends in the same place…

RECOGNISE

Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) – but have you seen them at dusk with UKARIA’s stunning backdrop? DISCOVER

The trio from Der Rosenkavalier in a new arrangement, commissioned especially for our finale!

Alban Berg

Selections from Sieben frühe Lieder

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

String Quartet No. 2 in E flat, Op. 26

Gustav Mahler

Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft

Hans und Grete

Rheinlegendchen

Urlicht

Richard Strauss

Vier letzte Lieder (arr. James Ledger)

Hab mir’s gelobt from Der Rosenkavalier (arr. James Ledger)

Artists

Leonard Weiss | Conductor

Siobhan Stagg | Soprano

Rachel Fenlon | Soprano / Piano

Sophie Rennert | Mezzo-soprano

Jonathan Ware | Piano

Quatuor Agate

Musicians from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

Duration | Approximately two hours, including a twenty-five-minute interval.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Siobhan Stagg | Curator and Soprano

With her ‘angelic voice’ (Kölner Stadt Anzeiger) and ‘ethereal stage presence’ (Sydney Morning Herald ), Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg has established herself as one of the most captivating lyric artists of her generation.

From 2013 to 2019, Siobhan was a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble, where she sang leading roles including Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Tytania ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Micaëla (Carmen), working with many of today’s foremost conductors and directors. She has since appeared on many of the world’s most prestigious stages, earning acclaim as the title role in Cendrillon (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Pamina and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Opera Australia), Susanna (Komische Oper Berlin), Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Opernhaus Zürich, Staatsoper Berlin), Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande (Opéra

de Dijon and Victorian Opera Melbourne), and Mirel in Dark Side of the Moon, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Cordelia in Aribert Reimann’s Lear (Hamburgische Staatsoper). Other highlights include Angelica in Orlando (Théâtre du Châtelet Paris), Lady Magnesia in the title role, and Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos (Bayerische Staatsoper), Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Dutch National Opera), and staged performances of Mozart’s Requiem at the Festival d’Aix-enProvence.

A sought-after concert performer, Stagg has collaborated with ensembles such as the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

The 2025/26 season sees her expand this profile with an impressive series of symphonic projects: Brahms’s Requiem with the Minnesota Orchestra, Trondheim

Symphony, and Nord Deutscher Rundfunk; Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Utah Symphony and Staatstheater Darmstadt; Mahler’s Second Symphony with the BBC Philharmonic; Poulenc’s Stabat Mater with Spain’s RTVE Orchestra; Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano; Unsuk Chin’s Puzzles and Games with Staatskapelle Dresden; and the world premiere of Thomas Blomenkamp’s In Little Stars written for Siobhan, with Duisburger Symphoniker. She also returns to Orchestre National de Lyon for Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer, to Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse for New Year’s concerts, and to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Mozart’s Mass in C minor. This season, Siobhan also makes her long awaited return to London’s Wigmore Hall.

On the opera stage, Siobhan makes her role and house debut as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at State Opera South Australia, returns to the Staatsoper Berlin for her role debut as Antonia/Stella in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and debuts as Adalgisa (Norma) with Irish National Opera.

In recognition of her international achievements, Stagg was awarded the Key to the City of Mildura in 2023, only the third recipient in the city’s history. She is a Fellow of Trinity College, University of Melbourne, and supports the Siobhan Stagg Aria Award at the Mildura Eisteddfod. In 2025, she initiated the Alumni Giving Circle alongside her role as a Board Director of the Melba Opera Trust.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Quatuor Agate

Adrien Jurkovic | Violin

Juliette Beauchamp | Violin

Raphaël Pagnon | Viola

Simon Iachemet | Cello

Quatuor Agate was formed in 2016 and takes its name from one of the most beautiful pieces of chamber music: Johannes Brahms’s Second Sextet, dedicated to his second love, Agathe von Siebold. Seven years later, their fascination with Brahms resulted in the release of their debut album on the Appassionato label in early 2024, which features Brahms’ complete string quartets.

Having distinguished themselves in various international competitions and festivals in recent years – including winning the Best Contemporary Interpretation Prize at the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Audience Prize at both the Steels-Wilsing Competition in 2020 and

the Verbier Festival in 2019 –the Quatuor Agate achieved a significant milestone in 2021 when they won the Young Classical Artists Trust auditions in London. In 2023, they were honoured to be named ECHO Rising Stars for the 2024/25 season, performing at major concert halls across Europe, including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Barbican, the Kölner Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Dortmund.

In November 2025, the quartet embarked on a tour of the US and Canada, performing in Oregon, New York and Virginia before concluding at the Canadian Opera in Toronto. Earlier this year, they returned to the Philharmonie de Paris and Wigmore Hall, as well as playing at several venues across France and Germany. In Switzerland, they performed in the prestigious concert series ‘Les grands interprètes’ in Geneva. In June 2026, they will undertake a residency in Weikersheim, Germany.

Rachel Fenlon | Soprano / Piano

Rachel Fenlon is a soprano and pianist who has carved a unique voice on the classical stages of the world. Known for performing self-accompanied song recitals as both singer and pianist, she also appears widely as a chamber music and opera soloist. Her debut album Winterreise (October 2024) received widespread acclaim, named Album of the Week by BBC Radio 3, CBC, and Gramophone Magazine, and Album of the Month by Classic 106 FM. CBC praised it as ‘an outstanding new record... extraordinary’, and BBC Radio 3 called it ‘extraordinary and spellbinding’. It is the first self-accompanied Winterreise ever recorded. Rachel has performed across Europe, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and the US, with appearances at Konzerthaus Berlin, Martha Argerich Festival, Juan March Madrid, Vancouver Recital Society, Oxford Lieder Festival, Music Toronto,

Salle Bourgie Montreal, Settimane

Musicali di Ascona, and the National Arts Centre. In March 2025, Rachel made her US debut at SXSW Festival in Austin, bringing classical music to one of the world’s most influential pop festivals.

The 2025/26 season sees Rachel continue to tour internationally across Asia, Germany, Scandinavia, and North America. Rachel’s season commences with a tour of Winterreise in her native Canada at the Elora Festival and the Festival international du Domaine Forget de Charlevoix. She brings a solo recital tour of Canadian work to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, presented by the Canadian Music Centre. Rachel introduces new programmes featuring works by Caroline Shaw, Bach, and George Crumb to Das Haus, Berlied Festival Berlin, and performs as a soloist with MAM.manufaktur für aktuelle musik, TonHain Kollektiv, and Kasseler Musiktage.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sophie Rennert | Mezzo-soprano

Austrian mezzo-soprano Sophie Rennert is among the most distinguished artists of her generation. Born into a musical family, she began singing at age twelve with her mother, soprano Sigrid Rennert, and later studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Karlheinz Hanser and Charles Spencer. She refined her artistry in masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, Ann Murray, and Helmut Deutsch.

A frequent guest at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and Hohenems, she is celebrated for her expressive Lied interpretations. Her concert repertoire spans Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and works by Mahler, alongside baroque and contemporary roles such as Irene (Vivaldi’s Tamerlano), Piacere (Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno), and Harper Pitt (Eötvös’ Angels in America).

Rennert has collaborated with leading conductors including David Afkham, Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Ottavio Dantone, Ádám Fischer, Philippe Jordan, Joana Mallwitz, Jordi Savall, Andreas Spering, Franz Welser-Möst, and Simone Young, performing with orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de España, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Her recordings include Brahms Lieder (Hyperion), Handel’s Lotario, Vivaldi’s Tamerlano, and Von den Göttern weiß ich nichts with works by Uli Rennert. A laureate of the International Mozart Competition Salzburg, she also received the Second Prize and Audience Prize at the Cesti Competition in Innsbruck.

Jonathan Ware | Piano

Acclaimed for his exemplary and spirited playing, chamber musician and accompanist Jonathan Ware is a regular guest at the world’s leading recital venues, and recent appearances include Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center, Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie Luxembourg, L’Auditori, the Concertgebouw, Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées and the Pierre Boulez Saal.

Appearing alongside some of today’s most exciting singers and instrumentalists, previous seasons saw Jonathan Ware with Matilda Lloyd at Fundação Gulbenkian, Kölner Philharmonie, Müpa Budapest and Konzerthuset Stockholm, with soprano Siobhan Stagg at Pierre Boulez Saal, with Samuel Mariño at the Sala Sinfonica Pablo Casals in Puerto Rico, Simon Bode at Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall and with Jonathan Leibowitz on a UK tour to Bath, Falkirk and the Isle of Wight. New collaborations include performances with

Bilal Alnemr at the Raketenstation,

Hombroich, with violinist Leia Zhu in Reims and Bilbao, and with Rowan Hellier at Glasgow Cathedral Festival.

Highlights from long-standing collaborations include recitals with Elsa Dreisig at Bayerischer Rundfunk, Kölner Philharmonie and Wigmore Hall, with Bejun Mehta at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Luxembourg and Mozartfest Augsburg; with Camilla Tilling at Spivey Hall in a Jenny Lind-inspired selection; Brenda Rae at Wigmore Hall in a programme of Schubert and Strauss, and with Timothy Ridout at the Vancouver Recital Society and Konserthaus Dortmund. Following recent appearances at Verbier Festival and Lied Festival Würzburg with Ema Nikolovska, the pair reunited at Wigmore Hall, where he also collaborated with tenors Kieran Carrel, Robin Tritschler and violinist Hana Chang.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Leonard Weiss | Conductor

Australian conductor Leonard Weiss CF has quickly established himself as one of the most versatile and compelling conductors of his generation, acclaimed for electrifying performances of symphonic repertoire, opera and contemporary music.

Leonard will celebrate several milestones in the 2026 season, with debuts at Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Munich Biennale, the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a program shared with Music Director Andris Nelsons, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra’s Mendelssohn Academy. As a semi-finalist in the Concours de Genève, he will conduct the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Orchestre de Chambre de Genève.

In Australasia, he is excited to debut with the Adelaide and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra Victoria, and return to the Melbourne and Christchurch

Symphony Orchestra, and the Auckland Philharmonia. Having received the 2025 Berlin Music Opera Award from The Opera Foundation for Young Australians, Leonard will work as Assistant Conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin during their 25/26 season.

Leonard was a 2025 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow, mentored by Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Leonard was Cybec Assistant Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2024 and 2025, and Assistant Conductor in Residence with the Auckland Philharmonia in 2022. He studied with Marin Alsop at the Peabody Conservatory and trained with Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Gianandrea Noseda, and at the Salzburg Festival as part of his Churchill Fellowship.

Natsuko Yoshimoto | Violin

Natsuko Yoshimoto joined Queensland Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in 2021, after serving as Concertmaster at Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for twelve years.

Born in Japan, Natsuko Yoshimoto began playing the violin at the age of three. She studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal Northern College of Music in England and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She received direct guidance and teaching under Lord Menuhin and Wen Zhou Li.

She has won many awards and prizes in international competitions including the Gold Medal in both the prestigious 1994 Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Competition and the Orchestra

Ensemble Kanazawa Award and the Iwaki Award for outstanding achievement as a Japanese artist.

In great demand as a soloist, she has appeared with many world-renowned orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia (London), Halle Orchestra, Odense Symphony (Denmark), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Melbourne Symphony and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.

Natsuko is also a member of highly acclaimed chamber group, Ensemble Q. She has been the leader of both the Australian String Quartet and the Grainger Quartet. Natsuko frequently guests as a Concertmaster with many major orchestras in Australia and Asia and continues to perform chamber music as a guest artist with various groups and musicians in many of the festivals. She has given many world premieres of works by Australia’s most prominent composers and has recorded for Virgin Classics, ABC Classics, Melba Records and Tall Poppies.

CHAMBERFEST 2026 AT A GLANCE

Friday 2 October

6.00pm Bus Service | Departing Adelaide

Separate booking required

Bar Platter

Separate booking required

7.30pm CONCERT ONE | ORIGINS

1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 25-minute interval

9.30pm Bus Service | Departing UKARIA

Separate booking required

Saturday 3 October

1.00pm Bus Service | Departing Adelaide

Separate booking required

Light Lunch

Separate booking required

2.30pm CONCERT TWO | DEAD POETS SOCIETY

1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 25-minute interval

4.15pm Snack and Sparkling

Weekend Package inclusion only

6.00pm CONCERT THREE | KURTÁG 100 – KAFKA FRAGMENTS

1 hour, without an interval

7.15pm Bus Service | Departing UKARIA

Separate booking required

Two Course Dinner

Weekend Package inclusion only

9.15pm Bus Service | Departing UKARIA

Separate booking required

Suitable for Weekend Package holders only

Sunday 4 October

1.00pm Bus Service | Departing Adelaide

Separate booking required

Light Lunch

Separate booking required

2.30pm CONCERT FOUR | THE MIGHTY AND MUNDANE

90 minutes, including a short pause

4.30pm Picnic Box

Weekend Package inclusion

Separate booking required for single ticket holders

6.00pm CONCERT FIVE | FULL FLIGHT – ONE DESTINATION

2 hours including a 25-minute interval

8.15pm Bus Service | Departing UKARIA

Separate booking required

HOW TO BOOK

THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO ENJOY CHAMBERFEST 2026:

1. Purchase a Weekend Package

2. Purchase a Flexi Package

3. Purchase single tickets to the concert/s of your choice

See page 27 for details about seating.

1. WEEKEND PACKAGE*

• One ticket to all five concerts, with a 10% discount

• Saturday dining: Snack and Sparkling, and Two Course Dinner

• Sunday dining: Picnic Box

• Reserved seating zone for weekend package holders

• A lanyard, distributed at the first concert, bypasses queues to enter the auditorium for the remaining concerts

• Access to pre-sale for Chamberfest 2027

Adult $485 | Concession $460

2. FLEXI PACKAGE*

This new offering for Chamberfest 2026 is perfect if you’d like a taste of the whole weekend without the full commitment. Save 10% when you book three or more concerts of your choosing as a Flexi Package.

A variety of meal offerings and the UKARIA bus service can be booked separately.

Note | This discount only applies when three or more concerts are booked as a Flexi Package, and is only available for adult and concession tickets.

3. SINGLE TICKETS*

Purchase single tickets to the concert/s of your choice:

CONCERT ONE ORIGINS

Friday 2 October, 7.30pm

Adult $80 | Conc $75 | Under 40 $40

CONCERT TWO DEAD POETS SOCIETY

Saturday 3 October, 2.30pm

Adult $80 | Conc $75 | Under 40 $40

CONCERT THREE KURTÁG 100 – KAFKA FRAGMENTS

Saturday 3 October, 6.00pm

Adult $75 | Conc $70 | Under 40 $35

CONCERT FOUR THE MIGHTY AND MUNDANE

Sunday 4 October, 2.30pm

Adult $80 | Conc $75 | Under 40 $40

CONCERT FIVE FULL FLIGHT – ONE DESTINATION

Sunday 4 October, 6.00pm

Adult $80 | Conc $75 | Under 40 $40

*Please note the conditions of sale on page 28

Book online at ukaria.com/chamberfest-2026 or by phone on (08) 8227 1277

BUS SERVICE

UKARIA will offer a bus service all weekend.

The bus will collect patrons from the corner of Pulteney St and Flinders St, Adelaide, and will return to this location afterwards.

Please take note of the specific pick up location when booking your bus ticket for each day.

On days with two concerts, the bus service is only offered at the start and end of the day; if you are coming for only one concert, there will not be a bus service to suit.

BUS SERVICE | FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER

Bus arrives at pick-up point at 5.45pm

Bus departs pick-up point at 6.00pm

Bus departs UKARIA after Concert One at approximately 9.30pm

BUS SERVICE | SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER

Bus arrives at pick-up point at 12.45pm

Bus departs pick-up point at 1.00pm

Bus departs UKARIA after Concert Three at approximately 7.15pm

Bus departs UKARIA (for Weekend Package holders) after dinner at approximately 9.15pm

BUS SERVICE | SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER

Bus arrives at pick-up point at 12.45pm

Bus departs pick-up point at 1.00pm

Bus departs UKARIA after Concert Five at approximately 8.15pm

BUS SERVICE TERMS & CONDITIONS

The cost of a bus ticket is $22 return per day, and we do not offer a reduced price for oneway travel. If you arrive after the departure time and miss the bus, your concert and bus ticket are non-refundable. Tickets for the bus service will be taken off sale at 5.00pm on Wednesday 30 September.

Please contact us on (08) 8227 1277 or at info@ukaria.com if you have any further queries.

HOSPITALITY

BAR PLATTER

FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER 6.00PM

Start the weekend with a bar platter and enjoy the sunset ambience with a glass of wine. Platters are designed to be shared between two people.

In order to finalise numbers with our catering team, bookings will close at 5.00pm on Wednesday 30 September, unless sold out prior.

Tickets | $45 (serves two)

Note | The Bar Platter is not included in the Weekend Package – a separate booking is required.

LIGHT LUNCH

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 1.00PM

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 1.00PM

A light lunch is available prior to Concert Two and Concert Four.

In order to finalise numbers with our catering team, bookings will close at 5.00pm on Friday 25 September, unless sold out prior.

Tickets | $17 (per person)

Note | Light lunches are not included in the Weekend Package – a separate booking is required.

SNACK AND SPARKLING

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 4.15PM

This offering is only available to Weekend Package holders.

TWO COURSE DINNER

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 7.15PM

Due to limited capacity in the Garden Terrace, the Two Course Dinner is only available to Weekend Package holders. If you have booked single tickets and wish to register your interest for this meal, please sign up to the waitlist on the Chamberfest webpage. We will contact you if a place becomes available closer to the date.

PICNIC BOX

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 4.00PM

The Picnic Box is included in the Weekend Package. We also have a limited allocation available for single ticket or Flexi Package holders – a separate booking is required.

Tickets | $25 (per person)

SEATING

BAR SERVICE

The bar will be serving savoury and sweet treats across the weekend. Please note the opening times:

FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER: 6.00pm – end of interval, Concert One

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER: 1.00pm – start of Concert Three

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER: 1.00pm – end of interval, Concert Five

Seating in the auditorium is intimate, which means there is not a bad seat in the hall.

Nevertheless, we recognise that those who have booked for all of the concerts over the weekend like to return to their same seat.

Similarly to last year’s Chamberfest, a zoned area will be reserved for weekend package holders. This means that weekend package holders can relax in the Garden Terrace between concerts, knowing that their seat is reserved for the following performance.

On Friday evening, all weekend package holders can collect their lanyard in the foyer and will be given further instruction on the zoned area and how to reserve their seat. For subsequent performances across the weekend, weekend package holders can show the Frontof-House team their lanyard to gain entry to their reserved seat in the zoned area.

Patrons who book a flexi package will be seated in the single ticket area, and won’t be able to save their seats across the weekend.

We ask that all patrons respect this approach and be courteous to our Front of House team.

EASY-ACCESS SEATING

As always, we will be facilitating access requests across the weekend. Accessible seats are located on the ground floor of the auditorium. If you require easy-access seating, please let our team know at least one week prior by phoning the office on (08) 8227 1277.

Please note that due to the small size of UKARIA’s auditorium, we can only offer limited accessibility seating. If you book with a group, we would be grateful if able-bodied members of your group would consider sitting in the row behind, so that our team can accommodate as many patrons with a mobility impairment as possible.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

CONDITIONS OF SALE – TICKETS

All ticket sales are non-refundable once the order has been finalised, except as required by law, or as outlined in the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (if an event is cancelled, rescheduled or significantly re-located).

TRANSFERS AND CREDITS

Tickets are transferable to family or friends if you’re unable to attend – we do not require a name change, so they can just quote your booking name at the door.

Requests for credit must be made by email or phone at least 14 days prior to the event – this includes concert tickets, bus service bookings, meals and light meals.

REFUNDS

We do not offer refunds except as required by law, or as outlined in the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (if an event is cancelled, rescheduled, or significantly re-located).

CONDITIONS OF SALE – WEEKEND PACKAGES

Please note that when tickets are purchased as a package, the package cannot be split into its various concert/meal components if a ticket transfer is requested. A credit can only be issued for the entire package, and the cancellation request must be made by email or phone at least 14 days prior to the event. It is not possible to receive a credit for individual concerts/meals within the package.

If you find that you cannot attend a specific concert within your package, you are welcome to organise a friend or family member to attend that concert in your place.

CONDITIONS OF SALE – FLEXI PACKAGES

The reduced ticket price only applies when three or more concerts are booked as a Flexi Package – it does not apply on single ticket bookings. The Flexi Package is only available for adult and concession tickets.

Please note that when tickets are purchased as a package, a credit can only be issued for the

entire package, and the cancellation request must be made by email or phone at least 14 days prior to the event. It is not possible to receive a credit for individual concerts within the package. If you find that you cannot attend a specific concert within your package, you are welcome to organise a friend or family member to attend that concert in your place.

TICKET DELIVERY

We do not issue printed tickets – instead, please simply quote your booking name to our front-of-house team upon entering the auditorium.

At the time of purchase, you will receive a digital copy of your booking confirmation to your nominated email address (please check your spam folder if needed).

VARIATIONS TO PERFORMANCES OR EVENTS

UKARIA reserves the right to change artists, programs, venue opening and/or performance times should this become necessary.

FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

We welcome photography inside the main hall before or after the concert, or at interval if applicable. During performances, all unauthorised photography and recording of the artists is strictly prohibited.

EXTERNAL FOOD AND DRINK

To abide by SA Health regulations, consumption of food and drink that has not been purchased on our premises is not permissible.

To view UKARIA’s full Terms & Conditions, please visit www.ukaria.com/tcs