The Sydney Chamber Music Festival returns to the Manly Art Gallery and Museum on 27 and 28 June 2026 for a winter weekend of world class chamber music, live storytelling, a free instrument exhibition and a world premiere, all set against the beauty of the Manly waterfront.

The Sydney Chamber Music Festival is one of Australia’s most distinctive classical music events. It is not a large arena or a distant stage. It is an intimate gathering of exceptional musicians performing in a space where you can feel every note, every breath and every moment of connection. It is what makes this festival unlike anything else on the Sydney calendar.

This year’s season brings together nine remarkable musicians across four events. A family concert opens the weekend on Saturday morning, as composer Ian Munro narrates his original Australian work “Leonard the Lyrebird” alongside Frank Celata, Teije Hylkema and Grace Kim. Saturday afternoon brings “Saudade”, a programme of longing and Latin American colour featuring the striking combination of flute, bass trombone and piano, with Bridget Bolliger, Darrin C. Milling and Calvin Bowman, and culminating in the World Premiere of a newly commissioned Sonata for Flute and Piano.

On Sunday morning, master luthier Sam Blade of Blade Strings presents a free, open-to-all instrument exhibition and violin-making presentation, a rare and unhurried look inside the craft behind the music.

The festival closes on Sunday afternoon with “The Art of Tenderness”, as Bridget Bolliger, Julian Smiles and Jean-Bernard Marie perform works by Gaubert, Brahms, Shostakovich, Poulenc and Martinu in a programme of quiet power and lasting beauty.

Whether you are a lifelong classical music lover, a curious first-timer or a family looking for something genuinely special these school holidays, The Sydney Chamber Music Festival offers something that is hard to find anywhere else. Music that moves you. Performances you will not forget. A weekend worth making plans for.

Tickets and full programme details are available at sydneychambermusicfestival.org.au
The Instrument Exhibition on Sunday 28 June is free and open to all, however booking is required.

TICKETS