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Greeting from Governor-General of Australia
Music has been a most important part of my life, and I see it as one of the universal human endeavours that bind us together as a society. It is my pleasure to join esteemed Australian conductor Sir Charles Mackerras and poet and philanthropist Barbara Blackman as a patron of Pro Musica, and thus of the 15th Canberra International Music Festival. I welcome festival-goers all, from every part of our country and from overseas, to the rich mixture of musical genres and experiences that we will enjoy during the Festival's ten days.
Quentin Bryce
Governor-General of Australia
From the Artistic Director
From the Artistic Director 2009 sees a convergence of momentous anniversaries. The 400th anniversary of the telescope, the International Year of Astronomy, the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing, Darwin's 200th, Purcell's 300th, Mendelssohn's 200th, Sculthorpe's 80th, Louis Andriessen's 70th, Handel's 250th and Haydn's 200th of death. The festival will celebrate these milestones and the forgotten genius of Fanny Mendelssohn. We have also dropped our ticket prices to create even greater value.
The festival will bring music to Canberra's unique architectural spaces: the National Portrait Gallery, Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, the High Court, Embassies, Playhouse, Albert Hall, and the astonishing Kingston Foreshore's Fitter's Workshop. The Australian Institute of Architects will host the Amazing Space series.
Musical highlights include the Dawn Balloon Concerts, The History of Sound for schoolchildren, Peter Sculthorpe's Rites of Passage, Finland's legendary vocal group Rajaton, Holland's PianoDuo, Australia's golden violinist John Harding and Canberra's own Howard Penny and Kristian Winther. The 7 hour New Music Marathon continues, and we'll present over 40 premieres or Australian premieres, including the National Museum's Elena Kats-Chernin commission and Arvo Part's celestial late masterpiece, his 4th symphony.
For those who have a thirst for beauty, for those who are in need of reassurance or balm, please come and join us at Canberra's Autumn Music Festival.
Chris Latham, Artistic Director