ACMF 2025 | White Session
Albury Chamber Music Festival ’26
“Ooh là là”
What a GALA Ball we had at last year’s festival! Secure your 2026 Festival Passes here! Select either the Black or White session – both sessions are identical in terms of programming – performance times at smaller venues vary. Check out out White format below:
Bonjour mes amis,
Welcome to France, Albury Style.
This November, the Albury Chamber Music Festival invites you to step into a world of French elegance, artistry, and enchantment — a celebration inspired by the salons of Paris, the cafés of Montmartre, and the rich artistic spirit of France.
Your all-inclusive Festival Pass grants access to eleven concerts and events across this immersive three-day celebration, set within four Paris-inspired venues and gardens: the deco, heritage-listed Regent Cinema, our own elegant jewel-box Adamshurst Ballroom, and the soaring Gothic beauty of St Matthew’s (ALMOST Notre-Dame).
The experience culminates in the sumptuous Bleu Blanc Rouge Gala Ball at the exclusive Albury Club: a magnificent three-course evening of French-inspired dining (including a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival), sparkling company, and stylish French cabaret entertainment.
All of this is included in the one pass.
Echoing the Parisian salons of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, our unique festival is designed as a meeting place for friends and for meeting new friends — where music, conversation, and artists come together.
Bienvenue à Albury
Venues:
Adamshurst, 603 David St, Albury
Regent Cinemas, 456 Dean St, Albury
St Matthew’s Church, 516 Kiewa St, Albury
The Albury Club, 519 Kiewa St, Albury
Friday 6 November - WHITE
“Madeleine” Session WHITE, Performance 1, Fauré’s Requiem Opus 48
St Matthew’s Church
Friday, 6 November, 2:00pm–3:00pm
Greta Claringbould, soprano
Andrew Fysh, baritone
Lux Alba and guests
Festival Orchestra
Mario Dobernig, conductor
Gabriel Fauré was known as “the quiet architect of French music”, and his Requiem is one of the most beloved works in the choral repertoire. It is unusually gentle for a Requiem Mass, and he described it as a “lullaby of death” — an aspiration towards heavenly happiness.
In our chamber version, the delicacy of his writing is revealed, from the serenity of the “Pie Jesu” to the quiet transcendence of “In Paradisum”. Its first performance took place in 1888 at the Église de la Madeleine in Paris.
As the opening work of the 2026 festival, it combines orchestra, choir and soloists, inviting you into a world of French colour and refinement.
FUN FACT — Le Chat (“the cat”) was Fauré’s nickname among his contemporaries, used to describe his sleek, graceful manner and subtle sensuality — essentially, his elegant cat-like poise.
Sponsored by Scotchmans Hill Winery and The Cope Williams Foundation
“PONT NEUF” Session WHITE, Performance 2, G and S
Adamshurst Ballroom
Friday, 6 November, 4:00pm–5:00pm
Ok and now for a short detour, let’s jump on the Eurostar, “take the Chunnel” across to the land of Gilbert and Sullivan. Arrive at St Pancras Station, or arrive by ferry from Calais to Dover if you prefer, but we’ll convene at the Savoy Theatre on the Strand — a short walk from Covent Garden — for a delightful hour with Stuart Maunder, accompanied by the illustrious Anne-Maree McDonald: a cabaret extravaganza indulging in the songs and times of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Stuart Maunder, storyteller and singer
Anne-Maree McDonald, piano
Sponsored by Garry Kennedy and Yoshi Omata
“PALAIS ROYAL” Session WHITE, Performance 3, Friday Late-Night Soirée,
Cellist Molly Kadarauch
St Matthew’s Church
Friday, 6 November, 9:30pm
Stunning cellist Molly Kadarauch will perform solo cello works by candlelight, serenading you into the night as the closing event of Day One of the festival.
Auguste Franchomme Caprices 1 and 9
György Kurtág Signs, games and messages
Johann Sebastian Bach Suite in C minor: prelude and fugue
Ernest Bloch Suite no. 2 for Cello, movements 3 and 4
Svante Henryson Green Song
Peter Sculthorpe Threnody
Saturday 7 November - WHITE
“SAINT-SUPLICE” Session WHITE, Performance 4, Peter Guy, organ
St Matthew’s Church
Saturday, 7 November, 9:00am–10:00am
A celebration of the French Romantic organ tradition, featuring music by Saint-Saëns, Batiste, Franck and Vierne. Experience the majestic French-Canadian Orgue Létourneau at St Matthew’s, a refined, warm and atmospheric instrument ideally suited to this repertoire.
Johann Sebastian Bach Wir danken dir (arr. Alexandre Guilmant)
Camille Saint-Saëns Le Cygne(arr. Alexandre Guilmant)
Camille Saint-Saëns Improvisation No. 7
Édouard Batiste Andante in G (Pilgrim’s Song of Hope)
César Franck Choral No. 2 in B minor
Louis Vierne Adagio and Allegro from Symphony No. 3 for Organ, Op. 28
Peter Guy, organ
“RIVIERA OF THE CÔTE D’AZUR” Session WHITE, Performance 5,
Living Legend – Director Stuart Maunder
Regent Cinemas Albury
Saturday, 7 November, 10:45am–11:45am
Time for a boat ride down the Riviera of the Côte d’Azur to take in the splendour of the Théâtre Lumière in Cannes. Living legend Stuart Maunder will regale us with tales of the operatic stage, its performers, and the role of the director within it!
Stuart Maunder, living legend
Sally-Anne Russell and Mario Dobernig, interviewers
Sponsored by Prue and Tony Smith Regent Cinemas Albury
“NEARLY FRENCH” Session WHITE, Performance 6, Daniel de Borah, piano
St Matthew’s Church
Saturday, 7 November, 1:00pm–2:00pm
Though neither Frédéric Chopin nor César Franck was French by birth, the works were composed during their years in France. From Chopin’s late masterpieces, written between Paris and Nohant, to Franck’s Prélude, Choral et Fugue, these works reflect the rich artistic world of nineteenth-century France that both composers came to call home.
Frédéric Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61
Frédéric Chopin 3 Mazurkas:
Op. 56 No. 2 in C major,
Op. 17 No. 4 in A minor,
Op. 68 No. 4 in F minor
Frédéric Chopin Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
César Franck Prélude, Choral et Fugue
Daniel de Borah, piano
Sponsored by The Cope Williams Foundation
“AUVERGNE” Session WHITE, Performance 7, Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne
Adamshurst Ballroom
Saturday, 7 November, 3:00pm–4:00pm
Joseph Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne (Chants d’Auvergne) is a lush, vibrant collection of French folk songs arranged especially in a new edition for mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell and chamber orchestra. Written between 1923 and 1930, these evocative works combine traditional melodies in the regional Occitan dialect with rich, impressionistic orchestrations that capture the rustic beauty of rural France, bringing to life the daily routines of shepherds, farmers, cheesemakers, and rural lovers. Many of our festival musicians are featured as soloists within this edition.
Translations will be provided.
Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo-soprano
James Armstrong, violin
William Newberry, viola
Molly Kadarauch, cello
Michael Fortescue, double bass
Sally Walker, flute
Scott Marshall, oboe
Andrew Boyle, clarinet
Danie de Borah, piano
Michael Evans-Barker, percussion
Mario Dobernig, conductor
This performance is sponsored by Janet Bagnall
“MOULIN ROUGE” Session WHITE, Performance 8, BLEU BLANC ROUGE GALA BALL
The Albury Club
Saturday, 7 November, 6:00pm–9:00pm
Our legendary “Gala Dinner” where anything goes! Alpacas, perhaps a Maltesers race, or a hobby horse race? Perhaps a spot of croquet? Expect the unexpected!
Come dressed as Napoleon, Astérix, Marie Antoinette, Cyrano de Bergerac, or simply in red, white and blue.
Always a load of fun, and accompanied by a three-course French-inspired meal at the beautiful Albury Club, you will be serenaded by the fabulous French cabaret chanteuse Louise Blackwell and her French Set!
Lou Blackwell, chanteuse
Mark Ferguson, piano
Dan Witton, double bass
Michael Evans-Barker, drums
Please note: Entry to the Albury Club is via the rose garden at the back of the club (Stanley Street via Commercial Club carpark). Entry via Kiewa street (front door) is not possible.
“LE MARAIS” Session WHITE, Performance 9, Saturday Late-Night Soirée
The Psalm Project – Meditations on a Psalm
St Matthew’s Church
Saturday, 7 November, 9:30pm
Jazz pianist and composer Mark Ferguson set himself a challenge: to write a Psalm a day for an entire year. You will hear a selection of these improvised Psalms, interspersed with readings by Peter Macleod-Miller, all by candlelight.
Mark Ferguson, piano
Fr Peter Macleod-Miller, reader
Sponsored by Rae and Bill Szuch
Sunday 9 November - WHITE
“NOTRE DAME” Session WHITE, Performance 10, Festival Service
St Matthew’s Church
Sunday, 8 November, 9:00am–10:30am
Fr Peter Macleod-Miller, le recteur d’Albury
Greta Claringbould, soprano
Maartje Sevenster, alto
Tim Reynolds, tenor
Andrew Fysh, baritone
Lux Alba
World Premiere / compositions by Australian composers
Michael Lampard, Mark Ferguson, Malcolm Ross and Ross Fiddes
World Premiere by Italian composer Daniil Karim Kaddouri
“Wu là là” Session WHITE, Bonus Performance, Charlie Wu, piano
Adamshurst Ballroom
Sunday, 8 November, 1:00pm–1:30pm
Venture to the ballroom for a glimpse of Australia’s future generation of concert pianists. Already representing Australia on the international stage, pianist extraordinaire Charlie Wu — a prizewinner in Moscow and beyond — will present a captivating 20-minute recital.
“JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG” Session WHITE, Digestif in the Adamshurst Gardens
Adamshurst Gardens
Sunday, 8 November, 1:30pm–2:00pm
After “Wu là là”, enjoy the Adamshurst Gardens with a glass of wine and some Brie.
“MONTMARTRE” Session WHITE, Performance 11, Baroque Extravaganza
St Matthew’s Church
Sunday, 8 November, 3:00pm–4:00pm
Canberra Baroque specialists Limestone Consort bring us a captivating journey through secular French Baroque cantatas, combining ornate vocal storytelling with florid obbligato instrumental accompaniment.
André Campra Silène
André Campra La dispute de l’amour et de l’Hymen
Nicolas Bernier Le Café
Limestone Consort:
Greta Claringbould, soprano
Maartje Sevenster, alto
Andrew Fysh, baritone
Lauren Davis, violin
Clara Teniswood, cello
Aaron Reichelt, oboe
Ariana Odermat, harpsichord
Check out last year’s gallery of gorgeous photographs including many captured by Kosta from ‘Living Imagery’ in our 2025 photo galleries.
Can’t wait for ACMF | 26? Tickets are on sale here.