The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) has been awarded two significant funding grants. Ahead of its first festival presented in Cairns-Gimuy, AFCM has received $180,000 over two years through the Queensland Government’s Cultural Tourism Fund.

Additionally, it has received $45,000 from the Donald and Joan Wilson Foundation, which will support this year’s AFCM Fellowship Ensemble, the Orpheus Quintet, as it embarks on a tour of regional northern Queensland.

The Orpheus Quintet. Photo © Adam Taylor

The support from the Queensland Government will be put towards launching Global Chamber Voices, a two-year cultural tourism initiative that will aim to bring international chamber ensembles to Cairns for exclusive performances to “[strengthen] the city’s growing reputation as a world-class cultural destination”.

“AFCM is in a moment of tremendous change,” said Executive Director Ricardo Peach. “Global Chamber Voices will create distinctive, high-quality and accessible cultural experiences designed to cement AFCM’s position as a premier event for international and interstate visitors in its new home of Cairns, with particular emphasis on strategic markets throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”

With funding from the Donald and Joan Wilson Foundation, the Sydney-based Orpheus Quintet will return to AFCM as its 2026 Fellowship Ensemble, selected after participating in the 2025 Pathways Program.

The ensemble’s regional tour will include performances and workshops, from Port Douglas to Proserpine, and feature the premiere of Along the Pacific Flyway, a brand new work by AFCM Emerging Composer-in-Residence Sam Wu.

These two new grants join a recently announced Creative Australia grant for AFCM, which sees its earn $96,000 in support over two years.

From 24–30 July, Limelight presents its first tour to the 2026 Australian Festival of Chamber Music. Learn more here.