Running from 3–7 February, Bendigo Chamber Music Festival announces its 2027 program following record attendance in 2026. Now in its eighth year, BCMF brings celebrated local and acclaimed international artists to its stage in a series of rich and much-loved works.

“The program ranges from Beethoven to Bernstein, Debussy to Dvořák and Schumann to Strauss, alongside the epic Schubert Octet and rarities by Florence Price, Rebecca Clarke and Ignaz Moscheles. We couldn’t resist indulging in famous soprano arias by Bellini and Verdi, before closing with Mozart’s joyous Exsultate, Jubilate,” say BCMF Co-Directors Chris Howlett and Howard Penny, who are bringing Australia’s most highly awarded soprano, Emma Matthews, to the region’s stage.

A recital at Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo, during the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. Photo © Brendan McCarthy

The festival will also maintain its partnership with London’s Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), featuring award-winning Dutch violinist Charlotte Spruit, with highlights including Biber’s Passacaglia in G minor, Debussy’s Violin Sonata in G minor, L. 140 and Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121.

British pianist Callum McLachlan plays Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, Ravel’s Miroirs and Rachmaninov’s Études-tableaux, Op. 33 in recital. The festival welcomes back Sophie Rowell, Natsuko Yoshimoto, Tobias Breider and Daniel de Borah.

In the second year of its Summer Nights Series, the Gala kicks off with Biber’s Passacaglia in G minor, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 and Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, along with selections from Fauré and Duparc.

The following evening, former QSO concertmaster and renowned violinist Natsuko Yoshimoto stars in Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23.

Natsuko Yoshimoto. Photo © Claudio Raschella.

The third evening stages the much-awaited and director-favourite Octet in F major, D. 803 by Schubert, welcoming ASO Principal Bassoonist Jackie Newcomb and ASO Principal Clarinettist Dean Newcomb alongside violist Justin Julian.

Wrapping up the series is an evening of opera and Romantics, with Emma Matthews performing the Casta Diva aria from Bellini’s Norma and Verdi’s Ave Maria from Otello.

Melbourne-based ANAM ensemble Fiasco Quartet takes the stage after winning Melbourne Recital Hall’s Great Romantics Competition this year. They begin the Morning Recital Series with Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 20, No. 5 in F minor and Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D major.

Also in this series is a recital featuring YCAT artist Charlotte Spruit, who joins forces with Daniel de Borah to play Debussy, Dupont and Schumann, followed by Callum McLachlan’s piano recital.

Emma Matthews. Photograph © Rebecca Mansell

The festival-pass-exclusive Dusk Series is only on offer to Platinum and Gold pass holders, with the third concert available for individual ticket purchase. The exclusive concerts infuse dance and operetta into the program, with Strauss’s Wiener Blut, Kreisler’s Schön Rosmarin and Rebecca Clarke’s Three Irish Country Songs, starring Matthews and Yoshimoto at the Beehive Building.

The following night welcomes Australian pianist and Dean of the Elder Conservatorium Anna Goldsworthy, who performs works by Sitt with Sydney Symphony Principal Violist Tobias Breider, and Brahms’s Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1 with Dean Newcomb.

On sale to single-ticket holders is the vibrant third concert, programming selections from Stravinsky’s Suite from The Soldier’s Tale, Beethoven’s Scottish Folk Songs and Ignaz Moscheles’s Grand Septet in E-flat major, Op. 88.

The Farewell Concert wraps up the festival with a collection of pieces by Mozart, Elgar and Crusell, selecting Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate, K. 165 as the final work of the five-day run, with Emma Matthews and all BCMF musicians on stage together.

The festival also continues its Inside and Out Conversations, offering audiences the chance to meet the artists and dive deep into Dvořák’s String Sextet, guided by Howard Penny. Its engagement with local musicians continues through its Masterclass series, which invites emerging Bendigo artists. The Community Concert will return with Resonance String Orchestra performing Grieg’s Suite “From Holberg’s Time” on 6 February.

See the full Bendigo Chamber Music Festival program here.