Every January for the past couple of decades, the Peninsula Summer Music Festival has transformed Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula into a sun-drenched stage for first-order classical music, adventurous new works and cross-genre collaborations. 

In 2026, that spirit deepens. Across 18 events in nine days, from 3 to 11 January, co-Artistic Directors Melissa Doecke and Ben Opie have cultivated a festival that has deep roots into the Country it stands on.

Ben Opie and Melissa Doecke. Photo © Agatha Yim

At the heart of the program is a significant world premiere: Noongar composer Aaron Wyatt’s Every Plant Has Its Own Dreaming, a new commission inspired by five plant species native to the Peninsula: murnong, lomandra, chocolate lily, garawang and karkalla. Developed in partnership with the Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association, it will be premiered by Ensemble Offspring in an evening performance at the Peninsula Hot Springs Amphitheatre on 9 January. 

For Opie, this commissioning project encapsulates the festival’s purpose.

“It’s a project that we’ve been working on for quite a few years, developing our relationship with the...