A one-off concert for the Brisbane Festival, Camerata’s Your Eternal Memories was a delicious chocolate-box assortment of reminiscent delights, topped with the gold-leaf adornment of songs by Kate Miller-Heidke.

Queensland’s esteemed chamber orchestra imprinted an unforgettable night on the packed QPAC audience, joined by ARIA-nominated Miller-Heidke and beloved Queensland actress Barbara Lowing.

The program took inspiration from John Tavener’s evocative Eternal Memory for Cello and Strings, weaving together music with curated recollections from both Camerata and the audience.

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra: Your Eternal Memories. Photo © Alex Jamieson

Research by Dr Kelly Jakubowski of the University of Durham describes how music involuntarily evokes autobiographical memories, often tied to distinctive life events or self-defining moments. Music also imprints physical responses on our minds, bodies and emotions, triggered anew each time we hear the same song. Camerata implanted many such moments during this memorable evening.

Camerata Executive Director Dr Jay Byrnes described the concert as a celebration of the tapestry of our lives, memories and stories. Hilarious excerpts from Clive James’ Unreliable Memoirs added comic relief. His vivid tale of the Dunny Cart Man – who dutifully hauled away the weekly pan until...