Chamber music with a view | 4th & 5th April 2026
About
You are invited to the second Megalong Music Festival (MMF), nestled in the heart of Blue Mountains’ spectacular Gundungurra country. For two days over Easter 2026, escape the madding crowds to experience exceptional chamber music concerts, immersed in the panoramic views of the Megalong Escarpment. Led by Artistic Director Asmira Woodward-Page, these unique performances will feature distinguished Australian and international guest artists performing alongside emerging talent. This year we are proud to present two talented young Blue Mountains artists on our Sunday concert.
Photo by Gabriel Hutcheon
2026 MMF Fellows Program for Piano and Strings
The 2026 MMF Fellows Program nurtures the next generation of talent through collaboration. Young artists take a deep dive into chamber music’s treasured classics and exciting newer works presented in thoughtfully curated programs.
Once our fellows are placed into groups with mentors, their week of intensive work is showcased in an atmosphere of vibrant exchange at the festival concerts. These dynamic collaborations between generations of talent – emerging and established – ensure that live music will continue to thrive.
Concerts @ the Megalong Community Hall
A Moment in time
saturday, 4th April, 2026 | 5pm
Folk & Fancy
Sunday, 5th April, 2026 | 11Am
Program
A thought provoking program inspired by the idea of ‘time’…how it plays out in music and our perception of its unfolding in our lives. Featuring Olivier Messiaen’s transcendent work Quartet for the End of Time, composed and premiered in a WWII German POW camp, a side-by-side pairing of string quartets by Joseph Haydn and Caroline Shaw, that explores ideas of nostalgia and transition, plus other works by 20th and 21st century composers. Program:
- Alex Turley – Zero Sum Game, for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano
- Arvo Pärt – Fratres, for violin, piano
- Jessica Meyer – I Only Speak of the Sun, for violin, viola, cello, based on a poem by Rumi
- Miriam Hyde – Toccata for Two, for piano four hands
- Joseph Haydn – Op. 77, No. 2, for string quartet (excerpt)
- Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte, for string quartet
- Olivier Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time, for clarinet, violin, cello, piano
Don’t miss our show preview at the Megalong Makers Market at 11am!
Program
Join us to explore an eclectic array of chamber music inspired by global folk music and folk tale traditions. This program centers around Stravinsky’s landmark work – The Soldier’s Tale, performed at MMF in its trio version with Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Clarinettist, Frank Celata. Created during WWI, this dark Faustian Russian folk tale follows the adventures of a soldier who wants it all. From an Andean walkabout, to an American Haiku, to a composer’s exploration of her Korean grandmother’s musical heritage.
- Aram Khatchaturian – Trio, for violin, clarinet and piano
- Gioachino Rossini – Duet, for cello and double bass (excerpt), featuring two talented young local artists
- Paul Wiancko – American Haiku, for viola & cello
- Gabriela Lena Frank – Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for string quartet (excerpt)
- Igor Stravinsky – L’Histoire du Soldat (“The Soldier’s Tale”), for violin, clarinet and piano
- Ljova – Budget Bulgar for string quartet
- Jungyoon Wie – Songs of My Grandmother for clarinet, violin, cello, piano (excerpt)
- Joaquin Turina – Escena Andaluza sextet Op. 7, for viola, string quartet and piano
- Dohananyi – Piano Quintet No. 1, for piano, 2 violins, viola, cello
News
2026 FELLOWS PROGRAM
Applications are now OPEN. The Megalong Music Festival’s (MMF) 2026 Fellows Program for Piano and Strings offers Australia and NZ’s [...]
Ieva Jokubaviciute
Ieva Jokubavičiute prepares for the Megalong Music Festival 2025.
SUPPORT US
Our Festival’s Fellowship Program for talented emerging artists depends on the generous support of people like you. Make your [...]
Support Us
Megalong Music Festival and its chamber music mentoring program is back by popular demand in 2026!
Support emerging talent who will perform alongside distinguished guest artists at our regional festival concerts.
Set in the Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains 29th March-5th April 2026, the second Megalong Music Festival (MMF) Fellows Program for Piano and Strings offers a fully-sponsored chamber music intensive for exceptional emerging Australian and New Zealand artists in the early stages of their career. Guided by distinguished Australian and international guest artists, the next generation is nurtured through mentoring, performance opportunities, and high quality professional development. Highlights of the program include fellows performing alongside their mentors at the MMF concerts, performing prominent and contemporary chamber works, performing for regional audiences, and networking with renowned artists usually only accessed at international festivals. Our fundraising initiative is to ensure this unique program is accessible to all our talented applicants.
Young artists often leave Australia because they lack: the critical support needed to advance their careers here, access to the wider range of internationally renowned artists available to other young artists abroad, opportunities to work on collaborative repertoire with other high level artists, or perform for regional Australian audiences. Founded by violinist and Artistic Director, Asmira Woodward-Page, and fellow arts programming innovator, Matthew Hoy, the 2026 MMF Fellows Program closes that gap by providing opportunities to participate in a world class festival here in Australia, engaging high level guest artists who will share their decades of expertise with fellows and audiences, and providing full scholarships to every fellow. Since these workshops are not offered anywhere else, your valuable support is crucial to make this program a reality, keep it accessible to all applicants, engage high quality guest artists and help nurture the careers of deserving young artists.
Your donations will be used to provide transport, accommodation, meals, hall rental and vital equipment needed for our program, and most importantly pay guest artists to mentor our fellows. Young artists who go through the program will make connections with other talented peers and guest artists, who can provide professional opportunities for them in Australia and abroad. Through these connections and mentoring at our festival, as well as alum tours in future, our Fellows Program will nurture the careers of young artists and contribute to the well being of live music in regional Australia. We really appreciate your generous donations and look forward to meeting you at our concerts!
Visit
Come stay a while. Reserve your festival tickets and enjoy soul-soothing music surrounded by the exceptional beauty of the Megalong Valley. Relax with friends and family for the holidays while you delight in delicious local produce at the Tearooms or Megalong Restaurant. The Megalong Music Festival offers audiences post-concert picnic boxes (ploughman’s platter-style), available for purchase with your tickets, catered by Lot 101’s Megalong Restaurant. Discover local bush walks, and visit the Megalong Makers Market on Saturday to enjoy local art, crafts and produce, while meeting some of our festival musicians for a free community performance. Parking is available at Werriberri, adjacent to the concert venue, as well as at the Megalong Community Hall and Showground for those with less mobility. If you can’t make our Festival, please consider visiting the following weekend to the Blackheath Chamber Music Festival