SOM Festival Registration Form

Symphony for the History of Time

Date: Thursday 7 May 2026
Time: 7–8pm
Venue: St John's Cathedral, 373 Ann St, Brisbane City QLD 4000

What if the story of the universe could be heard as well as understood? 

If you have accessibility requirements, please ensure you have added them on the first page. 

Music by the Lakes

Date: Saturday 9 May 2026
Time: 10am–4pm
Venue: Dr Mary Mahoney AO Amphitheatre (Amphitheatre), UQ Lakes, University Dr, St Lucia QLD 4067 

Saturday transforms the lakeside Amphitheatre into a festival village of sound. Audiences are invited to relax on mats and beanbags, enjoy food trucks and fresh coffee, and move freely between performances as UQ’s wind, brass and percussion ensembles take centre stage in a rolling program of colour and rhythm.

We are delighted to welcome our ensembles for Saxophone, Signwaves (Flute Ensemble), Patterns in Blue (Reed Ensemble), Brass and Percussion. The day culminates in a thrilling finale performance by the UQ Wind Symphony, bringing the combined power of winds, brass and percussion to a spectacular close. Energetic, accessible and family-friendly, Music by the Lakes celebrates community, sunshine and the electrifying sound of live performance in the open air. 

We are thrilled to have students from Indooroopilly State High School joining us. 

FULL - New Music in the Atrium

Date: Saturday 9 May 2026
Time: 6–7:30pm
Venue: Global Change Institute (GCI) Atrium, Building (20), St Lucia QLD 4067

As night falls, the festival shifts indoors to the stunning Atrium of the Global Change Institute. This intimate and immersive concert presents world premieres by UQ composers working in close collaboration with their performing colleagues. Inspired by the hanging gardens, reflective pond and architectural lines of the Atrium, these new works respond directly to space, light and environment. Flexible staging and site-specific design will blur the line between performer and audience, creating a living installation of sound. Bold, contemporary and uniquely UQ, this concert showcases the creative future of Australian music.

This event has sold out, if you would like to attend, please join the waiting list. Please note that by selecting this option, it does not mean you have a ticket. If tickets become available, you will be contacted. 

Sketch Ensemble

Date: Sunday 10 May 2026
Time: 11am–12pm
Venue: Nickson Room (Room 434), UQ School of Music, Zelman Cowen Building, UQ St Lucia QLD 4067 

Directed by composer and bassist Dr. Robert Davidson, Sketch draws on a rich lineage of contemporary practice. Davidson’s work as founder and artistic director of the internationally recognised ensemble Topology informs the group’s ethos—championing new music, cross-genre collaboration, and a spirit of fearless creativity. For Music by the Lakes, Sketch presents a program of entirely new works in a special Sunday morning concert set within the beautiful surrounds of the UQ Lakes. In this relaxed setting, audiences will be presented a compelling snapshot of the next generation of composers and performers. Inventive, exploratory, and deeply collaborative, Sketch invites listeners into a world where music is being created in real time; fresh, immediate, and unmistakably of today. 

FULL - Pulse Chamber Ensemble: Seasons

Date: Sunday 10 May 2026
Time: 1–2pm
Venue: Global Change Institute (GCI) Atrium, Building (20), St Lucia QLD 4067 

Seasons will be presented by Pulse Chamber Ensemble in the luminous setting of the Global Change Institute Atrium. Exploring cycles of change, renewal and transformation, this program reflects the natural world mirrored in the Atrium’s gardens and water features. The chamber format allows clarity, nuance and expressive depth, a contemplative conclusion to a weekend of large-scale and immersive sound. 

This event has sold out, if you would like to attend, please join the waiting list. Please note that by selecting this option, it does not mean you have a ticket. If tickets become available, you will be contacted. 

FULL - UQ Pianists and UQ Singers: Too Many Pianists, Just Enough Singers and a Few Strings

Date: Sunday 10 May 2026
Time: 4–5pm
Venue: Nickson Room (Room 434), UQ School of Music, Zelman Cowen Building, UQ St Lucia QLD 4067

An exuberant celebration of the piano-vocal partnership to reflect the final chapter of the Music by the Lakes festival. This program brings together extraordinary forces of pianists and singers in repertoire that explores love, longing and lyricism across styles and eras. Playful, virtuosic and at times deeply intimate, this concert places collaborative music-making at centre stage.

This event has sold out, if you would like to attend, please join the waiting list. Please note that by selecting this option, it does not mean you have a ticket. If tickets become available, you will be contacted.