Music by the Lakes
Saturday transforms the Lakeside Amphitheatre into a festival village of sound. Audiences are invited to relax on mats and beanbags, enjoy food trucks and coffee vans, and move freely between performances as UQ’s wind, brass and percussion ensembles take centre stage in a rolling program of colour and rhythm.
Energetic, accessible and family-friendly, Music at the Lakes celebrates community, sunshine and the electrifying sound of live unamplified performance in the open air. 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. Re-established in 2024, the UQ Wind Symphony has swiftly cultivated a vibrant culture of inclusion, connection, and artistic excellence. This auditioned ensemble is made up of approximately 60 talented musicians from the University of Queensland student community. Committed to genuine collaboration and expressive performance, the UQ Wind Symphony is fast becoming a leading youth wind ensemble in Queensland. Repertoire will be wind band classics by composers such as Holst and Grainger alongside film music (How to Train Your Dragon, Encanto) & gaming music (Assassin’s Creed, Baba Yetu, Skyrim).
About Music by the Lakes festival
7–10 May 2026
The University of Queensland (UQ) School of Music proudly presents Music by the Lakes festival – a vibrant, multi-day celebration of large-scale symphonic works, outdoor performance, chamber music, and bold new creativity. Set against some of the most striking architectural and natural spaces, from the grandeur of St John's Cathedral to the UQ lakeside amphitheatre and the award-winning Global Change Institute Atrium. The festival invites audiences to experience music in spaces that shape sound, atmosphere and meaning.
Across three days, audiences will encounter symphony orchestra and massed choirs, rolling outdoor concerts by wind, brass and percussion ensembles, world premieres by UQ composers, and intimate chamber conversations. This is music of all scales, music in landscape and music in architecture. Music by the Lakes.
Registration
To register for any of the Music by the Lakes festival events, please click on the button below. Please note there is only one registration form, when prompted please select the amount of tickets you would like for each concert.
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