Music by the Lakes festival

 710 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. 

Register

Contact

engagement@hass.uq.edu.au

 

Contacts

School of Music

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

10 May 2026 4:00pm5:00pm
The festival closes with Too Many Pianists, Just Enough Singers and a Few Strings, an exuberant celebration of the piano-vocal partnership.

Pulse Chamber Ensemble: Seasons

10 May 2026 1:00pm2:00pm
Seasons will be presented by Pulse Chamber Ensemble in the luminous setting of the Global Change Institute Atrium. 

Sketch Ensemble

10 May 2026 11:00am12:00pm
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.  

New Music in the Atrium

9 May 2026 6:00pm7:30pm
As night falls, the festival shifts indoors to the stunning Atrium of the Global Change Institute.

Music by the Lakes

9 May 2026 10:00am4:00pm
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.

Symphony for the History of Time

7 May 2026 7:00pm8:00pm
Join us to open the festival with an epic world premiere inside the soaring acoustic of St John's Cathedral.