Coriole Music Festival Reveals 2027 Program

The 2027 Coriole Music Festival invites audiences to celebrate the chaos, embrace the unknown and explore exceptional chamber music across a weekend of world-class performances paired with South Australia's finest food and wine in the spectacular setting of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Taking place amongst the vines at Coriole Vineyards, McLaren Vale on Saturday 15 May and Sunday 16 May 2027, the festival is presented by the McLaren Vale Festival Association (MVMFA) and curated by acclaimed violinist and Artistic Director Kate Suthers.

The 2027 program is built around the theme of chaos and exploration bringing together repertoire that recognises the complexity of the human experience.

'The 2027 Coriole Music Festival will be a celebration of many human themes, musically organised around ideas of chaos and exploration - the search for identity and belonging, the struggle between dissonance and harmony' Kate Suthers said.

The 2027 festival will feature two world premiere commissions by Australian composers Alice Chance and Luke Altmann. Chance explores the relationship between chaos and order while Altmann's new work offers a musical expression of place, inspired by Coriole as an iconic South Australian setting.

A major artistic highlight will be the festival finale, Beethoven's Septet, marking 200 years since the composer's death. Written around the time of Beethoven's First Symphony, the Septet's unusual use of instrumentation provides the perfect culmination for the 2027 program.

International Artists making their festival debuts are London based cellist Rebecca Herman and Birmingham based clarinettist Oliver Jones.

Australian artists include soprano Sara Macliver, violinists Kate Suthers and Holly Piccoli, double bassist Damien Eckersley and pianist Laurence Matheson.

South Australian favourites include Adrian Uren (horn), Mark Gaydon (bassoon) and Gemma Phillips (cello), with two viola players to be announced in the coming weeks.

Audiences will experience three concerts, two on the Saturday and one on the Sunday - with each performance followed by a shared meal in the Coriole courtyard. Food prepared by chef Patty Streckfuss will be paired with Coriole wines, while audiences mingle with festival artists.

Festivities will open daily with a pre-concert talk from Artistic Director Kate Suthers, providing insights into her vision behind each program.

2027 also introduces the option of bus transfers to and from Adelaide, making the event more accessible for audiences.