Kate Suthers Announces Debut Program As Artistic Director Of Coriole Music Festival

One of Australia’s most in-demand orchestral leaders and chamber musicians, Kate Suthers has announced her debut program as Artistic Director of the Coriole Music Festival, marking a bold new chapter for the beloved South Australian event.

Presented by the McLaren Vale Music Festival Association (MVMFA), the 2026 festival will take place Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May among the vines at Coriole Vineyards, McLaren Vale, pairing world-class chamber music with the region’s celebrated food and wine.

In her first year at the helm, Suthers has curated a festival themed around “beginnings,” exploring musical and human moments of youth, curiosity, and renewal. “In a chamber music sense, beginnings provide a clear focus to strings,” said Suthers. “In a broader sense, I believe this can relate to works full of youth, naivety, curiosity, and simplicity.”

The opening day features the festival debuts of Berlin cellist Martin Smith and London violist Richard Waters, performing alongside Suthers and Australian soprano Desirée Frahn. They’ll be joined by returning festival favourites Elizabeth Layton (violin), Gemma Phillips (cello), Damien Eckersly (double bass), and Michael Ierace (piano).

Saturday evening concludes with a genre-blending concert celebrating the influence of folk music on the classical repertoire, featuring arrangements by the Danish String Quartet and compositions by Dobrinka Tabakova, Alice Chance, and Jessie Montgomery, interwoven with traditional works from Iceland and beyond.

The second day shines a spotlight on Australian female composers, with the world premiere of Belinda Gehlert’s Stellar and a special adaptation of Anne Cawrse’s This Too Shall Pass, created exclusively for the festival.

The weekend culminates with John Adams’ Shaker Loops — one of the American composer’s earliest and most iconic works — performed by Kate Suthers (violin), Alison Heike (violin), Richard Waters (viola), Gemma Phillips (cello), and Damien Eckersly (double bass).