Southern Cross Soloists Announce 2017 Concert Series at QPAC

Leading Australian chamber music ensemble, Southern Cross Soloists' 2017 concert season at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is set to take audiences on a global music journey of the world's most inspired stories, featuring a selection of the finest classical musicians and vocalists.

Southern Cross Soloists' Artistic Director, TaniA Frazer said the 2017 program, comprising three Sundayafternoon concerts, in QPAC's Concert Hall promises to captivate with fascinating tales told through chamber music.

"Calling on inspiration from all corners of the globe, the 2017 QPAC Series will explore the ancient art of storytelling through music. From alluring tales of exotic journeys to the dualities of good and evil, the 2017 program unfolds musical stories of hope, dreams, fears and desires through repertoire spanning four centuries,and will also include the world premiere of three new Australian works," said Ms Frazer.

The Soloists' 2017 season begins on Sunday 5 March with an exploration into the fascination of the ethereal cosmos versus the gothic macabre. Angels & Demons is named after a new work by the Soloists' own Ashley Smith, which will be performed as a world premiere at this concert. Returning in the role as narrator after his 2016 debut with the Soloists at QPAC, Damien Beaumont will share captivating stories and witty insights as the ensemble performs beautiful works by Rachmaninov, Tavener and Mozart, and gleefully devilish music by Liszt and Marais.

In the second concert of the series, audiences will venture to the Middle East exploring the lure and mystic of the Orient on Sunday 18 June 2017. In One Thousand and One Nights, the Soloists will conjure exotic images of Persian splendour and opulence in the highlight performance, Ravel's Scheherazade.

On Sunday 26 November 2017, in The Nightingale, the Soloists will be joined by guest artist, acclaimed Australian coloratura soprano, Alexandra Flood, to provide a glimpse into the musical world of nature's night songstress, through musical visions of dusk till dawn. After taking the world by storm, Flood joins the Soloists direct from her European triumphs, in this delightful concert featuring Vivaldi's La Notte (The Night), Mozart's TheMagic Flute, Elena Kats-Chernin's 2004 Helpmann award winning Wild Swans and the premiere of a new chamber version of Australian composer Ross Edwards' bird-inspired Clarinet Concerto.

A company in residence at QPAC, Southern Cross Soloists have earned a well-deserved reputation for artistic excellence. With musicians hailing from across Australia, the Soloists are a truly national ensemble of outstanding artists who come together to create something special each time they perform. Their informal, 'up-close-and-personal' performance creates an intimate, inviting and deeply engaging experience.

A flagship small arts company, both nationally and internationally, Southern Cross Soloists have cultivated an Australian musical identity through their innovative performances and collaborations with virtuoso musicians from around the world.

Southern Cross Soloists are poised to present an imaginative program of sublime chamber music to Queensland audiences in 2017. Tickets for Southern Cross Soloists' 2017 season at QPAC are now on sale. To book go towww.qpac.com.au or phone 136 246.

Southern Cross Soloists are supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.