CHAMBERFEST
CURATED BY SIOBHAN STAGG

FRIDAY 2–SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026

Tickets, artist line up and full program available in Autumn 2026. Join our mailing list to receive the announcement.

Being the first vocal curator of Chamberfest is an honour which resonates deeply with me.

When I was invited, I found myself asking: what makes a singer — whose instrument is born in their throat — distinct from previous instrumental curators? The most obvious answer is of course: our relationship to language and text, lyrics and poetry. And the diversity of human vocal timbre. We all have a larynx, and yet some voices develop the power to raise goosebumps, or make your heart space feel like it might burst.

While shaping my plans for Chamberfest 2026, I’ve been reflecting on the many roles music plays in society:

Music as a measurer of time and marker of history; as teacher of origins and alternate perspectives.

Music as storyteller, transporting us from moments of mundanity to starlit magic.

Music as philosopher and gentle provocateur: comforting and challenging us, all at once.

Music which elevates and expands our intelligence, developing our CQ (Curiosity Quotient) and MQ (Metaphor Quotient).

Music as bias-breaker and community builder; grower of empathy and spark of resplendence.

It is a joy to be sculpting a weekend of music for you, which shines light on both human and instrumental voices: examining the textural beauty of language, its rhythm and flair. I’ll be bringing some of my closest collaborators out from Europe and can’t wait to introduce them to the wonders of UKARIA and Australia, and to you!

Best wishes from Berlin. I hope to see you in October 2026...

Siobhan