Entertainment
27 September, 2026
Vocal ensemble to make only Aussie visit to FNQ
THE world’s most-streamed classical vocal group, VOCES8, will make its only Australian appearance in Cairns in 2027, performing at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM).
The British eight-person a cappella ensemble, formed in 2005, has performed more than 2000 times in over 40 countries and has reached millions of listeners and followers on Spotify and YouTube.
The group won the 2026 OPUS Klassik Award and was Grammy-nominated in 2023.
AFCM artistic director Jack Liebeck said that securing the group exclusively for the festival was an important moment.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with VOCES8 in concert, on tour and in recording projects, a few years ago performing together here in Australia at the famed Opera House and in Singapore,” she said.
“There is something incredibly special about the combination of the human voice and the violin, it’s a shared musical language, and with VOCES8 it creates something truly unique.
VOCES8 artistic director and countertenor Barnaby Smith said the group was looking forward to returning to Australia.
“Australia has always held a special place in our hearts, so to make our Australian return exclusively at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Cairns-Gimuy is a tremendous honour,” he said.
“The festival has an extraordinary international reputation and there’s something incredibly exciting about bringing eight unaccompanied voices to such an intimate setting, surrounded by one of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes.”
The ensemble comprises sopranos Savannah Porter and Virginia Grabovsky, alto Katie Jeffries-Harris, countertenor and artistic director Barnaby Smith, tenors Euan Williamson and Blake Morgan, baritone Christopher Moore and bass Dominic Carver.
The 2027 Australian Festival of Chamber Music will run in Cairns from Friday 23 July to Saturday 31 July 2027.
