The Canberra International Music Festival will have a new artistic director, and is set to halve in length.
Composer, performer, conductor and director Eugene Ughetti is the new artistic director of the Canberra International Music Festival.
Ughetti will succeed current artistic director Roland Peelman in July 2024, after the latter's final festival.
Peelman recently won the 2023 National Luminary Award from the Art Music Awards for sustained service to Australian music as a conductor, pianist, artistic director and mentor to composers, singers and instrumentalists.
Festival chairwoman Genevieve Jacobs says, "After a national search attracting an outstanding field of candidates, we are delighted to announce Eugene Ughetti's appointment.
"Eugene presented us with a compelling vision for CIMF's future, building on the standards of excellence established by Roland Peelman since 2015."
His appointment would provide innovative generational change and maintain the festival's mix of new music and more traditional fare to appeal to a wide audience.
In 2024, the festival will move from a 10-day event to a five-day event from May 3 to 7 in response to demand from the festival audience, workers, and volunteers, Jacobs said.
Organisors argued that while there will be fewer events - some will be repeated - people, especially interstate visitors whose numbers are rising, will be able to experience more in a shorter, more intense period.
The festival has also announced a partnership with the Snow Concert Hall at Canberra Grammar School for evening performances and will present about 20 concerts across Canberra in multiple venues, including national institutions.
Ughetti, the founding artistic director of the Speak Percussion ensemble, has won many awards and creative fellowships.
He has collaborated with most of Australia's leading new music ensembles and with international musicians including Pierre Boulez, Liza Lim, Steve Reich and John Zorn.
Ughetti has composed works for the Australian Ballet, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the ABC, and Bionics Institute.
"I am thrilled to embark on this wonderful journey," Ughetti said.
"CIMF stands as one of Australia's most distinguished art music festivals, set against the backdrop of world-class institutions, remarkable architecture, and breathtaking sites. It boasts a rich legacy of excellence and innovation, having been a catalyst for numerous new Australian compositions."
Canberra musician A.J. America, artistic director of Luminescence Chamber Singers and Children's Choir and recent winner of the Art Music ACT Luminary Award, was named the festival's artistic associate in July and will be working closely with Peelman.
See: cimf.org.au.
