Just as the Festive Season winds down, another Festival makes a welcome appearance hard on its heels. The Peninsula Summer Music Festival is a popular Summer highlight where the Mornington Peninsula’s many picturesque attractions provide ideal settings for an array of outstanding musical attractions.
In the Media Release below, you will see that Artistic Directors Melissa Doeke and Ben Opie have assembled a choice lineup of artists for a diverse program of exceptional music making. 18 events over nine days, encompassing classical, jazz and contemporary music, ensures that there will be something for everyone. Given the memorable experiences on offer, early booking is recommended.
Peninsula Summer Music Festival 2026
Saturday 3 to Sunday 11 January
Across the Mornington Peninsula
Baroque Opera Gala. The Bamboos. Karin Schaupp. David Greco & Chad Kelly.
AYO Young Artist – Theonie Wang. Cedar Collective. Ensemble 642. Aaron Wyatt.
Festival Artist: Ensemble Offspring
Tickets on sale now, visit peninsulafestival.com.au
This January, the Peninsula Summer Music Festival (PSMF) will once again bring the sounds of baroque, jazz and ensemble music to Mornington Peninsula for 18 stunning events across nine glorious days from Saturday 3 to Sunday 11 January 2026.
Following the opening weekend Opera Gala, a jam-packed week of special guests sees funk and soul trailblazers The Bamboos headlining Twilight Sessions at Montalto, ARIA Award-nominated baritone David Greco and UK-born keyboardist and conductor Chad Kelly reuniting for a spellbinding recital of art songs, and international-acclaimed guitarist Karin Schaupp performing at Port Phillip Estate and the Peninsula Hot Springs’ Amphitheatre stage. Festival Artists Ensemble Offspring perform at Main Ridge Estate, Balnarring Civic Court Reserve and Peninsula Hot Springs.
The final weekend of Peninsula Summer Music Festival takes place at St John’s Anglican Church with performances from distinguished AYO violinist Theonie Wang, Cedar Collective and Ensemble 642.
Throughout the Festival, PSMF artists will perform at Aged Care homes in Balnarring, Hastings and Shoreham, and in a series of private events with ongoing partner, the Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association.
Artistic Directors Melissa Doecke and Ben Opie have curated a program that celebrates the natural bounties of the region through extraordinary musical performances.
“This year’s festival is centred around what we create on the Peninsula, about what grows here, artistically and from the ground up. Our new commission and world premiere ‘Every Plant Has Its Own Dreaming’, is inspired by the living world around us and created for our community. That sense of growth and renewal runs through our 2026 program: new works, new collaborations, new artists finding their voice. But it’s also about welcoming celebrated international musicians, great opera and classical music.
The festival opens on Saturday 3 January with a celebration of baroque opera at the Opera Gala to be held in Flinders Civic Hall. Creating a world of myth, love and enchantment, internationally acclaimed artists Myriam Arbouz (soprano), Jacob Lawrence (tenor) and David Greco (baritone) bring to life scenes by Monteverdi, Lully and Purcell accompanied by PSMF BaroqueOrchestra featuring Ensemble 642 and international guest artists.
In 2026, we’re evolving much loved Twilight Jazz at Montalto into Twilight Sessions at Montalto – featuring Melbourne funk stars The Bamboos. Audiences can expect the band’s trademark combination of Lance Ferguson’s soul powered production style, Kylie Auldist’s incredible voice and an effortless groove powered by a ten-piece band.
Moorooduc Estate plays host to Schumann: Dichterliebe (6-Jan) with two acclaimed artists, Australian baritone David Greco and UK-born keyboardist and conductor Chad Kelly, delivering a spellbinding recital of art songs from the 19th century’s greatest musical couple Robert and Clara Schumann. Featuring the famous cycle Dichterliebe and songs from Kurt Weil, Greco and Kelly’s dynamic artistic partnership brings emotional depth and fresh insight to these Romantic masterpieces.
One of the most outstanding guitarists on the international scene, Australia’s own Karin Schaupp joins the line-up of stellar guests with performances at Port Phillip Estate (6-Jan) and the Peninsula Hot Springs (10-Jan). Renowned for her flawless technique and radiant musicality, Schaupp is celebrated as one of Australia’s most captivating performers. She performs widely on the international stage showcasing an artistry that combines breathtaking virtuosity with a rare sensitivity that enchants audiences worldwide.
Set within the breathtaking elegance of Port Phillip Estate, Schaupp’s recital program spans centuries and styles, featuring world premieres by Ross Edwards, Phil Moran and Tara Lynham alongside timeless works by Bach, Schubert, Tárrega and others. This is a rare opportunity to hear exquisite new music created especially for this exceptional artist — performed in one of the Peninsula’s most inspiring settings.
Schaupp’s recital on the outdoor Amphitheatre stage surrounded by bathing pools at Peninsula Hot Springs, showcases the expressive range of the guitar, offering listeners a performance of profound beauty and unforgettable presence.
2026 Festival Artist, Ensemble Offspring is Australia’s leading new music group, standing at the forefront of musical innovation. Led by internationally acclaimed percussionist Claire Edwardes OAM, the ensemble unites the country’s most fearless and virtuosic instrumentalists, Lamorna Nightingale (flutes) Jason Noble (clarinets) Rowena Macneish (cello) and Véronique Serret (violin). Together, they create “visceral, joyous music” (Sydney Morning Herald) through kaleidoscopically varied performances that blaze a trail for Australian music.
Performing at Main Ridge Estate, Balnarring Civic Court Reserve and Peninsula Hot Springs, Ensemble Offspring will celebrate connection to country in a series of unmissable recitals.
Two performances of Ensemble Offspring: Nature Stories, at Main Ridge Estate (7-Jan), showcase the soundscapes of our natural environment with works written especially for Ensemble Offspring. Kate Moore’s Rose of Roses, Flower of Flowers tells of a nightingale, pierced by a rose thorn, singing itself to death, while Ella Macens’ poignant vibraphone solo Falling Embers reflects on the devastation of the 2019 bushfires. Yuin composer Brenda Gifford brings a jazzy storytelling spirit with Bardju (Footprints), celebrating cultural connection to Country. Together, these works offer a unique feminine perspective on the Australian landscape and the creatures and stories that shape it.
Ensemble Offspring join acclaimed First Nations composer/Noongar man Aaron Wyatt to present Every Plant Has its own Dreaming – a powerful new work inspired by the dreaming of five local native plants – murnong, lomandra, chocolate lily, garawang and karkalla. This evocative performance interweaves story, music and culture in a moving celebration of connection to Country. The new work will be performed at Peninsula Hot Springs (9-Jan) with an interactive kid-friendly performance at the Family Concert to be held at Balnarring Civic Court Reserve (8-Jan). With real plants to see up close and songs to learn together, this fun-filled event invites curiosity and imagination in a joyful celebration of music and nature!
The festival caps off an amazing week of new music with three not-to-be-missed concerts at St John’s Anglican Church in Flinders on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January.
Presented in partnership with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Theonie Wang: Violin (10-Jan) features AYO Young Artist and 2024 Associate Concertmaster, Theonie Wang and pianist Mizusa Wang. The dynamic and expressive program includes Beethoven’s fiery Kreutzer Sonata, which contrasts beautifully with the lyrical tenderness of Amy Beach’s Romance. Together, these works reflect a wide emotional spectrum.
String Quartets (11-Jan) features the Cedar Collective comprising musicians Lachlan MacLaren (violin), Jessica Leigh (violin), Sebastian Coyne (viola) and Sarah Wang (cello). The talented quartet present three perspectives on the string quartet: Joseph Haydn’s Op.76 No.1 in G Major, Caroline Shaw’s Plan & Elevation, and Fanny Mendelssohn’s E-flat Major Quartet, highlighting both tradition and innovation in the form, and voices often less heard.
The final concert for 2026, Baroque by Candlelight: Ensemble 642 (11-Jan) features plucked-string virtuosos Hannah Lane on Baroque harp and Nicholas Pollock playing the Theorbo. The program entwines the shimmering voices of baroque instruments with masterworks by Bach, Buxtehude, and Strozzi, in dialogue with the serene minimalism of contemporary composers John Cage and Mamoru Fujieda.
For further information visit peninsulafestival.com.au
Bookings can be done online or by credit card over the phone – 0435 495 493
