If you think the Queensland Art Song Festival 2023 sounds a bit serious think again. Because the celebrated Australian soprano behind the festival, artistic director Alexandra Flood, wants to make the event accessible as well as edifying.

Her sense of fun was on display last year at Southern Cross Soloist’s Bangalow Music Festival where Flood and her beau (now fiancé), American baritone Alexander York performed a duet of Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better). Billed as “the two Alexes” they brought the house down.

The couple has been working in Europe since but Alexandra Flood (now based largely in Vienna) is coming to Brisbane next week to deliver her debut festival in conjunction with Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and the University of Queensland School of Music.

And while it will be something for purists Flood has programmed some more light hearted fare such as Le Cancion: A Late-Night Latin Song event.

“I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a nose in the air exclusive sort of festival,” Flood says. “So we have these late-night Spanish songs with paired wines.”

The festival is on from July 24 to 30 mostly at the Queensland Conservatorium at South Bank but also UQ. And for anyone new to classical music an art song is a Western vocal music composition usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment. It’s usually in the classical tradition and the composer who is probably at the apex of Art Song is Franz Schubert and there will be plenty of Schubert in this festival, the first in Australia of its kind.

Alexandra Flood has performed at major opera houses in Europe and in March was awarded third prize at the prestigious Das Lied art song competition in Germany so she knows her stuff.

She chose Brisbane for her festival after performing here with Southern Cross Soloists, Opera Queensland and Queensland Ballet. She was the guest singer for QBs hit production Strictly Gershwin in 2016. QB is reprising that show soon without Flood this time. She’ll be in Vienna. Such is life for a globetrotting Australian soprano, a Victorian who loves Brisbane and the Queensland arts scene.

“I find in Brisbane there is this real growth mindset and everyone is so supportive,” she says. “It felt like the perfect place for this festival. It’s sponsored by the unis and Brisbane City Council so I hope it can become a fixture.”

It was Bernard Lanskey, a celebrated pianist who happens to also be the director of Queensland Conservatorium who challenged Flood to put on the festival here.

She met up with him when he was new in the job in 2021.

“I’ve long lamented the lack of a dedicated art song festival in Australia,” Flood says. “Especially since the universities lean so heavily on art song as a vehicle for undergraduate vocal training. I frequently have young singers and sometimes pianists reaching out over social media to seek advice.

“I was sharing my laments with Bernard Lanskey back in 2021 and he thankfully called me out and basically said – well, do something about it. And, long story short, that is what I have done.”

The inaugural Queensland Art Song Festival will bring world class training to Brisbane’s classical musicians with plenty to entertain the public with international guest stars German baritone Benjamin Appl and English pianist Sholto Kynoch as special guests.

As well as the performances the festival will feature talks by leading experts in the field of art song and career guidance and support to students.

This year’s theme is the lieder (songs) of Franz Schubert. The festival will culminate in the Best of Schubert concert on Sunday July 30th at 3pm at Queensland Conservatorium Theatre featuring the two guest stars Benjamin Appl and Sholto Kynoch who is artistic director of the Oxford Lieder Festival in the UK.

Additional concerts will also be held during the week starting July 24.

Australian tenor Andrew Goodwin and Brisbane pianist Daniel de Borah will be giving a concert of Schubert’s famous Die Schöne Mullerin. Local talents Alla Yarosh, Camilo Lopez and Gabrielle Diaz from Voxalis as well as Clancy Anderson (guitar) and John Woods (piano) will also be performing a series of Latin American repertoire for La Canción which, as Flood pointed out, will also include “pairing wines” to the music.

There will be masterclasses, seminars and talks featuring Bernard Lanskey, pianist Alex Raineri as well as Alexandra Flood and Sholto Kynoch.

Head of Voice at Queensland Conservatorium, Margaret Schindler, describes the festival as “an exciting initiative”. This year is the first fully fledged festival but Alexandra Flood says it was really conceived in 2022.

“So, by the time we get to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games we will be celebrating out tenth anniversary.” Now that’s ambition for you.

queenslandartsongfestival.com