Queensland Music Festival 2017

Overview

Every two years, in July, Brisbane comes alive with the sound of music. Actually, the entire state does. That's when Queensland Music Festival rolls around — and, in its latest event, it's doing so with style.

For QMF's 2017 outing, and the first under new artistic director Katie Noonan, expect an array of events that'll keep ears buzzing, toes tapping and everyone just appreciating music in general. A tribute to a Brisbane band so beloved that we named a bridge after them, a cheeky musical about a former premier, concerts in the Spring Hill Reservoir and Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, free Friday afternoon tunes, and lost Indigenous songs and stories revived — you'll find them all on the bill.

In a lineup that features over 100 performances in 45 towns, cities and regions across the state over three weeks, there'll also be female singer-songwriters sharing the songs that define the city, music turned into sketches, a classic radio play brought to life and an interactive video game complete with a live score by an on-site orchestra, lest you think this year's program doesn't bubble over with variety. An immersion series lets music aficionados get up close and personal with talented folks, while pop-up choirs will croon tunes at South Bank. And if the latter doesn't sound like your kind of thing, you might change you mind when you find out that the day-long singing fiesta is a choral outcry against domestic violence ending with a huge group rendition of John Farnham's 'You're the Voice'.

Image: QPAC Green Jam.