Hear Her Now chamber music festival to celebrate women in music
Australia’s first chamber music festival dedicated entirely to music written by women will make its debut in Western Australia this year.
The festival, Hear Her Now, has been created by and curated by Perth-based ensemble Mirabilis Collective and will take place in venues across Perth and regional Western Australia from Thursday, October 8, to Monday, October 19.
Across 12 days, the festival will celebrate more than 100 works from more than 100 women composers and songwriters, such as early music, new Australian commissions, sacred music, contemporary song, and art song through the ages, culminating in a dedicated concert celebrating LGBTQI+ composers and songwriters.
It will also feature a standalone concert of music by women from the AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) syllabus, pop-up performances by UWA Conservatorium students and community musicians, and an opening concert devoted to West Australian women composers—including world premieres of newly commissioned works by Katherine Potter, Mia Brine, Rose Russell and Julia Nicholls.
The artists performing in the music festival range from school students and emerging musicians to established professionals and women in their 70s still creating and performing new work.
Check out the full festival program below:
Festival Opening Night: Homegrown — Thursday, October 8 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
The Aussie Carnival of the Animals — Saturday, October 10 at State Library Theatre, Francis St, Perth
VIVID — Wednesday, October 14 at Tranby Hall, Queen’s Building, William St, Perth
Hear Us Roar — Monday, October 19 at Callaway Auditorium, UWA Conservatorium of Music
The Salonnière’s Circle — Saturday, October 17 at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia
AMEB in Concert — Sunday, October 18 at Callaway Auditorium, UWA Conservatorium of Music
Open Stage — Friday, October 9 and Thursday, October 15 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
Wesley Church Service – International Day of the Girl — Sunday, October 11 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
Mirabilis at Midday — Sunday, October 11 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
UWA Lunchtime Concert | Hear Her Now — Wednesday, October 14 at Callaway Auditorium, UWA Conservatorium of Music
Air and Chamber — Friday, October 16 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
Centre Stage — Friday, October 16 at Methodist Ladies College Chapel, Stirling Hwy, Claremont
Wesley Church Service – Australian Women’s Voices — Sunday, October 18 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
Mirabilis at Midday — Sunday, October 18 at Wesley Church, William St, Perth
Founded in 2023, Mirabilis Collective is dedicated to championing music by women through performance, education, community engagement and new commissions. It has become one of Australia’s few ensembles performing music exclusively written by women, bringing women’s stories front and centre, celebrating creativity and the power of music to connect, move and inspire.
Mirabilis Collective’s Hear Her Now chamber music festival runs from Thursday, October 8, to Monday, October 19, 2026. For more information, head to mirabiliscollective.com
