Praised for its “diverse programming” (Limelight), the annual Brisbane Music Festival (BMF) curated by Alex Raineri has swiftly established itself as one of the most vibrant additions to Australia’s arts scene. In 2023, the BMF celebrates its sixth year of eclectic approaches to programming, a cross-cultivation of musical offerings from the old and familiar to the vibrant and new. The BMF celebrates its point of difference to other arts organisations through its ambitious programming, equally balancing innovation/exploration with well-known content. A major ethos of the festival to date has been to present performances in unique and intimate spaces throughout the city of Brisbane, thereby incorporating a distinct flavour of the city itself into the festival. In ’23, BMF celebrates its new home in ‘Fourth Wall’, an intimate chamber music venue in the heart of Brisbane’s buzzing CBD. Whilst the essential stylistic bent of the festival focuses on classical music, previous major projects have included; cross-art form collaborations featuring theatre, visual-arts and contemporary dance and cross-genre shows traversing classical, musical theatre, jazz, folk, pop, and rock. Despite its youthful history the BMF has commissioned and presented the World Premiere performances of 57 new works by Australian composers. The BMF has a significant digital footprint and interrogates the digital space in innovative ways, including collaborations via-distance with artists across the globe and digital streaming of festival events to expand our reach far further than a live Brisbane-based audience. Artistic Director Alex Raineri was awarded a 2021 APRA/AMCOS Queensland Luminary Art Music Award for his commitment to Australian music through the BMF. Composer Chris Dench was awarded the APRA/AMCOS ‘Work of the Year’ award in 2020 for his stunning piano work passing bells: day. In 2022, ABC Classics released a commercial recording of a festival-commissioned chamber work by Erik Griswold, How Strange the Change. The BMF has featured some of Australia’s leading artists including; Sara Macliver, Orava Quartet, Natusko Yoshimoto, Karin Schaupp, Amy Lehpamer, Claire Edwardes, Paul Dean, and many others. The 2022 season will features artists such as Stefan Dohr, Ensemble Offspring, Lisa Moore, Stefan Cassomenos, Jessica Aszodi, Courtenay Cleary, and many more. The 2019 festival boasted an audience capacity of over 1,000 attendees over the course of its multiple events, a 300% ascension of audience statistics from its premiere iteration in 2018. The 3rd BMF in 2020 saw a transition to the digital space, with a ten-concert entirely online festival with a global audience of patrons from over ten countries around the world. The ‘21/’22 festivals saw the BMF in its most expanded format with multiple events (both live and digital) with a combined audience of over 4,000. Thus, the capacity for growth of the BMF is evident in its upward trajectory and in each year the festival celebrates its ability to offer employment opportunities to several Australian artists and arts-workers.