Adelaide’s much-loved On The Terrace returns on Sunday, 2 November 2025 (11am – 4pm), transforming the city’s cultural boulevard into a vibrant hub of sound and creativity. Presented by Chamber Music Adelaide, this free mini festival invites audiences to experience more than 50 intimate performances across the North Terrace cultural precinct, from the Art Gallery of South Australia to the State Library, Migration Museum, and beyond.
A musical experience like no other
On The Terrace 2025 celebrates the intimacy and wonder of chamber music in all its forms—from the timeless elegance of Baroque masterpieces to the bold energy of contemporary works. Audiences can wander between galleries and museums, discovering pop-up performances that offer a personal and up-close encounter with the city’s thriving musical heart.
This year’s event unveils a program that spans classical, contemporary, and culturally diverse traditions, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in a rich soundscape of voices, instruments, and ideas.
A landmark premiere
One of the highlights of this year’s program is the premiere of composer Jodie O’Regan’s Leviathan, the first movement of a major new work inspired by South Australia’s whaling history. Exploring themes of destruction, hope, and renewal, the work moves from “frenzied slaughter and near extinction to the gradual return of whales in a declared sanctuary.”
Born from O’Regan’s pandemic-era fascination with Victor Harbor’s maritime past, the piece draws inspiration from unexpected sources—heavy metal band Manowar, Russian male-voice choral music, and Orff’s Catulli Carmina. Featuring four solo baritones, a male chamber choir, and percussion, Leviathan is both haunting and powerful. Through “singing, shouting, chanting, and movement,” performers evoke the industrial hunger for whale oil, portraying men who “set out with noble honour only to discover they are agents of destruction—‘demons’ rather than heroes.”
Celebrating diversity and connection
This year’s festival shines a spotlight on the diversity of Australia’s musical voices. First Nations artist Vonda Last, an award-winning Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara musician, joins Larrakia guitarist Daniel Fejo to share songs exploring Indigenous history and cultural identity.
The Coruscalia Collective pays tribute to Australia’s migrant composers, performing works by Meta Overman, Felix Werder, and Larry Sitsky, while San Ureshi creates joyful, family-friendly music through a blend of erhu, guzheng, and percussion.
The program’s scope is breathtaking. Early music lovers can delight in the Adelaide Baroque Trio and Adelaide Cantata Band, performing works by Purcell, Locke, and Bach. Meanwhile, the Silk Strings Ensemble presents newly commissioned pieces inspired by South Australia’s landscapes and wildlife.
Those drawn to the cutting edge will be captivated by Dylan Crismani’s Electric Cristals, a rare microtonal instrument that produces shimmering, ethereal sounds by rubbing glass rods. The Open Music Academy performs Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, while composer Jesse Budel debuts Volumes, an immersive octophonic sound work. A special collaboration with CASM allows producer Bousta’s track Loved Ones to be experienced through Budel’s surround-sound installation.
The festival also champions emerging Australian musicians, including the Vanya Quartet, recipients of the 2025 Chrysalis Fellowship, who perform a premiere by Adelaide composer Belle Smibert. The Opal Guitar Quartet showcases new Australian miniatures, while Magpie Artsong and Poetry in Song present intimate recitals celebrating the beauty of voice and piano.
On The Terrace 2025 is free at North Terrace Cultural Precinct on Sunday, 2 November 2025 from 11am to 4pm. For full program details, visit chambermusicadelaide.com.au/ontheterrace or book accessible tours via Access2Arts.
