Queensland Music Festival Launch of Friends of QMF

Councillor for Central Ward, Brisbane City Council, Councillor Vicki Howard; Deputy Director-General, Arts Queensland, Ms Kirsten Herring PSM; Acting Director-General, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Mr Ben Klaassen; Deputy Director-General, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Ms Bridget Woods; Chair, QMF, Mr Daniel Gschwind, and Deputy Chair, Ms Alison Mobbs; QMF Queensland Music Trails Patron, Mrs Gina Fairfax AC, and Chairman of the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Mr Tim Fairfax AC; Chair, Queensland Performing Arts Trust, Mr Ian Walker; QMF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Daryl Raven, and QMF staff, benefactors and supporters; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I acknowledge the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbul and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this evening.

I am delighted to welcome the Queensland Music Festival back to Government House for the first time since my predecessor, the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, hosted a reception here to celebrate the 20^th birthday of the Festival.

That was seven years ago, but in 2023, as Patron, I watched with great interest and pride as the Festival reinvented itself as Queensland Music Trails and began to grow into the strong, relevant and important force in cultural tourism that it is today.

I experienced this directly when I joined you in 2024 at the Long Sunset in the Scenic Rim. That event showed us clearly how the concept of Music Trails can unlock the power of music in a community.

So, it is no surprise to us that, within just two years, the trails have drawn sizeable audiences in more than a hundred locations across Queensland.

But sustaining that level of achievement does not come without challenges. Individuals, services and businesses in our regional and remote communities are all feeling the impact of natural disasters and rising costs. And in an uncertain environment, with so many worthy causes competing for limited funds, it is not easy to put forward a compelling case for the value of a music event.

The life of an independent musician or a small arts organisation has really not changed fundamentally for centuries. The concept of artistic patronage has been with us since the days of Ancient Rome, but while it benefitted many, it was also a system that enabled exploitation and often resulted in a life of limited artistic freedom, low status, and even lower pay as well as pressure to write and perform commissions.

Thankfully, this is rarely the case today, but the vexed question remains: what can we as a society do to better nurture and support the creative individuals in our communities and produce a music ecosystem that will enable them to thrive?

The answer, as it often is, is through human connection and I congratulate the Board, management and staff of the Queensland Music Festival on the decision to launch the Friends of QMF.

‘Friends’ organisations first emerged in the late 19^th century in Germany and other parts of Europe, raising vital funds for museums, galleries and other cultural institutions.

The idea soon spread throughout the world, including to Australia where, today, many of these community-based organisations of committed and passionate individuals provide vital support to the arts and cultural sector.

That support is often as much through friend-raising as fund-raising, acknowledging that encouraging and inspiring community support can often be more important than funds alone.

I congratulate QMF on this initiative and wish them every success as this musical adventure continues.

Back-to-back wins in the Global Music Cities Awards in the last two years has boosted the Festival’s profile in cultural tourism both nationally and internationally, and I know that, with the help of the Friends of QMF, the Festival will forge new links, strengthen relationships with existing benefactors, continue to push boundaries, and help Queensland music artists to build exciting, viable careers, wherever they may be in this great State.

I will leave Mr Gschwind to introduce our performer tonight, but I would very much like to thank Felicity for singing for us and congratulate her on her success.