Boutique festival with big ambitions
22 September 2025. By Sally Glaetzer.
With decades of experience at the TSO, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Australian String Quartet, Stephen Block has helped shape music-making across the country.
In 2022 the opportunity arose to take the reins of the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival. Since then, Stephen has been busy ensuring the boutique event is a cultural highlight that blends music with beautiful spaces and Tasmania’s world-renowned food and wine.
We caught up with Stephen to learn more about his vision for the festival.
Hi Stephen, you retired from the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra in 2013. What drew you back into this world nearly a decade later?
I’d been working a long time and was exhausted by the pressure of it all. But I quickly started volunteering for various things because I still love music. In 2022, when Allanah Dopson, who founded the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival, decided to hand it over, I took it on and started planning.
I’ve loved being back in the field. I still have a lot of contacts from my 25 years working in the industry. Picking up the phone to old colleagues and hearing them say, ‘Oh yes, I’d love to come,’ is very special. It’s lovely to use those connections to attract really good people and make something that is, by design, a very boutique event.
Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival director Stephen Block.
What makes the Tasmanian Chamber Music Festival stand out?
Every year it changes. We use different venues, different combinations of artists, new repertoire, and unique experiences. And there’s always a food and wine component. Last year we had a beautiful lunch at Frogmore Creek. This year we’re partnering with Home Hill and also hosting a village lunch in Richmond.
People love the music, but they also love the atmosphere, the venues, the visual attraction, and of course the food and wine. Tasmania’s brand is so tied to those things – when you bring them together, the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. That’s what makes it so compelling.
Who comes to the festival?
Over the course of the festival we expect about 2500 people. Roughly 80 per cent of them come from interstate, with 20 per cent local.
I’ve also structured the festival in two parts. There’s the Prelude – two days in Richmond, four concerts, an informal lunch, all at an affordable price but still with high-quality artists. Then there’s the Keynote Festival – four days, seven concerts, and a grand lunch at Home Hill.
Some people come to just one, but many combine the two for a complete package. It makes for a richer experience.
You’ve spoken about cultural tourism being undervalued in Tasmania. What do you mean?
If you’re coming for just one event on a Saturday in Hobart and flying out again, you’re not spending much time or money. What we do is for a relatively small audience but our guests stay for much longer. That’s where the impact is – more days in the state, more money spent in the regions, but without putting strain on infrastructure.
What do you enjoy most about working with the TSO musicians who are part of this year’s festival?
Many TSO musicians are close friends, so it’s a joy to collaborate again. I love being able to give them more opportunities to play chamber repertoire. Orchestral playing demands different skills, but chamber music allows for a more personal voice – that’s the heart of it.
Ji Won Kim (TSO Associate Concertmaster) is a great example. In my view, she’s one of the best violinists in the country. She’s a sensitive artist, a virtuosa, and equally at home in orchestral or chamber repertoire. She’s a huge asset to Tasmania, and an all-round gorgeous human being.
And what about the venues?
Tasmania is blessed with incredible locations for chamber music – historic churches and halls in Richmond, Home Hill Winery in the Huon Valley, and Hobart gems like St George’s in Battery Point and the Ian Potter Recital Hall in the Hedberg.
I’ve been scouting out places we’ve never used before. Each year, the festival reinvents itself by showing audiences a new side of Tasmania. That’s part of what keeps people coming back.
Finally, what makes this role so rewarding for you?
It’s a dream job. I’ve got a head full of ideas, and the freedom to refine and put them into place. There are no strict rules – I just have to make it good!
For more information and to book tickets visit taschamberfestival.com.au.
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