Horizon Festival of Arts and Culture on Queensland’s stunning Sunshine Coast is bursting with events for music lovers.

From Friday, August 25 until Sunday, September 3 you can immerse yourself in 10 arts-fuelled days, featuring more than 200 events in visual art, film, literature, performance, street art, comedy, music, theatre and new media, by local, national and international artists.

Whether you enjoy classical, acoustic, modern, rock, pop or opera, Horizon has your musical tastes covered.

What better way to ignite the festival than with an Australian premiere opening night spectacle starring William Close and the Earth Harp Collective. William Close is an international installation artist, musician and visionary who creates musical installations that use the architecture as part of the instrument.

For one night only on Friday, August 25, the Los Angelesbased artist will deliver two concert spectacles collaborating with local Sunshine Coast musicians and performers Linsey Pollak, Louise King, Lizzie O’Keefe, along with Tjupurru.

During the concert, the body of the Earth Harp will rest on the stage and 24 harp strings will travel across the length of Kings Beach Amphitheatre, over the audience, transforming the venue in to a colossal musical instrument. The audience will be pulled in to the performance and will experience the music from the inside. This opening night spectacle should not be missed.

On Saturday, August 26 head to Maroochydore for the Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival.

The festival makes its thirdrd trip around the sun with a stacked line up of talent, delivering a fully immersive audio visual experience for even the most seasoned festival punter. Headlining the Ampi are Alison Wonderland, The Presets, Bernard Fanning, Gang of Youths and many more. They are joined by local visual artists Lucas Salton and Bonnie Jenkins, as well as renowned street artists Beastman and Frank of Frank and Mimi. Tickets are on sale via MMVAF.com

For classical music lovers, enjoy the Chamber Music Gala at Flame Hill Vineyard, Montville on Saturday, August 26 and see a stellar cast of internationally acclaimed musicians presenting music by Beethoven, Schubert, Piazzolla and Australian composers a night under the stars with a spectacular view of the Sunshine Coast region.

Trailblazers with Muses Trio and Vulcana Circus on Wednesday, August 30 will give you a secret glimpse into the lives and legacy of hidden women in classical music with a signature circus collaborative piece.

Spice things up with the ladies who are Bringing Booty Back on Saturday, September 2. Celebrating the female form in an adults-only cabaret, enjoy a magnificent evening of visual arts, music, fashion, burlesque, aerial acrobatics and more,

Experience some of Horizon’s not-to-be-seen elsewhere entertainment at the Festival Clubs. Catch the award-winning Modern Maori Quartet at the Kia Ora Club in Eumundi on Sunday, August 27, Doll by Babushka at the Lakeside Club in Kawana on Saturday, September 2 and a star-studded line-up of local, national and international festival performers at the All Stars Club in Maleny on Sunday, September 3.

So you think you don't know opera music? The Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra Secret Life of Opera concert on Saturday, August 26 promises well-known opera music repertoire you'll recognise from film and advertising. Then, enjoy A Night with Opera Queensland on Tuesday, August 29 featuring favourite artists, including soprano Emily Burke, tenor Bradley Daley and baritone Shaun Brown.

For a weekend of new and original local live music, check out Broaden Your Horizons at the Solbar Maroochydore on Friday, September 1, LOCALS LIVE in the Shed in Palmview on Saturday, September 2 or Moffat Beach Originals on Sunday, September 3.

Coming off the back of a highly successful premiere and tour at Adelaide Fringe and beyond, Vincent returns home where it all began on Saturday, September 2. An extraordinarily moving dance theatre piece, by Melissa Lanham, about the man behind the brush of Vincent Van Gogh; his relationship with his brother Theo, his own internal struggle of inner self and self-expression and his constant battle with his inner psyche.

On Saturday, August 26, get ready to dance the night away at Eumundi’s iconic School of Rock or head to Caloundra and put on your platforms, dust off the flares and experience the fabulous hits of 60s and 70s in an all singing, all dancing Motown, Soul and Disco spectacular at Music on Kings Love Train.

Don’t miss Tortured Remixes by Topology on Friday, September 1. Featuring tortured reconstructions of The Saints, MC Hammer, The Beatles, Stevie Wright, Beyoncé, Cold Chisel and many more, it’s the 60s to the present like you’ve never heard them before.

Head to the Solbar in Maroochydore on Thursday, August 31 to catch Luka Lesson’s Living Artefact Tour. Luka will perform his internationally acclaimed brand of Slam Poetry and Spoken Word alongside co-collaborator, Indigenous musician and songwriter Kahl Wallis who will perform songs from his upcoming solo album.

On the fringe of the festival, Horizon Underground in Nambour also has plenty for music lovers with the Hey-Lowe Festival on Saturday, August 26 featuring The Outsiders and Chris Flaskas Trio, Back to the Crossroads in the Black Parlour on Thursday, August 31, a live performance of ‘devil’s music’ blues and slide guitar and Patchwork Dreaming on Saturday, September 2, a multimedia performance by woodwind duo, Alicia Crossley and Andrew Smith, that explores the complexities of cultural heritage and aboriginality in contemporary Australia.

To end an incredible week of music, head to Maleny Music Festival from Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 3. The sixth Maleny Music Festival will deliver a line-up of home grown, interstate and international artists across six venues, including Fat Picnic, Radical Son, Hayden Hack, Asa Broomhall, Martin Pearson, Dan Horne, Kevin Bennett, and The Fergies, just to name a few. 

Take in the final sunrise of another incredible 10-day celebration of arts and culture across the Sunshine Coast at the festival finale, Dawn Awakening on Sunday, September 3. Past, present and future will be celebrated on the beach at Stumers Creek, Coolum – a place of gathering, remembering, dreaming and ritual. This event will honour First Nation people through music, dance, song and spoken word, featuring special guests Gennady Papizh (Berlin), Radical Son, Kahl Wallis and Emily Wurramara alongside the Gubbi Gubbi Dance Troupe.

With all this and more, Horizon Festival will delight music lovers of all kinds.

To check out the full program and book your tickets, visit www.horizonfestival.com.au

Horizon is proudly presented by Sunshine Coast Council and supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland.

Horizon is supported by USC, SunCentral, Youi, Telstra, Tourism and Events Queensland, APN Outdoor, 92.7 MixFM, SeaFM, Sunshine Coast Daily, Audi Centre Sunshine Coast, Visit Sunshine Coast and The Sebel Hotels.