Can you hear it? The crackle of amps, the shuffle of crew, the lights testing their angles before the first chord strikes. The stage is warming up, because JMC is officially teaming up with Open Season, Brisbane’s genre-bending, ear-pleasing festival of sound and spectacle.

From May to July, Open Season turns The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre, QPAC and more into live music temples, packed with acts that defy categories and setlists that skip between punk, pop, jazz, rap, and the wonderfully unclassifiable. This year’s jaw-dropping lineup includes artists like Sigur Rós, Skegss, Mount Kimbie, Cloud Control, Kamasi Washington, DIIV, The Preatures and more… And just like last year, JMC students won’t just be in the crowd. They’ll be backstage, on the dials, in the thick of the action.

Our partnership with Open Season is more than just a cool line on JMC’s résumé, it's a boots-on-the-ground experience for our students in the wild, weird, and wonderful world of live events. Brisbane JMC students will be stepping out of the classroom and into the beating heart of a festival that lives and breathes creativity.

They’ll be mixing sound for headliners, wrangling artist call times, manning the stage and bringing Open Season magic to life before our very eyes. No simulations here, just the rush of live production, with Brisbane’s most iconic venues as their classroom.

We’re beyond excited to be bringing the Open Season experience to our Brisbane students,  who aren’t waiting for a chance to be part of the industry. They will be working shoulder-to-shoulder with the people who make the Open Season performances happen, and seeing what it really takes to pull off a festival like this.

This isn’t your regular work experience. It’s a pressure-cooked, high-voltage, endlessly inspiring slice of the music world and a highlight in Brisbane’s yearly music calendar. The gigs are real. The stakes are high. And the learning opps? Totally electric.

See you at soundcheck!