In this thesis, Janis Cook explores ways in which the thoughtful curation of a chamber concert can enhance the reception of the musical repertoire. This avenue of research has evolved from questioning why performances of musical artworks which reflect a significant portion of Australia’s cultural inheritance attract only a niche and arguably diminishing audience. The author establishes points of view which emphasise the deep cultural connections inherent in music, embrace the social aspect of performance, eschew the division of the expressive realm of the arts into discrete categories, and consider the role of music in the current metamodernist milieu. A scan of historical and current performance practice precedes a discussion of the power of curation as a tool of communication. As primary research projects, three chamber-music events apply concepts from narrative theory, the philosophy of experiential time, and the general field of arts curation. Around these curated performances, para-curatorial approaches experiment with the distribution of printed programmes after the performance, and a Pay-What-You-Want business model. The methodology consists of the design and execution of the performances as curations, analysis of informal and ethics-approved feedback about the curations, and exegesis mapped by recordings of the curated performances and the overall artistic journey. Many musical examples and video links exemplify the curatorial outcomes. A fourth and supplementary project points to the future of the performing arts in an increasingly online world. It suggests new ways of adapting the power of curation to suit digital formats, rather than mere live-streamed or pre-recorded onstage performances, by utilising the infrastructure already in place which serves the music industry at large. Janis Cook addresses the place of chamber music in contemporary society, the role of performing artists as art performers, and the imperative for chamber players to contribute to current culture. The study reveals strong arguments for thoughtfully designing an audience’s chamber concert experience and identifies avenues for further research.