Roland Peelman, pictured, says the best thing about his appointment is the chance to ''reinvent the wheel'' with an established yearly event.

The Belgian-born pianist, who has lived in Australia since 1984 and is widely recognised as one of the country's most respected musicians, will be taking over the role from current director Chris Latham, who will finish his term with the 2014 festival.

Peelman said he was excited at the prospect of planning new ways to present the two-week festival, which has become a much-loved event in the Canberra calendar each year.

''There's a way of making it roll in a different way, and creating different humps and bumps to create surprise, and I think that's what the festival is about, first and foremost … creating surprises, and creating experiences that you can't have during a run-of-the-mill concert,'' he said.

Peelman has been the director of the Song Company for 20 years, and has been lauded for his innovation in commissioning artistic projects.