Music for Medicine ’25

28 August, 2025, Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW

Nearly 600 people gathered at Wollongong Town Hall for a concert, raising over $20,000 in support of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). 

What unfolded was an evening of thoughtful programming, striking artistic contrasts, and heartfelt commitment bound together by a thematic focus on children’s right to freedom and peace. Curated in distinct sets by the Wollongong-born singers Molly Stewart and Olive Cullen and award-winning pianist Simon Tedeschi, it culminated with the premiere of Ronan Apcar’s ‘A Children’s Hymn’. The result was a musical journey that combined personal identification, theatrical flair, and cross-generational dialogue.

Set I – Children Will Listen – curated by Molly Stewart

Les Cinq Filles (Molly Stewart, Jasmine Argryropoulos, Maddie Hunt, Meg Nevin, Lauren Shaw) offered a prelude to Stewart’s set, providing an immediate sense of community and continuity that grounded the concert’s larger aims in shared musical friendship. 

Their rendition of “Mama Who Bore Me” from Jessie Nelson’s popular musical Waitress began with a measured pace, but quickly found momentum, feeding off the audience’s warm energy. Their collective blend in “A Soft Place to Land” allowed the song’s lyricism to flow naturally, and their transition into “Everything Changes” had an organic freshness that won the audience’s attention. 

“Children Will Listen” drew on Stewart’s affinity with Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods and its central message about the often-complicated relationship between parents. Rather than settling for a sentimental approach, Stewart challenged the audience to confront both the drama and imperfections inherent in family life.

The duet “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with Olive Cullen showcased Stewart’s warm, mellifluous timbre alongside Cullen’s operatic resonance. Their vocal colours, contrasting yet meeting in shared lyricism.

Stewart kept her energy contained in “I Know Things Now,” where her suspenseful delivery was complemented by Tedeschi’s orchestral layering. Stewart’s personality truly shone in “What Baking Can Do” from Waitress, showing a different side of her artistry: dramatic, vulnerable, and deeply personal. 

Tedeschi’s vivid piano accompaniment in “Witch’s Lament” provided an impressionist backdrop of shifting colour, amplifying Stewart’s expression of the witch’s frustration. “Funny Girl” from Waitress also had a curious approach, where Stewart’s deliberate hesitancy underscored the realism of the text. The set’s conclusion with Stewart and Cullen in “No One is Alone” was moving both musically and theatrically: their honest portrayal of vulnerability resonated deeply with the audience, drawing an attentiveness that led to thunderous applause. 

Set II – Cosmopolitan Freedom – curated by Simon Tedeschi

After the interval, Simon Tedeschi electrified the mood as he explored themes of cosmopolitanism, freedom, and human dignity through the language of jazz and improvisation. 

Opening with George Gershwin’s “Preludes”, Tedeschi offered the stylistic authenticity for which he is renowned. In the C-sharp minor Prelude, he captured the sultry, blues-inflected idiom with an unaffected naturalness. His rhythmic control in the E-flat minor prelude, particularly in the syncopated passages, built toward exhilarating climaxes. The sheer energy and spontaneity of his playing made the performance riveting.

Tedeschi’s improvisation on Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom” was a highlight of the evening. Where Peterson’s own recording of this work leaned into a rhapsodic, jazz-club extemporisation, Tedeschi chose a lyrical understatement that suited the evening’s spirit. His subtle nods to Peterson’s signature tremolos revealed both reverence and individuality.

The enthusiastic response prompted an encore: an improvisation on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”. Here, Tedeschi let loose with bustling energy, peppering his playing with melodic surprises and rhythmic wit. 

Set III – Mother and Child – curated by Olive Cullen

Cullen’s set closed the thematic arc, interweaving operatic song with musical theatre in a narrative of maternal care, authority, and joy. Menotti’s “I Shall Find for You Shells and Stars” from his opera Consul showcased Cullen’s operatic credentials. Her resonant voice filled the hall with ease, supported by Tedeschi’s detailed, colour-rich accompaniment. Yet it was in Stefan Wolpe’s Drei Lieder von Brecht that Cullen’s artistry really shone. The sharp German texts, filled with irony and political bite, were delivered with crystalline diction and biting wit. As a German speaker myself, this had an authenticity that gave an indelible mark to this performance. In “Keiner oder Alle”, her interpretation leaned more towards textual irony than solidarity, but Cullen’s dramatic conviction carried the performance.

Olive then shifted gears with “When You’re Good to Mama” from the musical Chicago. Her playful gestures and sultry tone captured the manipulative character with theatrical confidence, eliciting a good interaction with the audience. 

An Ode to Hope – A Children’s Hymn, Ronan Apcar and Adam Stokeld (lyrics)

The premiere of Apcar’s, A Children’s Hymn served as a fitting conclusion. The work sets a poem by Adam Stokeld with the composer’s fascination towards its secular-hymn aspects.  The work’s introductory and transition parts combined modernist austerity with piquant harmonies. Apcar’s inventive manipulation of piano textures, particularly in depictions of stars and rivers, was vividly brought to life by Tedeschi’s sensitive playing. While the interplay between Stewart and Cullen might have benefited from clearer delineation at times, their voices converged most memorably in the climactic refrain, “Still we sing our healing song.” The singers offered us a glimpse into the grandeur that Apcar intended, and the underlying optimism and spirit of renewal remained clear. 

Intergenerational Collaboration 

Perhaps the most enduring takeaway from Music for Medicine was the intergenerational collaboration it fosters. At once a celebration of music’s capacity to heal, a demonstration of young artists’ potential, and a reminder of the power of collaboration across genres and generations. Tedeschi’s presence, both as a pianist and mentor, elevated the evening’s artistic standard, while Stewart and Cullen brought fresh perspectives and youthful sincerity. Their willingness to embrace vulnerability, both individually and together, created moments of rare authenticity.

Music for Medicine was not just an enjoyable evening – it was a poignant reminder that artistry and generosity are not separate pursuits, but rather complement each other. In this respect, the concert’s message shines beyond the concert hall: good music, at its most effective, ‘inspires’ us to imagine and strive for a hopeful future.

Tax-deductible donations are still being accepted at Music for MSF 2025. All funds rasied support Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders to deliver humanitarian aid (food, water, shelter, medical supplies, and care) where it is needed most.

Photo Credit: Matt Houston Ironbark Photography