I spent the weekend rediscovering the NSW city of Orange, enjoying bushwalking in Mt Canobolas’ sub-alpine forests, tasting plates in local wineries, fine accomodation with fresh figs from the farm’s orchard, and quiet wanderings through the town’s stunningly autumnal parks…
Australia Ensemble returns with brilliantly conceived programming
Australia Ensemble UNSW | Dream Tracks Kensington, UNSW, April 10 2021 It was great to be part of the audience for the first concert at the Sir John Clancy Auditorium for over a year and it was fitting that it…
Variety, enjoyment and collegiality on show in Orange
Orange Chamber Music Festival: Gala Melbourne Digital Concert Hall from Orange, NSW, April 8, 2021 Joy and expectation were in the air at the Opening Gala of the Orange Chamber Music Festival in the central west of NSW. Introductory speakers…
Barry Conyngham’s fascinating, original and engaging new CD
Gardener of Time is a CD recorded at the concert given to celebrate the 75th birthday of Barry Conyngham, the well known Contemporary Australian composer. Barry has a huge list of academic achievements, the most recent being his decade as…
Blackheath Chamber Music Festival Launches ANZAC Day Weekend 2021
April 23 to 26, 2021 Featuring performances by inspiring distinguished Australian ensembles, two world premiere compositions and amazing young local talent it’s a great opportunity to spend 4 autumn days and evenings in the upper Blue Mountains enjoying concerts and…
Australian Chamber Choir – An Amazing Concert!
“Glück zum neuen Jahr!“ to the Australian Chamber Choir, what an amazing concert!With the advent of Covid-19, I have attended several concerts on-line, and what a treat it has been, but the Australian Chamber Choir’s performance of Ludwig van We…
Bach Akademie Australia superbly captures Bach’s imaginative brilliance
Bach Akademie Australia – Alleluja Friday 26th March 2021 – Melbourne Digital Concert Hall Bach Akademie Australia’s celebratory programme for Easter was held in St Francis of Assisi’s Church in Sydney’s Paddington, the musicians performing from a semicircular marble dais,…
Orange Chamber Music Festival bursts onto the scene!
The Orange Chamber Music Festival (OCMF) is a not for profit organisation created by professional musicians with residence in Orange. OCMF is supported by local organisations and businesses as a cultural and tourism initiative that provides a performance platform for…
Lawergren and Lowe, the epitome of elegance
Dusk to Dawn Mosman Art Gallery, March 20, 2021 After battling the flooding streets of Sydney’s lower North Shore to get to the Mosman Art Gallery it was a delight to stop and dry out while taking a quick look…
Song Company’s effervescent artists dance with passion
Song Company: Dances of Passion 19 March 2021, Cell Block Theatre, Sydney The scene was set for a lively evening’s entertainment by the enthusiastic housekeeping ‘presentation’ from the show’s Production Manager Sarah Elise Thompson which received applause from a full-house…
Australian Haydn Ensemble’s Perfect Rainy Day Menu
On a cold and rainy Sunday, most people would prefer to be indoors and rugged up. But at a time when live music is experiencing the revival it desperately needs, I and many others jumped at the chance to see…
Review: A Standing Ovation for Stanhope’s New Requiem
Sydney Chamber Choir | Paul Stanhope: A New Requiem March 13, 2021, Sydney It had been 364 days since The Sydney Chamber Choir last performed in the City Recital Hall. On this balmy Saturday night they returned enthusiastically to perform…
Review: Selby Serves up an Afternoon Feast
Selby & Friends | Exotic Strudel March 14, 2021, Turramurra Turramurra on a wet Sunday afternoon needed some brightness and it certainly received it from Selby & Friends whose latest offering was titled “Exotic Strudel” indicating the origin of the…
Review: KPO’s energy and enthusiasm for Mozart, and more
Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra | Mozart and More March 13, The Concourse, Chatswood PROGRAM Naomi Dodd: Deep Calls To Deep Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23 in A, K488 Stravinsky: Concerto in E flat “Dumbarton Oaks” Mozart: Symphony No 36 “Linz” Covid doesn’t have many…
Review: Spellbound by The Choir of St James’
March 6, 2021, St James’ Church, Sydney Walking through Martin Place to the Church of St. James under a soft autumn glow, I found myself thinking about what this concert would represent; represent to The Choir of St. James’, to…
Review: Not ‘Rose in the Teeth’ Tango!
Phoenix Collective last week travelled to three cities giving five successful concerts which explored early and traditional works from the birthplace of Tango, Buenos Aires and works by the father of Nuevo Tango, Astor Piazzolla, aptly described in the Collective’s…
CD Review: Offspring Bites 3 | En Masse
Ensemble Offspring are champions of new music and emerging composers. Hailing from Sydney, the ensemble has premiered more than 300 new works over their 25-year history. Lead by percussionist Claire Edwardes, the ensemble includes Jason Noble (clarinet), Lamorna Nightingale (flutes),…
Review: Compose Queer | Divisi Chamber Singers
75 Reid St, Fitzroy North. 26 February 2021 Compose Queer is an initiative created by Divisi Chamber Singers, funded through a donation campaign and a grant from the Australian Cultural Fund. This initiative went beyond a single concert: four emerging…
Review: Live at Yours with Wine, Williams and Song
David Greco and Vatche Jambazian Live at Olsen Gallery Feb 24, Presented by Live at Yours The Olsen Gallery was an excellent venue for this intimate recital by David Greco and Vatche Jambazian, both of whom had been performing to…
Review: Timothy Young – Artistic Virtuosity and Devilish Waltzes
Kawai Piano Series 1 | Timothy Young Plays Lizst Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, February 24, 2021 It was a pleasant surprise to hear a recital with an audience, albeit a socially distanced one. Timothy Young is head of the Australian…