ArtSound FM’s Concert Hall brings you the finest live classical and chamber music recorded in and around Canberra — and occasionally, somewhere rather more remote. Two months of exceptional programming lie ahead, from harpsichord extravagance to a barn in regional New South Wales.
April 2026
26 April — Beethoven & Beyond
Pianists Bernice Chua and Joshua Han share the stage at the Wesley Music Centre for an evening that spans two centuries of keyboard writing. Beginning with Beethoven — always a safe anchor — the programme moves through Debussy’s shimmering impressionism, Bartók’s percussive energy, and Prokofiev’s wit and bite. Four composers, two pianists, and a programme that traces the piano’s extraordinary journey from the classical era into the 20th century.
May 2026
3 May — A Double Bill: Harpsichord Divas & Apeiron 3 on 3
A richly stocked evening opens May with two distinct programmes from the Wesley Uniting Church in Forrest.
Harpsichord Divas is exactly the spectacle it sounds like. Four of Canberra’s finest harpsichordists — Ariana Odermatt, Callum Tolhurst-Close, Marie Searles, and Marko Sever — are joined by a string ensemble (John Ma and Lauren David on violins, Brad Tham on viola, Clara Teniswood on cello, and Haley Manning on double bass) for a programme of Bach, Telemann, and Solnitz. Baroque keyboard repertoire rarely sounds this festive.
Apeiron 3 on 3 follows — Apeiron Baroque showcasing a range of works from the baroque period. Known for thoughtful programming that illuminates the connections between composers and traditions, Apeiron bring characteristic care to everything they touch.
10 May — A Sense of Place
This one travels. Ensemble Offspring — widely regarded as Australia’s leading new music ensemble — perform at the Craven Creek Music Festival in the Old Barn at Kingfisher, Rookhurst, near Gloucester in regional NSW. Founded in 1995 and led by Artistic Director and percussionist Claire Edwardes OAM, Ensemble Offspring commission more new Australian music than almost any other group in the country. The programme A Sense of Place features the ensemble’s core line-up — Véronique Serret (violin), Lamorna Nightingale (flutes), Jason Noble (clarinets) — alongside Claire Edwardes on marimba, vibraphone and percussion, with guests Heather Lindsay (cello) and Guy Noble (narrator). Music made for a barn. Music made for a broadcast.
17 May — Epic Diva: Selby & Friends
Kathryn Selby’s acclaimed chamber series brings a high-calibre piano quartet to the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Barton. The programme draws together three works of very different character: Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 — one of the cornerstone works of the chamber repertoire — Fauré’s refined and elegant chamber writing, and a work by Australian composer Matthew Hindson. Violinist Elizabeth Layton, violist Isabella Bignasca, cellist Julian Smiles, and Kathryn Selby at the piano make for a formidable combination. Bignasca, currently on a fellowship at Carnegie Hall in New York, brings genuine international currency to the ensemble.
24 May — A Double Bill: Heavenly & The Faithful Shepherd
Two choral concerts close the month, each from a different Canberra church and a different choral tradition.
Heavenly comes from SCUNA — the ANU Choral Society — one of Canberra’s most inclusive and energetic choirs, drawing members from the ANU community and beyond. With soprano soloists Lauren Ashman and Lily Nguyen, flautist Natalie Iles-Buchbach, cellist Zachary Connor, pianist Anthony Smith, and conductor Veronica Thwaites-Brown, the programme surveys choral music across the centuries in the welcoming acoustic of All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie.
The Faithful Shepherd presents the Canberra Choral Society in a programme of 19th and 20th-century choral works performed at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka. The cast reads beautifully: Rachel Mink (soprano), AJ America (mezzo), Charles Hudson (tenor), Alasdair Stretch (baritone), and Callum Tolhurst-Close at the organ. Music to lift the spirits — the brief says so, and you’ll find no argument here.
31 May — Ignite: The National Capital Orchestra
The month closes with the National Capital Orchestra (NCO) in the Snow Concert Hall — Canberra’s dedicated classical concert venue. The programme pairs Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns with a work by Australian composer Natalie Williams, whose music has been performed by orchestras from the Sydney Symphony to the Atlanta Opera and who has a particular connection to Canberra through two commissions with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Ignite is an apt title: a programme designed to send you out into the winter night with music ringing in your ears.
Concert Hall airs on ArtSound FM. Check artsound.fm for broadcast times and listen-again details.
