Concert Hall
Concert Hall
Canberra classical concert performances
The best of Canberra performances of all forms of classical music performed by local and international solo instruments, voices, ensembles, orchestras, and choirs at such venues as the ANU School of Music, the Wesley Music Centre, the National Gallery, the National Library, and local churches.
Airs Sundays at 8pm and Wednesdays at 2pm.
June 2024
2nd Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby play string quartets of Mendelssohn and Brahms at All Saints Church, Ainslie.
9th Die Schone Mullerin — Melbourne-born, London-based tenor Brenton Spiteri and Melbourne pianist Andrea Katz perform Schubert’s popular song cycle in an Art Song Canberra concert at the Wesley Music Centre.
16th Bach’s St John Passion — a spectacular performance by the Canberra Bach Ensemble in St Christopher’s Cathedral with an excellent group of soloists including Richard Butler as Evangelist. The ensemble has been performing in Leipzig this month as part of Bachfest.
23rd Firebird — the National Capital Orchestra conducted by Louis Sharpe presents Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with soloist Mia Stanton, two works by Canberra composers and Stravinsky’s much-loved Firebird Suite. From the Q Theatre, Queanbeyan.
30th Of Stupendous Magnitude and Melody — the ANU Choral Society, conducted by Matthew Stuckings and Judy Clingan, celebrates its 60th birthday at St Phillip’s Church, O’Connor.
July 2024
7th Luminaries — Selby & Friends, with Kathryn Selby on piano, provide a fine farewell to the Goldner Quartet. They play two favourite piano quintets, Mozart’s arrangement of his Piano Concerto, No. 12 in A Major and Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57, as well as Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1. A treat for the capacity audience in the Farifax Theatre at the National Gallery of Australia.
14th Prayers and Lamentations — Oriana Chorale, led by Dan Walker, performs the Tallis Lamentations and a chamber version of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms as well as works of Panufnik and Lili Boulanger at All Saints Church, Ainslie. After that, Baroque at Craven Creek, music for violin, cello and flute from the Old Barn at Kingfisher near Gloucester.
21st Romantic Masters — tenor Andrew Goodwin and pianist Roland Peelman take the Canberra audience on an enchanting journey with music of Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Tosti in an Art Song Canberra concert. A special highlight is their performance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe.
28th From Little Things — Young people from the Woden Valley Youth Choir join with Djinama Yilaga choir from the Yuin community down the coast to sing about our home, our land, our sky, our people. From the Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston as part of the 2023Canberra International Music Festival.
Previously on Concert Hall:
May 2024
5 & 8 The Lord is My Faithful Shepherd —the Canberra Bach Ensemble perform three Bach cantatas (BWV 104, 85, 112) and the exquisite Mass in F in St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka.
12 & 15 Tribute to Oliver — an extraordinary musical salute to Oliver Raymond who has just retired after being President of Art Song Canberra since 1995. Delivered by many wonderful singers and accompanists including Christina Wilson and Alan Hicks, Sonia Anfiloff, AJ America and Roland Peelman, Louise Page and Phillipa Candy. An ArtSong Canberra concert at the Wesley Music Centre.
19 & 22 Afternoon at the Craven Creek Music Festival 2023 — top musicians playing the Octet for strings and winds of Jean Francaix and Beethoven’s Septet in E flat major. Recorded in the Old Barn at Kingfisher, Gloucester.
26 & 29 At the Pleasure of the Player — a recital of Renaissance and Baroque music by harpsichordist Peter Hagen at the Greenaway Studio.
April 2024
7 & 10 Trios for 4 — Apeiron Baroque led by John Ma explores the baroque repertoire from Uccelini to Telemann and Handel in at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
14 & 17 Expressionist Impressions — soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Katherine Day explore present an eclectic and beguiling selection of vocal and piano music from the last two decades. An ArtSong Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
21 & 24 Magic Eight — winds, voices and strings with weird and wonderful music by Stravinsky, Norgard and Schubert in the Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston as part of last year’s Canberra International Music Festival.
28 & May 1 Golden Blues — Selby & Friends play trios and duos of Beethoven, Pärt, Schumann , Dvorak and more at the Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia.
March 2024
3 & 6 First, Ny No Means Last — Selby & Friends with music of Paul Schoenfield and Brahms at the Fairfax theatre, National Gallery of Australia. Then a Wesley Lunchtime concert from the RMC Band Woodwiind Group.
10 & 13 American Melodies —the National Capital Orchestra conducted by Louis Sharp presents music of Aaron Copland and Florence Price plus James Grant’s Tuba Concerto at the Albert Hall.
17 & 20 As a Flower Unfurls — Luminescence Chamber Singers celebrate the arrival of spring with music old and new at All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie. Also the first part of Martin Rein’s Organ Recital at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
24 & 27 Old Friends with Apeiron Baroque on period instruments in the Wesley Uniting Church. Then the rest of Martin Rein’s Recital on the Wesley organ.
31 (& April 3) The Children’s Crusade with the Luminescence Children’s Choir and duo pianists Edward and Stephanie Neeman in the Fitters’ Workshop at the 2023 Canberra International Music Festival. They start with Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and move on to works by Berthold Brecht and Benjamin Britten.
February 2024
4 & 7 Chopin — a Wesley lunchtime concert by pianist Mrk Jurkiewicz. Then the first part of Baroque Treasures with Baroctopus, another performance at the Wesley Music Centre.
11 & 14 America Sings — mezzo AJ America and pianist Roland Peelman explore the development of the American art song from Stephen Foster onwards. An Art Song Canberra recital at the Wesley Music Centre.
18 & 21 Bach Barton, Brodsky. The Brodsky Quartet and William /Barton (voice/didgeridoo) perform music of Bach, Barton, Andrew Ford and Franz Schubert in the Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston as part of last year’s Canberra International Music Festival.
25 & 28 Boyd Meets Girl — guitarist Rupert Boyd was back home from New York with his wife, cellist Laura Metcalf for this delightful recital at the Wesley Music Centre. Then over to Baroctopus for the rest of Baroque Treasures.
January 2023
7 & 10 Best of 2023 — highlights from last year’s concerts in and around Canberra.
14 & 17 The Lord is My Faithful Shepherd — the Canberra Bach Ensemble celebrate Advent with three Bach cantatas (BWV 104, 85, 112) and the exquisite Mass in F in St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka.
21 & 24 Touches of Sweet Harmony — the works of William Shakespeare are rich with reference to songs, singing and the power of music. His words have been crafted by composers into a vast treasury of songs. Those selected by mezzo Chrsitina Wilson and pianist Alan Hicks range from Elizabethan, through inspired German and French translations, to contemporary English and Australian settings. An Art Song Canberra recital at the Wesley Music Centre.
28 & 31 The Limestone Consort on period instruments at the Wesley Music Centre. Ariana Odermatt and James Porteus were the soloists in Bach’s Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C minor BWV 1060. Then the Canberra Sinfonia presents Vivaldi Recomposed, written by Max Richter in 2012 in Wesley Church.
December 2023
3 & 6 An Italian Christmas with Luminescence Chamber Singers and Children’s
Choir and the Phoenix Collective Quartet directed by Roland Peelman. A selection of Renaissance motets and Vivaldi’s Gloria in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
10 & 13 Christmas in Ukraine with the Phoenix Collective Quartet performing music of Vivaldi, Arvo Pärt and Tchaikovsky and traditional Nordic tunes in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
17 & 20 Christmas Classics with Luminescence, the Chamber Singers and Children’s Choir directed by Roland Peelman in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. You will hear some of the most beautiful carols and Yuletide songs, old and new, from around the world.
24 & 27 Christmas Eve Special featuring Agnikana’s Group with Music for Inner Peace, inspired by Sri Chimnoy. Then the Oriana Chorale celebrate Midsummer with music from the 11th century to the present day at Yhuuramalum (Canberra Girls Grammar School Lakeside Facility).
31 (& Dec 3) Recital by the Ukrainian-born master pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk. From this year’s Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston. He starts with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and moves on to Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, Brahms and Saint-Saens.
November 2023
5 (& 8) Too Many Strings? No, two viola d’amores doubled the delight in this attractive recital by Apeiron Baroque. It featured four viola players led by John Ma and harpsichordist Maria Searles at the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then Harmonious Contrasts, a Wesley lunchtime concert from young pianist Angela Zhu.
12 (& 15) Of Fairies and Fools — a wondrous exploration of rustic folk tales ad elf-like fantasy featuring a Schuman trio for clarinet, viola and piano, Dvorak’s Moravian Duets, Janacek’s Nursery Rhymes and Village Idiot by Elena Kats-Chernin. Another winner from this year’s Canberra International Music Festival at the Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston.
19 (& 22) Dark and Luminous Night — a very successful joint venture between the Oriana Chorale (a chamber choir) and Phoenix Collective (string quartet and piano). There was great variety with arrangements of popular music by Depeche Mode, pieces by Ola Gjeilo, Rachmaninov, Elgar, and Ella Macens and some traditional Scandinavian music for strings. Recorded in the Larry Sitsky Recital Room at the ANU School of Music.
26 (& 28) Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby play serenades for strings by Elgar and Tchaikovsky at All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie.
October 2023
1 (& 4) Women Who Move the Heart, an Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre. Soprano Sonia Anfiloff and Alan Hicks (piano) focused on female composers and poets, performing Emily Dickinson songs by Aaron Copeland, some of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and songs by Amy Beach.
8 (& 11) Ballads from Chopin to today. Canberra’s master pianist Edward Neeman explores the origins of the piano ballade in two of Chopin’s groundbreaking works and continues with the composers who followed in Chopin’s footsteps. The concert from the Wesley Music Centre includes the heartfelt Grieg Ballade Op. 24, as well as late Romantic ballades by Amy Beach and Ignaz Friedman. And there’s more with premieres of two contemporary works.
15 (& 18) B.A.C.H. — In this concert of musical cyphers, Luminescence Chamber Singers join forces with guest artist Anna Freer (violin/voice) to perform Bach’s monumental Partita no.2 in D Minor, interwoven with some of Bach’s most beloved chorales and masterworks by earlier composers. The concert culminates in a new arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne – a setting for voices and violin that reveals a tapestry of references to chorales buried in the bones of the Chaconne. Recorded at the Drill Hall Gallery.
22 (& 25) Three Stages of Man — Selby & Friends (Kathy Selby, Susie Park and Timo-Veikko Valve) play duos and trios by Ravel, Brahms and Rachmaninov, all composed between 1880 and 1922 — a period of transition. Recorded at the Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia.
29 (& Nov 1) The Art of the Baritone — South African baritone Christian Bester has an international reputation.as an opera singer. While visiting Canberra this year and in 2017 he joined forces with pianist Hilda Visser-Scott and explored repertoire of Wagner, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Gounod and much more in two recitals at the Wesley Music Centre.
September 2023
3 Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby present string quintets by Mendelssohn and Brahms. Then experience the joy of youth choirs with highlights from the 2023 Canberra International Music Festival’s From Little Things in the Fitters’ Workshop.
10 Queen of Heaven — the female vocal ensemble Polifemy directed by Robyn Mellor with plainchant and wonderful 15th and 16th century music by Dufay, Josquin, Palestrina, Lassus, Obrecht and more. Then it is over to pianist Stuart Long playing Chopin in a Wesley Lunchtime concert.
17 Sibling Revelry — An intriguing concert from this year’s Canberra International Music Festival featuring music of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Lili and Nadia Boulanger, and twins Martin and Peter Wesley-Smith.
24 An Afternoon Recital by the Sydney organist Titus Grenyer at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Forrest. Also Sweep of History, a Wesley Lunchtime concert. Robyn Mellor with harpsichord accompaniment by Ariana Odermatt who demonstrate how recorder music has changed since the !7th century.
August 2023
6 Touches of Sweet Harmony, an Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre. Christina Wilson (mezzo-soprano) and Alan Hicks (piano) perform songs by Arne, Grainger, Brahms, Saint-Saëns and more.
13 Brodsky at 50 – the Brodsky Quartet celebrates its special birthday with a selection of musical treats from Borodin to Shostakovich at the 2023 Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop.
20 Iconic Fathers — Selby & Friends (Kathy Selby, Natalie Chee and Julian Smiles) play piano trios by Haydn, Schoenberg and Dvorak, three composers whose influence exploded musical precedents to pave a new path forward. Recorded at the Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia.
27 Coming Home — Canberra Choral Society and instrumental ensemble present an attractive program of contemporary music by Sally Whitwell, Ola Gjeilo and more. The highlight for many was the world premiere of Dan Walker’s The Last Migration, a setting of A.D. Hope’s poem, The Death of the Bird. Then Homecoming, a Wesley Lunchtime concert by oboist/recorder player Jane Downer and harpsichordist Ariana Odermatt.
July 2023
2 A Matter of Heritage — Selby & Friends play duos and piano trios by Halvorsen, Debussy, Westlake and Smetana in the Fairfax Theatre at the National Gallery of Australia.
9 The Time of Roses — Mezzo-soprano Jill Sullivan and pianist Donna Balson present some of their favourite songs. An Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
16 Trios for 4 — Apeiron Baroque led by John Ma explores the baroque repertoire from Uccelini to Telemann and Handel in at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
23 The Mozarts, the Haydns and the Bear —the Australian Haydn Ensemble with singers Andrew Goodwin and Jacqueline Porter in the opening concert of the recent Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop.
30 Two concerts from the Luminescence Chamber Singers. First the three women present Dolce Cantavi in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then it’s the full choir with Of the Body at All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie.
June 2023
4 Phoenix Collective presents Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then it’s A Walk in the Park, a Wesley Wednesday Lunchtime Concert. Soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Stuart Long take us back to the times of Schubert and Schumann.
11 Haydn’s The Seasons, a joint venture by Canberra Choral Society and the National Capital Orchestra conducted by Louis Sharpe in Llewellyn Hall. The soloists are Sarahlouise Owens, Ryan O’Donnell and Sitiveni Talei with Laura Tingle as narrator.
18 Songs Under the Southern Cross — The Song Company in a breathtaking program of Australian a cappella works by Ross Edwards and Anne Boyd, paired with J.S. Bach’s monumental motet Jesu Meine Freude. Recorded at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then a Wesley Lunchtime Concert Music for Piano and Winds Mozart and Beethoven.
25 Highlights from last month’s Canberra International Music Festival — this year’s theme was ‘The Child Within’. Special Guests include the Brodsky Quartet (celebrating their 50th anniversary), William Barton, the Djinama Village Choir, the Alma Moodie and Van Kuijk Quartets and Ukranian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk. From the Fitters’ Workshop.
May 2023
7 Primavera – songs of passion and soil from soprano Sarah Mann and pianist Ella Luhtasaari. An Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre. Also some short recital by students from the ANU School of Music, recorded in COVID times.
14 East/West Fusion from the Phoenix Collective Quartet performing at All Saints Church, Ainslie.
21 Duo de Fesch— Peter Hagen (harpsichord) and Niels Bijl (soprano saxophone) explore the baroque repertoire at the Greenaway Studio in Chapman. Then pianist Sam Row plays works of Piazzolla and Granados at a Wesley Lunchtime concert.
28 Local concert highlights from 2022
April 2023
2 Handel’s Messiah (part 1) — Canberra Choral Society’s stirring performance with soloists Susannah Lawergren, Stephanie Dillon, Andrew Goodwin and Andrew Fysh and conductor Graeme Morton. Recorded in Llewellyn Hall. Then Forever Nearer Yet, a brief post-COVID recital by local chamber choir, Oriana Chorale.
9 Handel’s Messiah (parts 2 & 3)— continued from last week.
16 The Last Mile — the final concert from last year’s Canberra international Music Festival starring Larissa Kovalchuk, the Australian Haydn Ensemble, the New Zealand String Quartet and more in the Fitters’ Workshop.
23 Music in the Morning with Duo Histoire — Nick Russoniello (saxophone) and Murilo Tanouye (guitar) in the Old Barn at last year’s Craven Creek Music Festival near Gloucester. Then A Night in Buenos Aries with the Phoenix Collective at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
30 Tributes and Legacies — Selby & Friends play piano trios of Ravel, Mendelssohn and Schumann in Llewellyn Hall.
March 2023
5 (& 8) In the Shadow of War – Selby & Friends perform piano trios by Matthew Hindson, Dmitri Shostakovich and Franz Schubert. The surprising connection is that of wartime conflict and how it influenced each composer. A concert from Llewellyn Hall, Canberra.
12 (& 15) Brahms Second Symphony is the major work in the National Capital Orchestra’s November concert at the Q, Queanbeyan. Teresa Rabe is the soloist in Elena Kats-Chernin’s flute concerto.
19 (& 22) Pilgrimage — Liszt responded to the thrills of his early concert travels with extraordinarily evocative music bundled in no less than three books of ‘Years of Pilgrimage’. New Zealand baritone James Ioelu returns for Vaughan-Williams’s beloved Songs of Travel before Lucas Krupinski resumes his place at the piano for Ravel’s epic Viennese dance. Another concert from the Fitters’ Workshop at the 2022 Canberra international Music Festival.
26 (& 29) Goldner String Quartet playing in the tin shed at the Craven Creek Music Festival (near Gloucester). Their program included evocative pieces by Australian and New Zealand composers and concluded with the power and beauty of Robert Schumann’s String Quartet No.3 in A major.
February 2023
5 (& 8) Wesley Lunchtime Concerts — First Postcards with violinist Lucy Macourt, pianist Ronan Apcar and cellist James Monro. Then exciting young pianist Charles Huang plays Bach and Beethoven.
12 (& 15) The Time of Roses — mezzo-soprano Jill Sullivan and pianist Donna Balson present some of their favourite songs. An Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
19 (& 22) Notes of Obsession — the Phoenix Collective Quartet, led by Dan Russell, pairs Jánaček’s String Quartet no. 2 with Schubert’s magnificent Death and the Maiden. Janacek subtitled his work ‘Intimate Letters’. It depicts his relationship with Kamila Stösslová, a married woman 38 years his junior with whom he had become obsessed and maintained a lengthy correspondence. This recital was recorded at All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie.
26 (& 29) Choral Opposites — Three choirs (Luminescence, Kompactus and Oriana) singing contemporary works alone and in combination in the exciting acoustics of the Fitters’ Workshop. Another fine concert from last year’s Canberra international Music Festival.
January 2023
1 (& 4) Concert highlights from 2022
8 (& 11) A Stone of Hope – the exciting California State University Choir in concert at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
15 (& 18) An English Lark – starring violinist Kristian Winther playing Vaughan Williams, tenor Andrew Goodwin singing A Shropshire Lad and Jonathan Biggins as speaker in Walton’s Façade. Another great concert from the 2022 Canberra international Music Festival.
22 (& 25) Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby play Mendelssohn’s Octet at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
29 (& Feb 1). Women by Women – Soprano Greta Claringbould and recorder player Robyn Mellor join the Limestone Consort in Haydon Hall, Manuka to present baroque works by female composers. Then we hear from pianist Sam Row from a Wesley Lunchtime concert playing mainly Ravel.
29 (& Feb 1). Women by Women – Soprano Greta Claringbould and recorder player Robyn Mellor join the Limestone Consort in Haydon Hall, Manuka to present baroque works by female composers. Then we hear from pianist Sam Row from a Wesley Lunchtime concert playing mainly Ravel.
December 2022
4th Apcar’s Holland — Canberra Sinfonia with pianist Ronan Apcar premiere music by Dulcie Holland, Christopher Gordon and Bobby Ge in Wesley Uniting Church. Then join local accordionist Anton Wurzer in a Wesley Lunchtime Concert of original tunes, inspired by jazz, folk and gypsy music.
11th La Polonaise— another spectacular concert from this year’s Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop. Poland’s proudest dance form, the Polonaise, found its definitive expression in the hands of Chopin. An equally distinctive voice emerged one hundred years later in the works of the prodigiously gifted Grażyna Bacewicz. Her first piano quintet is one of Poland’s greatest pieces of chamber music. Poland’s rising star pianist Lucas Krupinski starts with Chopin before joining forces with the boys of the Orava String Quartet, aptly named after their family’s Polish origins.
18th Christmas 2021 with Luminescence — The Children’s and Chamber Choirs performed Love is Born and Christmas Classics, two delightful concerts directed by AJ America and Roland Peelman and co-presented by the Canberra International Music Festival in Wesley Uniting Church.
25th No program
November 2022
6h Mozart Concerto Gala — the chamber group Canberra Sinfonia performs Mozart’s violin concert and his very popular concerto for flute and harp in Wesley Uniting Church.
13th More from Wesley — Albury organist James Flores gives a recital of favourite works from Bach to Flor Peeters. Then we move from the church to the Music Centre for a Wesley Lunchtime Concert, Degrees of Separation, from John Ma who has recently returned to Canberra. He explores lesser-known repertoire for baroque violin, viola and viola d’amore.
20th The Great Divide — Canberra’s favourite vocal ensemble, the Luminescence Chamber Singers, dazzle the audience at this year’s Canberra International Music Festival with their performance of cantigas from 13th and 16th century Spain. Then some contrasting Cold War music. First London-based clarinettist Jason Nobel plays Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint (1985). Finally, the exciting young Orava String Quartet takes the stage at the Fitters’ Workshop for String Quartet no. 6 (1956) of Dmitri Shostakovich.
27th Attune — Canberra Choral Society celebrates its 70th birthday with three of Handel’s coronation anthems (including Zadok the Priest) and world premieres of exciting new works by Canberra composer Michael Dooley and Sydney-based Ella Macens. Conductor Dan Walker encouraged choir and orchestra in a fine performance at the Canberra Girls’ Grammar School Hall.
October 2022
2nd In Transit — a harp recital by Emily Granger at the Greenaway Studio. Then Romantic Classics with tenor Andrew Goodwin and pianist John Martin. An Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
9th The Archduke. Selby & Friends (Kathryn Selby, Dimity Hall and Julian Smiles) play works by Miriam Hyde and Beethoven in Llewellyn Hall.
16th The B Factor — Pianists Edward and Stephanie Neeman and two string quartets (Alma Moodie and New Zealand) impress the audience at this year’s Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop with music of Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok and (Amy) Beach.
23rd Canberra Strings perform string sextets by Richard Strauss and Johannes Brahms at the Wesley Uniting Church.
30th Two Worlds — Chamber choir Oriana Chorale celebrates the story of Australia’s First Nations people with choral music of Stephen Leek, Gordon Hamilton, Michael Atherton, Peter Sculthorpe and Dan Walker, as well as a specially commissioned work by Chris Sainsbury and Darryl Griffen. Flautist Sally Walker provides flute interludes by Ross Edwards. Recorded in the Drill Hall Gallery at ANU.
September 2022
4th Il Divino Claudio presents some of the glorious vocal music of Claudio Monteverdi and his contemporaries. An Ad Hoc Baroque concert from St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka with Greta Carlingbould, Maartje Sevenster, Rachel Walker and Peter Young. Then Wish List, with soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Ronan Apcar, offers music of Richard Strauss, Duparc and Canteloube in a Wesley lunchtime concert.
11th Entr’acte — the Ellery String Quartet (Brad Tham, Anika Chan, Yona Su and James Monro) play Greig’s first quartet and arrangements of Nordic folk music by the Danish String Quartet. Another concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
18th Kia Ora Kiwi uniquely combines string-quartet culture with the ancient sounds of Maori instruments. Horomona Horo, one of the gentle giants of Māori music on the international stage, joins with the New Zealand String Quartet to tell the story of New Zealand music over the centuries. A fascinating and diverse concert from this year’s Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Workshop.
25thPiano Virtuosi — Pianist Aaron Chew, who has just lodged his doctoral thesis at ANU, dazzles the Wesley lunchtime concert audience with some of his favourite music. Then Bernice Chua, who was the 2015 ACT Young Virtuoso of the Year and is now a student at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, displays her brilliance in a concert at the Wesley Music Centre with fellow student Caitlan Rinaldy.
August 2022
7th Winter Concert — heart-warming music to brighten the day from the Wesley Music Scholars. Then a Wesley lunchtime concert, Across Oceans (popular songs of the early 20th century) with singers Madeline Anderson and Maike Brill and pianist Hilda Visser-Scott.
14th Limestone Consort with guest soprano Greta Claringbould explore 17th and early 18th century repertoire. A concert from Haydon Hall, Manuka. Then another Wesley lunchtime concert from the young pianist Damien Ruan.
21st Canberra International Music Festival 2022 — Chad Kelly on fortepiano begins this concert, Death and the Maiden, with a delicate historically informed performance of music by Haydn and his contemporaries. Then the Alma Moodie String Quartet play Schubert’s much-loved String Quartet no. 14 in the Fitters’ Workshop.
28th Enlightenment —the Phoenix Collective Quartet premieres the title work by Sally Whitwell, continuing with Mendelssohn’s 2nd String Quartet and the 3rd String Quartet of Shostakovich at the Wesley Music Centre.
July 2022
3rd Two concerts from the Wesley Music Centre. First The Romance of the Flute and Piano with Sarah Nielsen and Emily Leong presenting music of the early 20th and late 19th century. Then a Wednesday lunchtime concert from pianist Jacob Wu.
10th Schubert and Schiller — tenor Koen van Stade and Neal Peres da Costa on fortepiano present Schubert’s settings of Schiller’s dramatic poetry as they might have sounded when performed in the early 19th century. An Art Song Canberra concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
17th Two Wesley lunchtime concerts. First it is pianist Mark Jurkiewicz with the Air of Poland (music of Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt). Then Mozart & Friends, a Wesley lunchtime concert of trios and duets for clarinet, violin, viola cello and piano in various combinations.
24th Canberra International Music Festival 2022 — the opening concert, a splendid chamber version of Haydn’s Creation by the Australian Haydn Ensemble, the Sydney Chamber Choir and soloists Alexandra Oomens (soprano), Andrew Goodwin (tenor) and James Ioelu (baritone) in the Fitters’ Workshop.
31st The Juliet Letters — a song cycle created by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet in 1992. Another intriguing concert from the Phoenix Collective Quartet.
June 2022
5th The National Capital Orchestra with conductor Louis Sharpe presents Dvorak’s Cello Concerto with favourite local soloist James Monro and music of Dulcie Holland, Samuel Barber and Franz Liszt at the Q in Queanbeyan.
12th Much Ado About Nothing — a charming program of brilliant chamber music for violin (Dan Russell) and piano (Edward Neeman). It includes Erich Korngold’s quirky piece that gives this concert its name and a Mozart Sonata. Another concert from the Wesley Music Centre.
19th Highlights from last month’s Canberra International Music Festival in the Fitters’ Worlkshop.
26th Espana el Vito, the Spirit of Spain and Tango — a spell-binding evening of classical, flamenco, tango and jazz favourites with pianist Nicholas Young and ten-string guitarist Matthew Fagan at the Wesley Music Centre.
May 2022
1st Fragrance in the Air — tenor Andrew Goodwin and pianist Daniel de Borah explore art song of Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov at the Wesley Music Centre, Forrest.
8th Piano recital by Calvin Abdiel, the third prize winner and best Australian pianist of the 2021 Sydney International Piano Competition at the Greenaway Studio, Chapman.
15th Piazzolla, a Century of Tango —The Storytellers Ensemble focus on the vocal music of Astor Piazzolla and his contemporaries in an Art Song Canberra concert at the Wesley Music Centre.
22nd Cembali —Ariana Odermatt and James Porteous join the Liimestone Consort to perform two works for two harpsichords and more at the Wesley Music Centre. Then harpist Emily Granger and guitarist Andrew Blanch combine forces for a short recital in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
29th Tchaikovsky— Canberra Strings present his first String Quartet in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then pianist Sam Row plays music of Debussy and Ravel in a Wesley lunchtime concert entitled Siècles Insistent Pour Changer.
April 2022
3rd Stabat Mater V — soprano Greta Claringbould, alto Maartje Sevenster, organist Peter Young and friends perform a Telemann cantata and J S Bach’s version of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
10th Schubert Sublime — Two wonderful concerts (a string quartet, songs and a piano trio) from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival at the Fitters’ Workshop.
17th Christe, du Lamm Gottes — the Canberra Bach Ensemble, led by Andrew Koll, presents three cantatas and Bach’s Mass in F major in St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka.
24th Darkness and Light —Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet and Beethoven’ s String Quartet in A minor Op. 132 with the Phoenix Collective String Quartet in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
March 2022
6th Tchaikovsky— Canberra Strings perform the String Sextet in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then Stuart Long showcases French piano music in a Wesley lunchtime concert.
13th Jupiter: Pièces de Clavecin — harpichordist Ariana Odermatt plays Couperin, Bach and more at the Wesley Music Centre.
20th Magnificat — Luminescence Chamber Singers perform great works by Mouton, Fayrfax, Desprez, Parsons and Praetorius in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
27th Haydn and Wagner — Canberra Sinfonia directed by Leonard Weiss in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
February 2022
6th Tempora Mutantur — the Australian Haydn Ensemble with fortepianist Erin Helyard dazzles with works by Boccherini, Mozart and Haydn in the Albert Hall. Then a delightful Wesley lunchtime concert from the Music Academy of Canberra Girls Grammar School.
13th Bright Star, an Art Song Canberra concert from local soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Ronan Apcar. Then another Wesley lunchtime concert with violinist Mila Haydon and pianist Anthony Smith.
20th The Ivory Quartet in concert in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Bernice Chua, Brad Tham, Yona Su and James Monro play works by Beethoven, Alfred Hill, Max Bruch and Gabriel Fauré.
27th Tales of War — the Phoenix Collective String Quartet, led by Dan Russell, plays music of Shostakovich, Barber and Hisaishi (the film score from Princess Mononoke/Studio Ghibli). Then pianist Mark Jurkiewicz plays Schubert Impromptus at a Wesley lunchtime concert.
January 2022
2nd The best of 2021
9th The Canberra Sinfonia conducted by Leonard Weiss play music of Natalie Nicolai and Lachner in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then music for viola and piano with Lucy Carrigy-Ryan and Roberto Arosio.
16th The Black Mountain Piano Quartet. play works by Beethoven and local composer Michael Hardy in All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie.
23rd Last Verses — Luminescence Chamber Singers and the Canberra Sinfonia perform Arvo Pärt’s Adam’s Lament and Last Verses by Dan Walker in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
30th The priest, the intellect, the eccentric and the pirate — The Phoenix Collective led by Dan Russell plays Vivaldi, Pandolfi, Biber, Bach and Corelli. Then Cantates in Noctem from Polifemy and Blocksounds recorders directed by Robyn Mellor. Both recorded in the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
December 2021
5th Christmas Treasures — musical delights for solo voices, strings and organ by Charpentier, Schutz, Stradella and more, performed by Adhoc Baroque (Greta Claringbould, Maartje Sevenster, Peter Young and friends) in the Chapel of Canberra Girls Grammar School.
12th The Ivory Quartet (Bernice Chua, Brad Tham, Yona Su and Janes Monro) play music of Fauré, Beethoven, Bruch and Hill in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
19th Christmas choral music —first from the Luminescence Chamber Singers in All Saints Anglican Church, Aiinslie; then Polifemy perform Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols in the version for women’s voices in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
26th Two more Wesley lunchtime concerts. First it’s pianist Sam Row with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Then piano students of Natalia display their skills.
November 2021
7th Mozart Recomposed from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival — Kristian Winther and Anna da Silva Chen play fiendish violin caprices by Paganini and others. Then the Australian Voices and Luminescence Chamber Singers perform Gordon Hamilton’s spectacular recomposed version of Mozart’s Requiem in the Fitters’ Workshop.
14th Death and the Maiden — the Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby perform Schubert quartets at the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then excerpts from recordings made by local artists (music for flute and guitar and for clarinets and bassoons) in June last year
21st The Finale from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival — Mahler’s Song of the Earth with mezzo Sally-Anne Russell and tenor Andrew Goodwin in Schoenberg’s arrangement for chamber ensemble.
28th Double Bill — two Wesley lunchtime concerts. In the first, pianist Stuart Long plays music of Vine, Prokofiev and Ginastera. Then soprano Michaella Edelstein joins pianist Robert Schmidli for Schubert lieder and lesser-known works of the American Amy Beach.
October 2021
3rd To Music — Adelaide soprano Bethany Hill and pianist Penelope Cashman in a recital of classic lieder and English art songs. An Art Song Canberra event at the Wesley Music Centre.
10th Schubert Sublime 2 from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival features his Piano Trio no. 1 in B Flat played by Kristian Winther, Rachel Johnston and Edward Neeman. The concert starts with six Schubert songs, performed by tenor Andrew Goodwin and pianist and Festival Director Roland Peelman.
17th Stabat Mater V — Ad Hoc Baroque (singers Greta Claringbould, and Maartje Sevenster, director Peter Young and strings) present two little-known baroque treasures, a Telemann cantata and Bach’s reworked version of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Recorded in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest.
24th From Russia with Love — Selby & Friends (Daniel Dodds, Timo-Veikko Valve and Kathryn Selby) play music of Scriabin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Rachmaninov at Llewellyn Hall in July 2019.
31st Mozart Recomposed from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival — Kristian Winther and Anna da Silva Chen play fiendish violin caprices by Paganini and others. Then the Australian Voices and Luminescence Chamber Singers perform Gordon Hamilton’s spectacular recomposed version of Mozart’s Requiem in the Fitters’ Workshop.
September 2021
5th Appalachian Spring & Sinclair — The Canberra Sinfonia, directed by Leonard Weiss, presents the world premiere of Rainfall of Diamonds by the young Sydney composer Chloe Sinclair plus a classic work by Aaron Copland in Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest. Then Exile: Chopin in Paris, a Wesley Lunchtime Concert by pianist Mark Jurkiewicz.
12th Dances with Cello — cellists David Pereira and Lianah Jaensch join forces with Canberra pianist Ronan Apcar for a delightful afternoon recital at the Crisp Galleries, Bowning.
19th Greatest Mozart 2 from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival. Some of Australia’s best chamber musicians play Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G Minor and his Clarinet Quintet in the Fitters’ Workshop.
26th Fate — the National Capital Orchestra directed by Louis Sharpe with young cello soloist James Monro, perform music of Mozart, Greenaway, Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at the Q.
August 2021
1st Haydn, Handel and Mozart — Canberra Sinfonia farewells its patron, soprano Louise Page, at the Wesley Uniting Church on her retirement.
8th Schubert Sublime from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival — features his String Quintet in C Major D956 at the Fitters’ Workshop. Then a version of Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night for violin, cello and piano from the Night and Dreams concert.
15th Rescheduled to September 26: Fate —the National Capital Orchestra directed by Louis Sharpe plays music of Mozart, Greenaway, Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at the Q.
22nd More from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival — First it’s Waltz to Tango featuring music by Schubert, Schultz, Kats-Chernin and Piazzolla. Then highlights from Great Hall Rising, both from the Fitters’ Workshop.
29th Tributes and Dedications — the string group, Musica da Camera, directed by Barbara Gilby plays music from Vivaldi to Janacek at the High Court of Australia.
July 2021
4th Patriot Games — Selby & Friends (Dene Olding, Julian Smiles and Kathryn Selby) play piano trios by Ross Edwards, Granados and Dvorak in Llewellyn Hall.
11th Spanisches Lieberabend — soprano Louise Keast and friends form the Queensland Conservatorium and the ANU present Spanish songs of Manuel de Falla and Hugo Wolf at the Wesley Music Centre.
18th Greatest Mozart 1 from the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival. Mozart’s flute quartet with Sally Walker sets the tone for this classic feast in the Fitters’ Workshop. For the main course, Neal Peres da Costa plays a Viennese fortepiano in the legendary 23rd Piano Concerto. Also highlights from the Opening Gala concert.
25th From the Archives — the Danish String Quartet plays music of Carl Neilsen, Piazzolla, Bach and more at the Albert Hall during the 2011 Canberra International Music Festival.
June 2021
6th Stabat Mater — Adhoc Baroque (Greta Claringbould, Maartje Sevenster, Peter Young and friends), perform vocal music of Zelenka, Graupner, Mozart and Vanhal at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka.
13th Boyd Meets Girl — guitarist Rupert Boyd teams up with cellist Laura Metcalf for a concert in the Wesley Music Centre.
20th The Australian Voices — a fine chamber choir from Brisbane directed by Gordon Hamilton explores mainly 20th century repertoire in recital at the Wesley Music Centre. Then soprano SarahLouise Owens and pianist Natalia Tkachenko present The Bishop Victoriana, a Wesley Lunchtime Concert.
27th Young Virtuosi. Today we hear from some of tomorrow’s stars. We start with a new joint venture between ArtSound and the ANU School of Music, Students in the Studio. This, the first session, features Emma Warburton (flute), Katrina Wiseman (soprano) and Ronan Apcar (piano) performing music by women composers. Then a short recital by young cellist James Monro accompanied by Anthony Smith (piano) in the Wesley Music Centre.
May 2021
2nd Papa and Sons— the Sydney Consort plays works of Johann Sebastian Bach and three of his sons for recorder, baroque violin/viola d’amore and harpsichord at the Wesley Music Centre. Then we join the Limestone Consort for music of Telemann and Albinoni from All Saints Church, Ainslie.
9th Exotic Strudel — Selby & Friends (Kathryn Selby, Susie Park and Julian Smiles) present musical treats by Turina, Block, Shostakovich and Schubert in Llewellyn Hall.
16th By Royal Favour — two Art Song Canberra concerts from the Wesley Music Centre. The first is by soprano SarahLouise Owens and pianist Natalia Tkachenko presenting favourites of Royalty of the 19th century. The second, Kaleidoscope, by soprano Jade McFaul and pianist Lucas Allerton showcases art songs of the 20th and 21st centuries.
23rd Il Divino Claudio, the magic of Monteverdi — Adhoc Baroque, directed by Peter Young, performs sacred and secular music of Monteverdi and his contemporaries for soprano, mezzo-soprano and continuo at St Paul’s Church, Manuka.
30th Schubert String Quartet in C major played by the Canberra Strings led by Barbara Jane Gilby at the Wesley Music Centre. Then over to the Limestone Consort for some Bach in All Saints Church, Ainslie.
April 2021
4th Wandering Hearts — a recital by soprano Eleanor Lyons and pianist Vladimir Fanshil (including a Kats-Chernin premiere) in the Wesley Music Centre. Also the Limestone Consort perform trio sonatas of Corelli, Hoffmann and Zelenka at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka.
11th Esperar, Sentir, Morir — soprano Roberta Diamond and baroque harpist Hannah Lane explore music of the Iberian Peninsula in a Song Company concert at the Wesley Music Centre. Then pianist Robert Schmidli plays Liszt and Rachamaninov, part of Pandemic Consolations, a Wesley Lunchtime Concert.
18th Tangos and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with soloists Barbara Jane Gilby (violin) and Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) in Wesley Uniting Church. Then the second half of Robert Schmidli’s Pandemic Consolations, a Wesley lunchtime concert with music of Rachmaninov and Bortkiewicz.
25th Maîtres de la Composition — pianist Edward Neeman and violinist Dan Russell of the Phoenix Collective paly sonatas of Ravel and Franck at the Wesley Music Centre. Also Beethoven and Friends, a Wesley Lunchtime concert for soprano, cello and piano.
March 2021
12th Tempora Mutantur — the Australian Haydn Ensemble and Erin Helyard perform works by Boccherini, Mozart and Haydn at the Albert Hall. Then Selby & Friends (Kathryn Selby, Benjamin Mellefont and Clancy Newman) play the Brahms Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello and piano at Llewellyn Hall.
14th The Unexpected Journey Back — an Art Song Canberra concert by soprano Sonia Anfiloff, pianist Kylie Loveland and violinist/violist Rowan Harvey-Martin at the Wesley Music Centre. Also Emma Warburton and pianist Ronan Apcar play a Prokofiev flute sonata at ArtSound.
21st Exile Lamentations — Luminescence Chamber Singers present music of Arvo Pärt, Thomas Tallis, Paul Stanhope, Meta Cohen and Caroline Shaw in Wesley Uniting Church. Then Monsieur Claude – pianist Stuart Long plays Debussy, a Wesley lunchtime concert.
28th Maîtres de la Composition — pianist Edward Neeman and violinist Dan Russell of the Phoenix Collective play sonatas of Ravel and Franck at the Wesley Music Centre. Also the Limestone Consort perform trio sonatas of Handel and Brescianello at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka.
February 2021
7th Last Man Standing — a solo flute recital by Sarah Grey in the foyer of the Q Theatre, Queanbeyan. Then join Polifemy (a small women’s vocal ensemble) for Reflection, music for introspection and remembrance, in Wesley Uniting Church.
14th Transfiguration — Canberra Strings play Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night in its original string sextet format and Richard Strauss’s Metamophosen at Wesley Uniting Church.
21st Aaron Chew’s PhD Recital — piano music of Liszt and Liszt/Busoni from the Wesley Music Centre.
28th The Goldfinch at Kingfisher — harpist Emily Grainger delights the audience in the tin shed at the 2019 Craven Creek Music Festival, Gloucester.
January 2021
3rd The best of 2020
10th Gillier and the Court of Louis XIV — French baroque music performed by violinist Vanessa Driver, soprano Sarahlouise Owens and harpsichordist Ariana Odermatt at the Wesley Music Centre.
17th Canberra during isolation — our wandering (masked) recordist caught up with the Luminescence Quartet, flautist Jane Rayner, Robert Schmidli, violist Lucy Carrigy-Ryan, a wind trio and a brass trio.
24th Kristian Winther and Anthony Romaniuk play works of Kurtag, Mozart, Ravel and Bartok for violin and piano at the Wesley Music Centre.
31st The Canberra Strings perform the Brahms Second Sextet in Wesley Uniting Church. Then enjoy Unique Baroque’s unusual combination of accordion and harpsichord at a Wesley lunchtime concert.
December 2020
6th Kalahari Carols — the Strange Weather Gospel Choir and the ANU Choral Society join forces to celebrate Christmas at the Botswanan High Commission. Then Ian Kummerow and Hildegarde Palafox play Music for Advent and Christmas on the organ of St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Reid.
13th Christmas Treasures — musical delights for solo voices, strings and organ by Charpentier, Schutz, Stradella and more, performed by Peter Young’s Adhoc Baroque in the Chapel of Canberra Girls Grammar School.
20th Christmas with Luminescence— the Chamber Singers and the Children’s Choir delight the audience with a variety of carols and other Christmas music at All Saints Church, Ainslie. Then the Limestone Consort plays baroque music for string trio and harpsichord at the same venue.
27th Robert Schmidli in Concert — he plays works of Schubert, Scarlatti, Beethoven and Khachaturian at the Wesley Music Centre. Then the Limestone Consort presents music of Stradella and Corelli in the rest of their concert from All Saints Church, Ainslie.
November 2020
29th Romantic and Neo-Romantic Gems performed by violinist Monica Curry and pianist Stefan Cassomenos at the Greenway Studio. Then the second half of Opera with a Twist from mezzo Hannah Fraser and pianist Alessio Nelli.
