I am looking forward to working with Salut Baroque for the first time in May - having long known of their recordings and long history in Australia. These performances in May will feature a great mix of vocal and instrumental works by Bach, Handel, Purcell, Lambert, Buxtehude, Monteverdi and more!

From the Salut Baroque website

The Influencers

Expectations were high for salaried composers during the Baroque period. Constant demands for new repertoire required inspiration and creativity as well as talent. Influence ebbed and flowed between composers, nations, styles and beliefs. Bach was inspired by his devoutness and his vast collection of other composers’ works; Handel reinvented himself between German, Italian and English styles, depending on where he was living and what was fashionable; Purcell loved theatrical spectacle; and Rameau was fascinated by the exploration of culture from abroad. In turn, our curious composers influenced generations of musicians to continually discover new horizons of musical creativity.

Andrew O’Connor (Bass-Baritone), Sally Melhuish (Recorder), Jane Downer (Baroque Oboe, Recorder), Meg Cohen (Baroque Violin), Julia Russoniello (Baroque Violin), Karina Schmitz (Baroque Viola), Suzie Kim (Baroque Viola), Tim Blomfield (Baroque Cello), Simon Martyn-Ellis (Theorbo), Monika Kornel (Harpsichord)

Program

Avison – Concerto No. 5 in D minor
Bach – Aria Ich habe genug from Cantata BWV 82
Biber – Battalia in D major, C61
Handel – Aria O ruddier than the cherry
Locke – Lilk; Curtain Tune; Rustick Air; Minoit
Vivaldi – Aria Se il cor Guerriero
Buxtehude – Sonata; Vulnerasti cor meum
Rameau – Air pour les esclaves africains; Tambourins I-II; Air pour l’adoration de soleil; Air pour les Sauvages
Lambert – Ma bergère est tendre et fidèle
Telemann – Concerto in G major for Viola, TWV 51:G9
Purcell – Aria What Power Art Thou?
Monteverdi – Damigella tutta bella

Friday 3 May 2024, 7.30pm
Wesley Church, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, Canberra

Sunday 5 May 2024, 3.00pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

I will be (re)joining The Song Company for three major projects in its 40th Anniversary Season in 2024 - and the first of these is Superbloom with guest director Jane Sheldon.

Touring from 1-10 March in Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra, Sydney, and to the Orange Chamber Music Festival.

From The Song Company Website:

"Superbloom" is the phenomenon in which the desert landscape receives an unusual season of rain such that the next spring brings forth carpets of rare displays of flowers. Immerse yourself in this magical and musical "Superbloom" - a program of rare works for unaccompanied voices that draws parallels between the stark beauty of the arid desert and the lush abundance brought by the wet season.

Acclaimed Australian-American soprano and composer Jane Sheldon makes her Guest Directorial debut with The Song Company. Her artistry has created a musical journey that connects historical compositional giants such as Hildegard von Bingen and Carlo Gesualdo with contemporary composers Rebecca Saunders, Chaya Czernowin and James Weeks. Plus, be among the first to experience a brand-new work composed by the talented Jane Sheldon herself.

The Song Company has been captivating audiences with adventurous programming for 40 years. Join Australia's world-class vocal ensemble for this unforgettable experience that celebrates both the resilience of the desert and the creativity of the human spirit.

Superbloom Tour Dates & Ticket Links

Newcastle
Fri 1 March, 6pm
Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, Newcastle

Wollongong
Sat 2 March, 3pm
St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong

Canberra
Sun 3 March, 3pm
Wesley Music Centre, Ainslie

Sydney
Thu 7 March, 7pm
Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House 
 
Orange
Sat 9 March, 11am
Orange Chamber Music Festival 
Holy Trinity Church, Orange

Chatswood
Sun 10 March, 3pm
Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Church, Chatswood

MUSIC OF BRITTEN, SAARIAHO AND GYGER

9-15 June
Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and online

The Song Company's second program Songs of Rosa Mystica, led by Guest Music Director Jack Symonds, is a program of contemporary masterworks for unaccompanied voices. From Elliott Gyger's mighty 1994 work Ficta, through excepts of Benjamin Britten's A.M.D.G. and works by Tippett, Saariaho and Symonds himself, The Song Company will challenge your perception of what the human voice is capable.

Susannah Lawergren, Amy Moore, Jessica O'Donoghue, Timothy Reynolds, Simon Lobelson and Andrew O'Connor

GUEST MUSIC DIRECTOR

Jack Symonds

WITH

Ben Carey, Sound Designer

COMPOSERS

Elliott Gyger, Benjamin Britten, Jack Symonds, Michael Tippett, Kaija Saariaho

It‘s a little hard to believe but in just under three weeks I‘ll be singing my first concerts to a real-life audience since 14 March. Looking forward to travelling to Canberra and joining Luminescence Chamber Singers for a program of Tallis, Stanhope, Pärt, Shaw and more - Performing 3 & 4 October at the Wesley Music Centre. Details and tickets available here: https://bit.ly/2FyzLiC

Exile Lamentations

7:00pm, 3 October, Wesley Uniting Church, CANBERRA
5:00pm, 4 October, Wesley Uniting Church, CANBERRA

PROGRAM

Arvo Pärt, An Den Wassern Zu Babel

Thomas Tallis, Lamentations of Jeremiah

Paul Stanhope, Exile Lamentations

Meta Cohen, Sim Shalom

Caroline Shaw, And the Swallow

ARTISTS

Chloe Lankshear, Soprano
Veronica Milroy, Soprano
AJ America, Mezzo Soprano
Anna Szabo, Mezzo Soprano
Dan Walker, Tenor
Andrew O'Connor, Bass
Andrew Fysh, Bass

TICKETS