In celebration of the 6th year of Eliza Shephard’s March of the Women project, Phoebe, Melina & Eliza present a concert full of repertoire written by Australian and international female composers.

Phoebe Green, Melina van Leeuwen and Eliza Shephard reunite to present a journey through flute, viola and harp repertoire for the third concert of Eliza Shephard’s March of the Women 2025: Collaborations.

Repertoire:
Adrienne Albert - Doppler Effect
Vivienne Olive - ...and the willows drowse and sleep...
Natalie Williams - The Chrysalis Game
Jessica Wells - Sati
Sally Beamish - Between Earth and Sea

Chamber music from the past and present, at home and overseas. Featuring premieres by Dominic Flynn and David William Murray, as well as older works by Elliott Carter, Sylvia Lim, Helen Standring, Elliott Gyger, and Leilei Tian.

Program

ELLIOTT CARTER – Shard (1997)

- Performed by Sophie Marcheff

DAVID WILLIAM MURRAY – Échancrée (2025)

- Performed by Justinn Lu and Alex Meagher

HELEN STANDRING – Sol-Jay (1976)

- Performed by Cian Malikides and Stephanie Burger

LEILEI TIAN – Melting (1998)

- Performed by Sophie Marcheff and Aditya Bhat

DOMINIC FLYNN – Cold Can (2025)

- Performed by Eliza Shephard and Alex Meagher

ELLIOTT GYGER – Quicksilver Elegy (2013)

- Performed by Eliza Shephard, Justinn Lu, Sophie Marcheff, and Aditya Bhat

SYLVIA LIM – Same but different (2021)

- Performed by Sophie Marcheff and Louis Smith

Join us for a day of wind playing and teacher PD!

The Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance warmly invites high school students, tertiary wind players and wind enthusiasts of all ages and levels to participate in a day of collaboration, conversation and masterclasses with a great line-up of inspiring artists.

We’ve got workshop activities to help you develop new techniques, practise strategies and enhanced interpretations to prepare you for performance success!

Music educators can connect with like-minded colleagues, while students benefit from feedback on VCE and AMEB repertoire, ensemble playing skills and insights from top performers and teachers.  

Presented in partnership with Clasax, and supported by D’Addario, Flutes and Flutists, Haynes, Online Virtuoso, Ozwinds and Yamaha.

BLOWING TO THE WIND

An unusual and brilliant bespoke Festival Quartet featuring ELIZA SHEPHARD, LLOYD VAN’T HOFF, MATTHEW WILKIE & MICHAEL DUKE.

And we’re also proud to present a World Premier composition by STEPHEN ADAMS, written for Eliza Shephard and winds.

PROGRAM

To be announced soon.

ARTISTS

Eliza Shephard | Flute
Lloyd Van’t Hoff | Clarinet
Matthew Wilkie | Bassoon
Michael Duke | Saxophone

TAKE TWELVE

Welcoming performers from Saturday’s Morning and Afternoon DUETS, this fabulous presentation of twelve world-class artists promises to be a feast for the senses.

PROGRAM

To be announced soon.

ARTISTS

Alexandra Osbourne | violin
Dimity Hall | violin
Harry Bennetts | violin
Jennifer Eriksson | viola da gamba
Julian Smiles | cello
Kees Boersma | double bass
Kirsty McCahon | double bass
Eliza Shephard | flute
Lloyd Van’t Hoff | clarinet
Matthew Wilkie | bassoon
Andrea Lam | piano
Louise Johnson | harp

Saturday Afternoon Duets

A sumptuous afternoon of DUETS showcasing stunning artists and their instruments. These three concerts will be fun, informative and very different.

PROGRAM

Louise Johnson & Jennifer Eriksson

Andrea Lam & Eliza Shephard
Lili BOULANGER | Nocturne
Franz SCHUBERT | Trockne Blumen

Alexandra Osborne & Harry Bennetts

ARTISTS

Louise Johnson | harp
Jenny Eriksson | viola da gamba
Andrea Lam | piano
Eliza Shephard | flute
Alexandra Osbourne | violin
Harry Bennetts | violin

In celebration of the sixth year of Eliza Shephard’s March of the Women project, Tailors presents a concert full of repertoire written by Australian and international female composers. This concert showcases the pierrot ensemble in a diverse collection of music exploring light and shade, abstract notions, and undergoes sonic exploration.

PROGRAM

Joan TOWER Petroushkates

Chen YI As Like a Raging Fire

Cathy APPLEGATE Conversations about the Impossible

Iran SANADZADEH new work (WP)

-Interval-

Sophie van DIJK Inside the Mosaic

Helen GIFFORD Plaint for Lost Worlds

Lena ORSA Krishnachura

Adrienne ALBERT Lullaby

Eliza Shephard presents two workshops at the Suzuki Autumn Festival at Methodist Ladies College.

She brings a fresh approach to music making and exploration, taking the participants through new repertoire and enhanced practice routines.

With an emphasis on freeing creativity and rekindling a sense of adventure through music, Eliza will share her experience as a diverse chamber and solo performer to promote curiosity and revel in the joy of making music.

Friends, family and community are invited to watch young artists from local Shepparton Secondary Colleges perform their new dance works created during a dance residency with The Australian Ballet Education & Outreach Team. This will be followed by a performance of Wonderland, performed by The Australian Ballet’s Education & Outreach dancers and musicians from Orchestra Victoria

Wonderland

A 30-minute, modern ballet adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, performed by 4 dancers, Wonderland is a pop-up style performance is designed for school and community groups of all ages. 

Alice is seen daydreaming by a riverbank, dancing amongst the butterflies. She follows a white rabbit down a long winding rabbit hole, where a mysterious Cheshire Cat appears, guiding her into Wonderland. Here, she meets more characters – the entertaining Hatter, the kind Knave, the jazzy Flamingo and the demanding Queen of Hearts, before finding her way back home. Join Alice on her journey, for a game of croquet, plenty of dancing, and a tea party or two!  

Relax over a 2 course Truffleduck lunch while listening to Eliza Shephard speak about her career as one of Australia’s most sought after flautists. 

Her talents as a flute player and creative artist earned her the position of a finalist in the Classical Freedman Fellowship in 2021, and she has received many accolades for the boldness and imagination she brings to her projects. 

There will be time for audience questions towards the conclusion of the lunch.

​​An event to create awareness and seek support for the AYCMC.

Ensemble CANE brings to life a musical amuse-bouche of works by women for flute, saxophone and piano for the first concert of Eliza Shephard’s March of the Women 2025: Collaborations.

Repertoire:
Katy Abbott - Making Angels
Natalie Williams - Vignettes of Paul Klee
Ingrid Stölzel - For The Time Being
Alex Manton - Women Wear Capes (WP)
Olga Rayeva - Ethiopian Coffee
Nicole Chamberlain - Entanglement
Kym Alexandra Dillon - Scherzo

A feast of music in celebration of International Women’s Day spanning Byzantine hymns of Kassia to exciting world premieres by Su Min Lee and Alex Manton.

Students, staff and the general public are welcome to attend this FREE event. (Registration not required).

About the Performance

Performance staff and students present a feast of music by women in celebration of International Women's Day.

PROGRAM:

Brenda Gifford Plover Bird
Isabella Rossi, flue
Maya-Jayne Howat, clarinet
Alyssa Wong, violin
Olivia Murphy, vibraphone
Sofia Jorgovic, piano

Anne Cawrse Lullabies and Crooked Dances
Eliza Shephard, flute
Nicole Canham, clarinet
Matthew Kneale, bassoon

Su Min Lee Sculptures of Movement *world premiere
Nicole Canham, clarinet
Su Min Lee, harp

Alex Manton Women Wear Capes *world premiere
Eliza Shephard, flute

Chloe Kim When the moon wears mask (2024)

Beatriz de Dia A chantar (c. 1175)

Kassia (c. 810 – c. 865) I en polles amarties / The fallen woman
Moirai Ensemble
Meg Cohen, violin
David Moran, cello
Alexander Meagher, percussion

A work celebrating the love of two Melbourne Queer men who have travelled the world together

Ensemble CANE and Violets with Solo performances by Adam McMillian & Melina van Leeuwen. Featuring two world premieres by Australian composer Christopher Healey.

A ‘Fanfare for Midsumma Pride’; especially commissioned for Midsumma, Melbourne’s Queer community and the VPC; and 'A Star, A Journey, A Fire'.

Ensemble CANE is a collaboration between Australian composer, Christopher Healey, and the extraordinary musicians, Niels Bijl (saxophone), Adam McMillan (piano) and Eliza Shephard (flute). CANE presents repertoire to delight and stir modern hearts and minds. They champion & foster contemporary works by Australian composers, present undiscovered gems and breathe fresh life into classic masterworks.

Violets is an Australian-based classical chamber music group, consisting of Molly Collier-O’Boyle (viola), Anna Rabinowicz (flute) and Melina van Leeuwen (harp). Rooted in the traditional canon for flute, viola and harp, Violets seek to present established repertoire in a new light through concert curation that champions cross-genre collaboration, the femme and the new.

Performed by the George Ellis Orchestra, hear two powerful seminal works the Low and “Heroes” Symphonies inspired by David Bowie’s iconic albums.

In 1977, David Bowie abandoned the indulgences of his Thin White Duke LA existence and relocated to Berlin, where – with electronic and ambient music architect Brian Eno as producer, and in the shadow of the wall which divided the city – they created two of the most distinctive albums in rock history.

Low and “Heroes” employed Eno’s bleak audio landscapes and Bowie's evocative lyrics and sense of melody to create brooding compositions and world building sonic collages.

Twenty years later influential composer and leading light in music with repetitive structures, Philip Glass, was inspired by Bowie and Eno’s stark soundscapes to create two seminal classical works - the Low and “Heroes” Symphonies.

In his symphonies, Glass finds additional layers to the works which inspired him and brings a sense of drama, emotional impact and warmth to the chill of the original works.

Experience a wonderfully intense symphonic journey, which takes the musical essence of Bowie and Eno’s creations and re-expresses them through Glass’s unmistakeable and hypnotic brand of alchemy, setting the ghosts of the original works in poetic, shining relief, through the filter of another, equally iconoclastic and unique genius.

Philip Glass will not appear at this performance.

Melba Collective present an evening of divine repertoire by Australian and international composers. Initially brought together by the concert’s title piece and a shared enthusiasm for connecting with art in all its forms, Melba Collective have since developed an array of eclectic and engaging programs that unite their unique combination of artistry and expertise. The Gorgeous Nothings’ features music by two Wagga-based composers, Major Greg Peterson from the Australian Army Band Kapooka, and award-winning composer John Shephard. Shephard’s work ‘The Art of Conversation’ will receive its world premiere performance at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.

Come see the newest stars of the operatic stage! The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition has long been considered the premier showcase for Australasia’s finest young singers and is the home of ‘The Mathy’, the most prestigious award given to a young opera and classical singer.

For a fraction of the cost of a ticket to the opera you can enjoy an evening of the finest classical singing accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra. The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition Finals Concert gives you a unique chance to hear the new generation of opera stars perform some of the most loved and memorable work in the classical singing canon.

Join us to hear the young operatic stars perform in the 2024 IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition Finals Concert.

Flutist Eliza Shephard will be performing Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino with the Opera Australia Orchestra while the judges deliberate the outcome of the competition.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL, is one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Set in a seaside town in Maine, CAROUSEL follows the love story of Billy Bigelow, a handsome but troubled carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a young mill worker.  It is the enduring tale of love, redemption, and the struggle to find our place in the world.

Since its premiere on Broadway in 1945, CAROUSEL has been praised for its poignant storyline, memorable characters, and unforgettable score, which includes timeless hits such as “If I Loved You”, “Soliloquy”, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

This lavish concert production stars two of Australia’s most celebrated leading ladies, Anna O’Byrne (The Mousetrap, My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) and Marina Prior (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins). With a stellar cast of thrilling performers and an on-stage orchestra, this concert is not to be missed!

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL, is one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Set in a seaside town in Maine, CAROUSEL follows the love story of Billy Bigelow, a handsome but troubled carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a young mill worker.  It is the enduring tale of love, redemption, and the struggle to find our place in the world.

Since its premiere on Broadway in 1945, CAROUSEL has been praised for its poignant storyline, memorable characters, and unforgettable score, which includes timeless hits such as “If I Loved You”, “Soliloquy”, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

This lavish concert production stars two of Australia’s most celebrated leading ladies, Anna O’Byrne (The Mousetrap, My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) and Marina Prior (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins). With a stellar cast of thrilling performers and an on-stage orchestra, this concert is not to be missed!

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL, is one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Set in a seaside town in Maine, CAROUSEL follows the love story of Billy Bigelow, a handsome but troubled carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a young mill worker.  It is the enduring tale of love, redemption, and the struggle to find our place in the world.

Since its premiere on Broadway in 1945, CAROUSEL has been praised for its poignant storyline, memorable characters, and unforgettable score, which includes timeless hits such as “If I Loved You”, “Soliloquy”, “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

This lavish concert production stars two of Australia’s most celebrated leading ladies, Anna O’Byrne (The Mousetrap, My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) and Marina Prior (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins). With a stellar cast of thrilling performers and an on-stage orchestra, this concert is not to be missed!

Two iconic and evocative masterpieces of the twentieth century are paired with exhilarating new orchestral works.

Manuel de Falla and Dmitri Shostakovich both wear their national identity on their sleeves. Nights in the Gardens of Spain is one of the most beloved works for piano and orchestra with its rich atmosphere and evocations of Spain’s Moorish history, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.9 is filled with a tragic exaltation for Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany the year before its premiere.

We welcome principal conductor in residence of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Northey, to conduct these much loved works along with two much newer compositions; Anna Meredith’s electric Nautilus and the world premiere of a new work by Noongar composer/conductor/violist Aaron Wyatt, the Monash University Ed Byrne Commission for 2024. These will be performed alongside Samuel Barber’s heartwrenching Adagio for Strings.

The Monash Academy Orchestra is delighted to welcome distinguished soloist Angela Li to perform de Falla’s masterwork.

Monash Academy Orchestra
Benjamin Northey conductor
Angela Li piano

Anna Meredith Nautilus
Aaron Wyatt Voiceless*
Manuel de Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No.9

*Monash University Ed Byrne Commission 2024

ELISION has established an international reputation for its engagement with complex and virtuosically challenging aesthetics.

PROGRAM

Mary BELLAMY Abrasion (2011)
for cello

Luke PAULDING Jupiter Dreaming (2013)
for alto saxophone & percussion

Nathaniel OTLEY Phytoplankton (2022)
for flute & bass flute (two players) WORLD PREMIERE

Liza Lim EHWAZ (2010)
for trumpet & percussion (mainly vibraphone)

Einar Torfi EINARSSON Zone of proximity:(and the weakly interacting massive particles) (2023)
for recorder & cello WORLD PREMIERE

Erika VEGA Etra (2008)
solo flute

Eclectus Duo is a flute and percussion duo focused on presenting unique and creative musical experiences. Eliza Shephard and Alexander Meagher are vibrant interpreters of a diverse range of music with interests and backgrounds in theatre, dance, and martial arts. Individually highly sought after musicians, Eclectus Duo form a powerful combination of artists, bringing innovative theatrical works to life and giving voice to unheard and undiscovered gems in music to spark the curiosity of their audiences. Their thoughtful and engaging programs have been presented in spaces such as the National Gallery of Victoria, Abbotsford Convent, McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery, and Montsalvat Art Centre.

They have collaborated with the final year composition students at Monash University to introduce 13 new duos to the world. This performance is a selection of the 6 finest new creations by the Monash University composition class.

Two concert grand pianos take centre stage for excerpts from Holst’s The Planets, ‘Mars’ and ‘Jupiter’ movements. Be swept along with Sunrise, a movement from Haydn’s great String Quartet in B-flat Major. And be sure to look out for astronomical opener Trance I by Ivan Trevino, an alien-like percussive performance that will have kids on the edge of their space seats.

Performed by the Monash Classical Collective, with Dilruk sharing stories and poems from outer space along the way. Come along for a truly special interplanetary program in the Alexander Theatre!

This event is part of Family Fiesta – MPAC’s annual kids’ takeover of the Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts, 3 – 6 July 2024.

Forget the ensemble performances you’re used to – this trio will have you on the edge of your seat! Watch and listen as Katie Yap (viola), Melina van Leeuwen (harp) and Eliza Shephard (flute) take you on a unique classical journey unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

The program will include the Debussy Sonata and other French works by Ibert and Rameau.

For thousands of years the Yorta Yorta people have passed down their traditions, language, dreaming and culture through song. Dhungala Children’s Choir is the continuation of that tradition.

On Monday June 10, 2024 Dhungala Children’s Choir celebrates 16 years!

To mark this milestone Short Black Opera returns to Riverlinks Westside to present a special concert which will launch the much anticipated Dhungala Choral Connection Song Book Volume 2. This beautiful volume of songs features the music of Yorta Yorta composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, with artwork by six outstanding First Nations artists; Aunty Rochelle Patten, Minjaara Atkinson, Tina King, Ally Knight, Billy-Jay O’Toole and Steve Parker.

Joining the award winning Dhungala Children’s Choir on stage will be members of Short Black Opera Company, Ensemble Dutala, Shauntai Sherree Abdul-Rahman and Miss Lillie Walker with some of Australia’s finest orchestral musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Melbourne’s vibrant classical music community. With Soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO and special guest conductor Nicolette Fraillon AM this program is not to be missed!

Presented in partnership with Riverlinks and with the support of Creative Victoria, Creative Ventures and Indigenous Languages Australia.

Ensemble CANE presents Visionary Voices: Music for modern hearts and minds by living Australian Composers. Sweeping melodies combine with evocative harmonies, tantalising textures and playful rhythms in works by Katy Abbott, Kym Dillon, Christopher Healey, Andrew Howes, Catherine Likhuta and Luke Severn.

Members of CANE

~ Chris Healey, composer
~ Adam McMillan, piano
~ Niels Bijl, saxophone
~ Eliza Shephard, flute

A spellbinding union of Theodorakis, Elytis, and more.

Witness a breathtaking celebration of the works of composer Mikis Theodorakis and Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseas Elytis in Axion Esti.

This collaboration brings together the exceptional vocals of international sensation Dimitris Basis under the baton of the renowned Greek Australian conductor George Ellis. With the harmonious chants of George Karantonis and a 30-piece Choir, complemented by compelling narration from Greek Australian actor Tony Nikolakopoulos, don’t miss this unforgettable experience.