Eliza Shephard presents The Extended Flute – an exploration into sound worlds, physicality, and improvisation.

Breaking the myth that extended techniques are “only for advanced players”, this course dives into the many sonic benefits of including extended techniques into practice at all levels of learning.

Traversing air techniques, percussive elements, and improvisation, you will skip away from this course with a deeper understanding of the sonic abilities of the flute, and a new appreciation and way of thinking about standard flute playing and contemporary approaches.

These April school holidays Melbourne Recital Centre turns into the biggest sound playground in town! With an array of activities, performances, and musical installations, Music Play is the perfect adventure for mini-music lovers, festival-loving families and friends.

All performances, installations, and workshops will be held multiple times, across both days of Music Play, so no need to rearrange nap schedules. Select a timed entry that works for you, and stay as long as you like! Whether they’re a teeny-tiny head banger, the next maestro, or enjoy simply experiencing musical magic on stage, over two jam-packed days children of all ages can let loose and play.

Musical facepainting, a music themed photobooth, Eliza Shephard as a roaming musical pixie, food trucks, pram parking, quiet zones, and, for parents: coffee!

These April school holidays Melbourne Recital Centre turns into the biggest sound playground in town! With an array of activities, performances, and musical installations, Music Play is the perfect adventure for mini-music lovers, festival-loving families and friends.

All performances, installations, and workshops will be held multiple times, across both days of Music Play, so no need to rearrange nap schedules. Select a timed entry that works for you, and stay as long as you like! Whether they’re a teeny-tiny head banger, the next maestro, or enjoy simply experiencing musical magic on stage, over two jam-packed days children of all ages can let loose and play.

Musical facepainting, a music themed photobooth, Eliza Shephard as a roaming musical pixie, food trucks, pram parking, quiet zones, and, for parents: coffee!

Calling all rain lovers, Max Aurora & The Southern Lights presents a rain-themed single launch for their next release, ambient piano ballad 'Overcast Sentiment'. This launch will be a combination of originals and covers inspired by rain from Taylor Swift, Kate Bush to The Carpenters. 

Supporting the band is vibrant flautist Eliza Shephard who won the ABC Young Performer of the Year Award in 2022. She will be playing a set of classical pieces inspired by rain. 

Bring your brollies, let's fill up Open Studio with a vibrant downpour of music. 

PhD researcher Nathan Sinclair and Head of Guitar Ken Murray present a program of music by Spain's two leading early 20th-century composers, Manuel de Falla and his successor, Joaquín Rodrigo.

Featured in this concert is Sinclair's arrangement for two guitars and chamber ensemble of Falla's seminal neoclassical masterpiece, the "Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, and Cello" (1926). Also featured will be a performance of Rodrigo's recently rediscovered "Preludio al Atardecer" (1926), the composer's first known work for guitar.

The program includes a premiere performance of Melbourne composer Shaun Rigney's "Three Spanish Portraits"- a homage to the Spanish greats of Albéniz, Granados, and Falla.

PROGRAM

Guitar Solos - Ken Murray

Sketches of Falla
Ken Murray, Manuel de Falla

Homenajé
Manuel de Falla

Guitar Solos - Nathan Sinclair

En los Trigales
Joaquín Rodrigo

Preludio al Atardecer (Australian premiere)
Joaquín Rodrigo

Toccata
Joaquín Rodrigo

Three Spanish Portraits (2006) (World premiere)
Shaun Rigney

Guitar Duos - Nathan Sinclair and Ken Murray

Danza del Molinero (from El Sombrero de Tres Picos)
Manuel de Falla

Pantomina (from El Amor Brujo)
Manuel de Falla

Danza Ritual del Fuego (from El Amor Brujo)
Manuel de Falla

Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, and Cello (World premiere)
Manuel de Falla, arranged by Nathan Sinclair for two guitars

One afternoon, three unique locations. The undisputed top of Australian music, food and wine.

Come to the Yarragon Studio Festival and treat yourself to a variety of Australia’s most remarkable artists. We will transport you to three uniquely idyllic locations, where you will hear Flautist Eliza Shephard, Bandoneonist Stephen Cuttriss and Violinist Kyla Matsuura-Miller in concert.

At the end of the day, you will be treated to an exclusive supper of local produce provided by Hoggett Kitchen’s chef Trevor Perkins, one of West Gippsland’s trailblazers in high cuisine. As always our Yarragon Studio concerts are combined with complementary William Downie wines and Rachel Needoba’s Butterfly Factory cheeses. We will end our inaugural Yarragon Studio Festival with a celebratory closing concert of all the artists, including one of the founders of Yarragon Studio, saxophonist Niels Bijl.

The full range of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is on display at this performance that celebrates young Australian talent, featuring two world premieres by Cybec Young Composers to open the concert. Then, Matthew Hindson's dynamic concerto for flute and orchestra rounds out the all-Australian first half, as 2022 ABC Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard takes us on a guided musical house tour, from the frenzy of the kitchen to the groovy lounge room.

After interval you'll witness Sibelius' majestic Fifth Symphony, evoking the rugged landscape of the composer's Finnish homeland. The finale features an achingly beautiful ‘hymn’ inspired by a flock of swans taking flight that Sibelius observed while composing this symphony.

It's the perfect Saturday night in the city, with a superb soundtrack provided by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Program

Naomi Dodd Cerulean Dances*
Alex Turley River**
Matthew Hindson House Music
Sibelius Symphony No.5

*World premiere of an MSO Commission, by the 2024 Cybec Young Composer in Residence
**World premiere of an MSO Commission, by the 2022 Cybec Young Composer in Residence

The Classics: Opera will make a glorious return to the City of Stonnington this summer, once again transforming the much-loved Victoria Gardens into a free and intimate classical music stage fit for cultural royalty.

This year's The Classics: A Midsummer Night's Opera will showcase some of the most famous and beautiful operatic renditions of Shakespeare's finest plays and sonnets woven together. It will be led by award-winning, world-renowned soprano, cabaret artist, producer and creator Ali McGregor who returns as artistic director.

Expect to be entertained with excerpts from Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, both Rossini and Verdi’s Otello, and songs set by composers including Roger Quilter, Gerald Finzi, Cole Porter and Kate Miller Heidke. A rich repertoire of well-known and rare works for the audience to discover.

The City of Stonnington is ecstatic to have Ali McGregor's artistic directorship for The Classics: A Midsummer Night's Opera. This concert is sure to create a beautiful experience for those unfamiliar with on-stage opera and regular operagoers alike to relive some of the most famous and beautiful arias from the bard's iconic and historic plays.

Alongside the performances, enjoy a delicious selection of boutique food and drink options. Pack your picnic rug and bring your family and friends for an unforgettable evening of free classical music in Prahran under the summer stars.

Alireza Ghorbani began his vocal training at the age of 12 and later became a solo vocalist of the National Orchestra of Iran at 27. By the age of 30, he had become a prominent figure in Persian song, mastering various Middle Eastern musical scales. He possesses exceptional vocal techniques, covering both the non-rhythmic radif and rhythmic tasnif styles. 

A highly accomplished artist, Ghorbani deeply appreciates tradition while maintaining an open-minded approach to diverse cultures. Born during the tumultuous 1970s and 80s in Iran, he is considered a worthy successor to Mohammed Reza Shajarian, the undisputed master of Persian classical song. Ghorbani has numerous musical albums, extensive live performances, and participation in international multicultural projects and festivals worldwide. He has collaborated with artists from various backgrounds, including Alim Qasimov (Azarbaijan), Jobran Trio (France), Dorsaf Hamdani (Tunisia), Bombay Jayashri (India), and Celia Woodsmith, to name a few.  

Ghorbani also boasts experience in cinema and television, having contributed to popular television serials in Iran. He is recognized as one of Iran's most active traditional contemporary singers. His recent music tour concert was one of the most successful in Iran, with over 150 concerts in the past year and more than 250,000 tickets sold. 

Ministry of Sound Classical - A day to night festival extravaganza featuring The Ministry of Sound Orchestra, Sneaky Sound System + more!

MINISTRY OF SOUND CLASSICAL
✨ MELBOURNE | NAARM ✨
3-11pm on Sat 16 Dec

With 30 years as the global authority on dance music, nobody does the classics like Ministry of Sound. Come and re-live all the greatest club anthems as you’ve never heard them before in a day-to-night festival experience!

With an ALL NEW set list and show, expect to hear more of the songs you know and love completely remixed, rearranged & reimagined by the Ministry of Sound Orchestra alongside DJ Goodwill. Led by award-winning conductor Vanessa Perica - experience incredible live vocals from some of the country’s most acclaimed vocal talent including Reigan (ARIA Nominee "Dreams"), Miss Connie (Sneaky Sound System), Karina Chavez ("Show Me Love"), Rudy (feature artist on Dirty South “In The Air”), along with powerhouse mainstay of the Classical tour Lady Lyric and new addition, Luke Antony (The Voice).

With live entertainment throughout the day from an all star lineup including the adored  Sneaky Sound System (ARIA Award winners plus hits like "UFO."), legendary Australian DJ John Course + sets from esteemed DJ's Dirty Laundry (Live), Sunshine, Andy Murphy and Minx, expect a non-stop party from start to finish. And as if that weren't sufficient, we're spicing things up further with the fan-favourite Silent Disco! Stay connected with your pals while switching between Cara Murphy, Danni B, Funky Col, Chardy, Katie Hill and Jay Ramon. Alternatively, lock into your favourite channel and have your very own dance party! 

Eliza Shephard will be performing in the 8pm set with The Ministry of Sound Orchestra.

Sonic frontiers, stunning projections, chamber music and unconventional instruments.

Experience sonic innovation as Displaced Bodies unites two of Melbourne’s cutting-edge ensembles. Ossicle Duo, an award-winning trombone-percussion ensemble, pushes boundaries with their technically refined and high-energy exploratory art music. Rubiks Collective, a dynamic ensemble of Australia’s most versatile young performers, take audiences on a sonic journey through their ‘incredibly personal, strangely spiritual and ultimately deeply touching’ performances. Together, they fearlessly explore the boundaries of sound in the highly anticipated world premiere of Jakob Bragg’s acclaimed composition, ‘Displaced Bodies, Weapons of Action,’ a recipient of the prestigious Melbourne Recital Centre & Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Composition Award.

About the concert

Journey into unknown sonic territory with Richard Barrett’s mesmerising opus, ‘EARTH,’ a gritty and ritualistic masterpiece. Experience Annie Hsieh’s ‘Quietude’ as it emerges into a delicate and textural composition performed entirely on wine glasses by two percussionists. Immerse yourself in the haunting echoes of Noemi Liba’s ‘CardioMyopathy,’ a powerful work that delves into the depths of the human condition. Witness projections, chamber music, and unconventional instruments transform the Primrose Potter Salon into a kaleidoscope of sonic innovation.

Join Eliza Shephard as she presents a recital of eclectic flute music showcasing works featured in her March of the Women project, diverse repertoire for auxiliary flutes, and pieces both familiar and new.

~ VOX ~

An exploration into the world of flute and voice

Pytor TCHAIKOVSKY Arie des Lensky

Christine DRAEGER Melusina’s Dream

Anne NORMAN Oodnadatta Who

Ian CLARKE TRKs

Eve BEGLARIAN I Will Not Be Sad In This World

Wil OFFERMANS Luna y Sierra

Giacomo PUCCINI Un bel dì, vedremo

François BORNE Carmen Fantaisie Brillante

Eliza Shephard, flute, with special guest Peter de Jager, piano

ABC Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard and pianist extraordinaire Peter de Jager traverse reimagined repertoire from 19th century composers whose music is deeply ingrained with story and song.

PROGRAM

Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY Lensky Aria

François BORNE Carmen Fantasy

Claude DEBUSSY Afternoon of the Faun

Felix MENDELSSOHN Midsummer Night’s Dream

Cecile CHAMINADE Serenade Espagnol

A program of fabulously inventive, exuberant perfection.

Ensemble Liaison is internationally acclaimed for its spell-binding performances, innovative programs and brilliant collaborations with leading artists. Ensemble Liaison & Friends is a unique concert series renowned for imaginative and innovative programming, setting the trend for brilliant collaborations with leading artists.

Combining some of Australia’s leading wind players, the Australian Wind Quintet made their debut at the 2022 Adelaide Festival receiving critical praise for their precision, nuanced sensitive phrasing and captivating performance.

About the concert

Their performance in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall features Ligeti’s fabulously inventive Bagatelles, extracted from his Musica Ricercata, alongside some of the most well-known music written for wind and piano including Poulenc’s exuberant Piano Sextet and Francaix’s witty, L’Heure Du Berger, a tour de force of frivolous perfection! Svetlana Bogosavljevic will feature in the Concerto for Cello and Winds by Australian clarinetist and composer Paul Dean.

Program

György Ligeti
6 Bagatelles for Wing Quintet

Paul Dean
Concerto for Cello and Winds

Mikhail Glinka
Trio Pathetique

Francis Poulenc
Sextet for Piano & Winds

Jean Françaix
L’Heure du berger

Intriguing programmatic notes, deployed by Gustav Mahler to convey the ultra-atmospheric opening of the first of his many inestimably significant contributions to the symphony genre – poetry which was later omitted, after the first few performances of the symphony, so as to allow the audience to determine for themselves where the music would take them.

Our eclectic Kawai Saturday Gala begins its awakening with the world premiere of stellar Yuin composer Brenda Gifford’s Dhawara Miriwa, uncovering the reverence for the natural beauty of the night sky and all it possesses. A dawn chorus of woodwinds heralds the imminent light with Poulenc’s iridescent Sextet, before the warmth of springtime is ushered in by Mahler, ingeniously arranged for 16 players by Klaus Simon, performed by a chamber orchestra of superstars, led by powerhouse maestro Fabian Russell.

Performing

GIFFORD Dhawara Miriwa for clarinet, violin and piano (World Premiere)

POULENC Sextet for piano and winds

MAHLER Symphony No 1 (arr. Simon for chamber orchestra)

David Shaw and Eliza Shephard present an all-Australian duo concert at the Australian Flute Festival shared with low flute master Peter Sheridan.

Program

Matthew Hindson - Champagne Fanfare

Larry Sitsky - Canonic Variations

Christine Draeger - Melusina’s Dream

John Shephard - Below the Fold

Paula Rae and Eliza Shephard join forces to present a recital of flute duets and solos filled with colour, mystery and timbres unexplored.

Program

Mario Diaz de Leon - Altar of Two Serpents

Anne Norman - Oodnadatta Who

Noemi Liba - I Should Like to Speak

Kaija Saariaho - Dolce Tormento

Liza Lim - Lucid Dreaming (Australian premiere)

Dobromila Jaskot - Hgrrrsht

Eliza Shephard presents a recital of flute favourites and new findings as a featured artist of the Australian Flute Festival.

Program

Lili Boulanger - Nocturne

Brett Dean - Demons

Ingrid Stölzel - Leonardo Saw the Spring

Amy Beth Kirsten - Pirouette on a Moon Sliver

André Jolivet - Chant de Linos

A theatrical evening of music, literature and dance from the winner of ABC’s Young Performer of the Year.

Music says what words cannot, however, put the two together and you’re in for a night of astonishing storytelling. ABC Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard combines words and music to create an experience that deep-dives into stories both old and unfamiliar.

With standard flute repertoire, their performance explores cascading lines and impeccable technique through to theatrical and physical journeys transcending the expected and the norm, Eliza showcases all her past creative adventures as not only a musician but also an actor and dancer.

Joined by versatile soprano Judith Dodsworth and exceptional pianist Peter de Jager, the three artists spiral through works in an evening of celebration and spell-binding entertainment.

The In-Between explores the dreamlike state of meditation with contemporary classical music for flute and percussion by a diverse range of Australian and international composers. The listener will be taken on a journey through various forms of dreaming, highlighting bizarre imaginations and vivid memories, before being led through music inspired by rapids and streams, and trances, reflecting American novelist Herman Melville’s observation that “meditation and water are wedded forever”.

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.

Program

Michaela MURPHY Dreaming

Joan TOWER Snow Dreams

Christine DRAEGER Melusina’s Dream

Yousif SHERONICK Jubb Jannin

Casey CANGELOSI Bad Touch

= interval =

John SHEPHARD Vitalé & Ripples

Somei SATOH Birds in Warped Time

Toru TAKEMITSU Towards the Sea

Come and join us for a day of wind playing and teacher PD! The Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University warmly invites music educators, high school and 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.

Our Woodwind Day is a great opportunity to dive into a skills-based approach to wind playing, through workshop activities focusing on wind playing techniques, interpretation, exam, audition and practise strategies and ensemble skills development. Music educators can connect with like-minded colleagues, while students get some feedback on VCE and AMEB repertoire, to hone their audition skills and to benefit from the insights of some top performers and teachers. 

This year, we will offer a special focus on small and large wind ensembles, and we warmly invite Middle school level ensembles to participate.

We offer the following free open masterclasses and activities:

• Wind Ensemble skills workshop with Yo-yo Su (saxophone)

• Doubling skills (Intermediate/Advanced) workshop with Lachlan Davidson (multi-instrumentalist & composer)

• Enhancing interpretation using storytelling techniques with Eliza Shephard, (flute)

• A skills-based approach to wind play with Niels Bijl (saxophone)

• Exam, audition and performance preparation techniques with Nicole Canham (clarinet)

• A performer’s guide to instrument maintenance with Jason Xanthoudakis (clarinet/saxophone)

ABC Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard and pianist extraordinaire Peter de Jager perform at the event of AI Group in their celebrations of 150 years.

ABC Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard presents a Masterclass at Scotch College to discuss extended techniques and their many uses in standard repertoire and beyond.

In the final concert of the 2023 festival, you will hear some extraordinary works spanning over 200 years.

Martinů seemed to be a composer who wrote with pure joy, whose music seemed to flow easily from the pen, and his nonet is brimming with texture, colour and life. While it has the intimacy of a chamber work, it also flirts with the robust sounds of a full orchestra.

Finnish composer, violinist and conductor Jaakko Kuusisto unfortunately passed away far too young in 2022, but left behind an amazing legacy. His piece, Mimiö for Double Bass and Violin pulsates with rhythmic energy and dialogue between the two instruments, and evokes images of the sparseness of the Finnish countryside.

Rounding off the festival is an absolute party of a piece - Beethoven’s septet is one of his most loved works, though the fact the piece gained such popularity over some of the composer’s other works annoyed him to no end - “That damned thing!” the composer wrote with some vehemence, “I wish it were burned!”. We’re certainly glad it wasn’t!

Please come and celebrate the end of the fifth Mackay Chamber Music Festival with a real party of a concert – it will sure to lift your mood!

MARTINŮ, Bohuslav (1890-1959) – Nonet No. 2, H. 374 (Doretta Balkizas, Meagan Turner, Simon Cobcroft, Jaan Pallandi, Eliza Shephard, Rachel Bullen, Philip Arkinstall, Rachel Shaw, Matthew Kneale)
KUUSISTO, Jaakko (1974-2022) – Miniö, op. 23 (Doretta Balkizas, Jaan Pallandi)

- INTERVAL -

BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827) – Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20 (Glenn Christensen, Meagan Turner, Simon Cobcroft, Jaan Pallandi, Philip Arkinstall, Matthew Kneale, Rachel Shaw)

The Melbourne-based Wind Quintet Arcadia Winds are sure to blow you away (pun intended)!

The virtuosity, musicianship and excitement of Australia’s finest wind instrumentalists will be on full display in works by exciting young Australian composers Elizabeth Younan and Harry Sdraulig, alongside works by Strauss, Mozart and Hindemith.

STRAUSS, Richard - Serenade in E flat Op.7 (arr. DAVIES, Glynn)

YOUNAN, Elizabeth - Shoreditch Grind

HINDEMITH, Paul - Kleine Kammermusik for Wind Quintet, Op. 24, No. 2 

- INTERVAL -

SDRAULIG, Harry - Meridien

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus - Serenade no. 11 in E flat K.375 (arr. WALTER, David)

(Arcadia Winds – Eliza Shephard, flute; Rachel Bullen, oboe; Philip Arkinstall, clarinet; Rachel Shaw, horn; Matthew Kneale, bassoon)

The opening concert of the 5th Mackay Chamber Music Festival features each of the wonderful musicians of the Festival, and is sure to delight and move you.

It might be surprising to know that even the prodigious Mozart had his struggles - apparently harbouring a strong dislike of the flute, he struggled to complete a commissioned set of works for the instrument. Despite his distaste for the instrument, and his struggles to find time to complete the work, his Flute Quartet in D major is a piece full of playfulness and virtuosity.

Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet was an immediate hit at its premiere, and has remained a staple of modern woodwind repertoire ever since. Nielsen wrote this colourful work with five specific musicians in mind, and each player’s personality was intended to be reflected in the work, alongside his love of nature.

Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet is a work of undeniable beauty, with melodies and youthful vigour abound. Written at just 22 years of age and while on a joyful summer holiday, Schubert paints a beautiful picture of nature, complete with a burbling brook and its inhabitants. 

Please join the artists after the concert for a complimentary drink, platter box and Q&A in the foyer to celebrate the return of the Mackay Chamber Music Festival!

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus – Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285 (Eliza Shephard, Glenn Christensen, Meagan Turner, Simon Cobcroft)

NIELSEN, Carl – Wind Quintet, Op. 43, FS 100 (Arcadia Winds – Eliza Shephard, Rachel Bullen, Philip Arkinstall, Rachel Shaw, Matthew Kneale)

- INTERVAL -

SCHUBERT, Franz – Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Major, Op. 114 D. 667 “Trout Quintet” - (Doretta Balkizas, Meagan Turner, Simon Cobcroft, Jaan Pallandi, Angela Turner)