UPCOMING CONCERTS

Omega Ensemble: New Now
CoLAB 2021 Showcase

Saturday 04 December, 2021

6:00PM

Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

New is Now. Now is New.

Five world premiere works from the next generation of Australian compositional talent in a celebration of bold experimentation, musical risk-taking and raw talent.

Developed in collaboration with Omega Ensemble and leading composers mentors over a nine-month intensive program, five ambitious young composers will premiere their groundbreaking new works as the final showcase to the CoLAB: Composer Accelerator Program. New Now marks the program’s first annual showcase.

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Featuring premiere works by

Alex Turley (VIC)

Chloe Sinclair (NSW)

William Gardiner (NSW)

Angus Davison (TAS)

Lauren McCormick (SA)

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Artists

David Rowden, clarinet

Anna Da Silva Chen, violin

Meagan Turner, viola

Paul Stender, cello

Vatche Jambazian, piano

Live at the Independent: Besame Mucho! Daniel Rojas and Ensemble Apex

Tuesday 7 December, 2021

7:00PM

The Independent Theatre
269 Miller St, North Sydney NSW 2060

"In the high-octane performance that unfolds, Rojas and Ensemble Apex Strings stir the passions and seduce our souls." - ★★★★★ Limelight Magazine

"There is tremendous chemistry between Rojas and the Ensemble Apex Strings, cohesive and dynamic. Rojas is a charismatic performer whose music gives us a window into several worlds. His music speaks of myriad colours and tales from across Latin America; music of the old world is fused with the new; classical traditions are woven into indigenous Latin American aesthetics, paying homage to the great masters. Rojas spins his dazzling improvisations with ease, combining his music with entertaining insights and historical narratives. These earworms will take a while to dispel."

Daniel Rojas piano

Ensemble Apex String Quartet

Anna Da Silva Chen Violin I

Emily Beauchamp Violin II

Sophie Nickel Viola

Noah Oshiro Cello

Opus Now - Grace Hull (PNG), Bartok 2nd Quartet & Bovril's Folk Music

Friday 10 December, 2021

7:00PM

Temple on The Park

158 Australia St

Newtown, NSW 2042

Opus Now explores relationships between the String Quartets of Bartok and contemporary and indigenous music of our time.

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Artists

Grace Hull  - Voice and percussion 

Opus Now Quartet:

Kristian Winther – violin

Anna Da Silva Chen – violin

Dana Lee– viola

Christopher Pidcock – cello

Ben "Bovril" Harrison - banjo, violin, mandolin

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Guest artists

Jaan Pallandi - double bass

Oskar de Mari-Jones - archlute

Jack Ward - cello 

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Program

Grace Hull - Trobriand Island Folk music 

Giovanni Platti (circa 1697- 1793) - Concerto con Violoncello Obligato in D major

Béla Bartók (1881-1945) - String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1915-1917)

Ben "Bovril" Harrison -  Original folk music 

DATES TBC

Live At Yours

In a program of sweeping melodies, lush harmonies and mind-blowing virtuosity, Anna Da Silva Chen, accompanied by Andrew Rumsey, will present some of the most cherished pieces from the romantic violin repertoire. The program starts with the heavenly lyricism of Beach’s ‘Romance’, and is followed by the colossal Franck ‘Sonata in A major’ – a monumental work for violin and piano in equal measure. Following will be the enduring beauty of Massenet’s ‘Meditation’ and Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’, and the unbridled fireworks of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Valse-Scherzo’ and Sarasate’s ‘Zigeunerweisen’.

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Artists:

Anna Da Silva Chen – Violin

Andrew Rumsey – Piano

Programme:

Amy Beach – Romance in A Major Op. 23
César Franck – Sonata in A Major
Jules Massenet – Meditation (from Thaïs)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Valse-Scherzo Op. 34
Debussy – Clair de Lune (arr. Roelens for Violin and Piano)

Pablo de Sarasate – Zigeunerweisen Op. 20