Wesley Music Centre

*Sunday 28 June 3pm Art Song Concert.  SONGS AROUND THE PIANO Susannah Lawergren (soprano) & Maciej Pawela (piano). Composers partner the voice with so many different combinations of instruments (shakuhachi, harp, percussion, didgeridoo...). The fascinating colours they can create together beg the question, why stick to piano and voice?  Susannah & Maciej explore repertoire ranging from French impressionism to contemporary Australian music to see why we are drawn to the partnership between these common-place musical instruments, the voice and the piano. Admission to the concerts includes a complimentary program & light refreshments:  A $35; Sen, pnsr, Friends of ArtSound FM, *Friends of Wesley Music, members of ACTKA and Musica Viva subscribers $30; Art Song Canberra members $25; f/t student $15.  www.artsongcanberra.org

Friday 10 July 7pm – Close Up: Maximilan Riebl. With a voice that’s described as “exquisite” (Limelight Magazine) and “luminous” (The Australian), Melbourne based counter-tenor Max Riebl joins Associate Artistic Director Francis Greep to reinvent  the recital experience. This intimate program weaves effortlessly between Bach’s Lutheran cantatas, mid 20^th century classics from Elvis, and a new work by Sarah Elise Thompson. Tickets available the.song.company/bachtothefuture/ A$60; C$55; F/t student $30; child under 12 free.

Sunday 26 July 2.30pm “We Welcome Dreams: New Australian Song Cycles”. The Hourglass Ensemble featuring Amy Moore (Song Company), flute clarinet cello harp percussion piano and soprano, performing songs of Schubert and Ravel with premiere works by Jessica Wells, Tim Hansen, and Andrew Kennedy.  https://www.eventbrite.com/   or at the door.  A $30; C $20. Enquiries This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Friday 14 August 7pm ‘Arms of Love’ The Song Company & Karul Projects reunite in a pageant of light and movement to Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostriand a new work by Australian composer Chris Williams. Co-curated/directed by Robert Macfarlane, with choreography by Thomas E.S. Kelly. Dedicated to and created in order to increase awareness of the refugee crisis at home and abroad. Commissioned with support from the Silo Collective, Chris Williams’ flotilla of seven short fragments and one extended final movement is interspersed with Buxtehude’s cycle of seven cantatas (focusing on the feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, face of a victim of state-sponsored torture) for five singers (SSATB), chamber organ and single strings. Tickets available at the.song.company/armsoflove A$60; C$55; F/t student $30; child under 12 free.

Sunday 16 August 3pm Art Song Concert. PERSONS OF INTEREST Christina Wilson (mezzo-soprano) & Alan Hicks (piano). Passed down the generations are sung stories that celebrate human experience and achievement - continuing still as part of our society's collective memory. Classical art song composers have added to this human musical history; inspired to write of men and women, real and imaginary, from myth and legend, from history and literature, to make known  and keep alive their names and fate. Come and meet some memorable characters, hear their tales and judge for yourself whether they have something to say to us in 2020. Admission to the concerts includes a complimentary program & light refreshments:  A $35; Sen, pnsr, Friends of ArtSound FM, *Friends of Wesley Music, members of ACTKA and Musica Viva subscribers $30; Art Song Canberra members $25; f/t student $15.  www.artsongcanberra.org

Saturday 5 September 2pm. MASTERCLASS FOR PERFORMERS OF ART SONG - Dan Walker will give a masterclass for singers and accompanists.  Audience will be very welcome.  More details will be announced nearer the date.  The masterclass is kindly and generously sponsored by the Wesley Music Foundation.

*Sunday 6 September 3pm “A Three-way Conversation” Trio Concert. Angela Liu (horn), Elsie Chen (clarinet), Mandy Ng (piano). Performing trio works of Carl Reinecke, Gustav Jenner, George Rochberg, and individual instrumental works.  Tickets at www.trybooking.com/BJKHJ A $25; C$10; f/t student: $10; child U12 $free.

*Sunday 20 September 3pm Art Song Concert. THE LORELEY Laetitia Grimaldi (soprano) & Ammiel Bushakevitz (piano). The role of the female composer has been neglected for many centuries. As a traditionally male career, being a composer in the 19th and early 20th century was not considered appropriate for females. The French composer Cécile Chaminade was not allowed to enter the conservatoire of Paris because she was a woman. Others, such as Fanny Mendelssohn, were forced to publish their works under male pseudonyms. This program aims to present female and male composers in pairs, based on their musical and personal connections. This program will show that female composers in the 19th century wrote music that is passionate, emotional and extremely beautiful. Admission to the concerts includes a complimentary program & light refreshments:  A $35; Sen, pnsr, Friends of ArtSound FM, *Friends of Wesley Music, members of ACTKA and Musica Viva subscribers $30; Art Song Canberra members $25; f/t student $15.  www.artsongcanberra.org

*Saturday 17 October 3pm Art Song Concert. ERWARTUNG (EXPECTATION) Markus Matheis (baritone) & Rhodri Clarke (piano) present a concert which chronicles the evolution of the art of the German Lied from the late 19th century High Romantic to the early 20th century. Their cycle of songs by Brahms, Schreker, Pfitzner and Schoenberg travels from the well-known to the little-known and highlights the dismantling and rearranging of established sounds and structures. Admission to the concerts includes a complimentary program & light refreshments:  A $35; Sen, pnsr, Friends of ArtSound FM, *Friends of Wesley Music, members of ACTKA and Musica Viva subscribers $30; Art Song Canberra members $25; f/t student $15.  www.artsongcanberra.org

Friday 23 October 7pm – Close Up: Roberta Diamond  Principal Artist, soprano Roberta Diamond is joined by Guest Artist, harpist Hannah Lane for voyages in music from the Iberian peninsula. Traditional melodies in Spanish and Ladino from the Sephardic diaspora are intertwined with theatre music from the Spanish Golden Age along with popular compositions that travelled to the other end of the continent. Tickets available at whttps://the.song.company/esperar-sentir-morir/

*Sunday 22 November 3pm, ARTSONG SERENDIPITY. Claire Munting (mezzo-soprano) & Simon Kenway (piano). Serendipity – unplanned, fortunate discovery. This recital will take you on a journey of discoveries of familiar and lesser known jewels by composers such as Brahms, Fauré and Strauss. You will hear the story behind the composition and the poem and get an insight of the composer’s life at the time the song was written. Admission to the concerts includes a complimentary program & light refreshments:  A $35; Sen, pnsr, Friends of ArtSound FM, *Friends of Wesley Music, members of ACTKA and Musica Viva subscribers $30; Art Song Canberra members $25; f/t student $15.  www.artsongcanberra.org