Ticket Giveaway
Australian Haydn Ensemble

When: Sunday 3 May at 4pm
Where: The Neilson, Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay
Tickets: from $75
Bookings: click here

The Australian Haydn Ensemble (AHE) has established itself as one of Australia’s leading period-instrument groups, specialising in the repertoire of the late Baroque and early Classical eras. It takes its name from the great Joseph Haydn, a leading composer of the late 18th-century.

In this concert Beethoven and Mozart masterworks spring to life in a whole new way with historical chamber arrangements for septet. William Watts' arrangement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 brings startling clarity to a warm and witty symphony, bursting with energy. And then there’s Mozart’s 'Haffner' Symphony, arranged by Cimador. 

2MBS Fine Music Sydney subscribers have the chance to win a double pass to see Beethoven's Fourth on Sunday 3 May at 4pm.

The Inner Voice of the Clavichord
with Ivan Foo

When: Friday 8 May at 6.30pm
Where: Christchurch St Laurence, Haymarket
Tickets: $30 - $40

All proceeds go to the St Laurence Centre.

Come and experience the soft, inner voice of the clavichord, emerging from and returning to silence.
Let your mind wander and hover on wings of imagination to reach delightful heights and depths.

Ivan Foo shares his love for the intimate and expressive music of CPE Bach, Handel and Haydn, performed on a clavichord after the original by Christian Ernst Friederici (1765), an instrument for which the music was written.

The setting is welcoming and intimate and brings to life the warmth, clarity and expressiveness of the music. 

Opera Bites
Mother's Day Opera High Tea

When: Sunday 10 May at 2pm
Where: The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Sydney 
Tickets: $139 + booking fee (includes show and sparkling high tea)

Celebrate with Mum in style! Discover a stunning 'hidden-Sydney' venue and indulge in some of the world's most beautiful music.  

Expect a unique experience to cherish with arias and ensembles from the world’s most adored stage-works brought to you in fully costumed splendour. Mum will be humming all the way home with favourites she’ll know and love from Tosca, La traviata, Carmen, West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera and more.

Book now for this unique opportunity to experience the glamour of yesteryear in this incredible secret venue.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Duruflé and Poulenc

When: Saturday 16 May at 1pm
Where: Sydney Opera House
Tickets: $45 - $149

Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Duruflé and Poulenc make the perfect pairing. These two French composers are the musical equivalents of ‘mid-century moderns’ with their clean lines, elegance and directness, and their inventive ways of giving fresh life to old traditions.

Duruflé’s Requiem is a true choral classic, but mostly it’s performed with organ alone. In this concert, hear the original 1947 version, with a 60-piece orchestra and organ accompanying the 450 voice Festival Chorus and mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists. It’s a rare chance to hear Duruflé’s exquisite orchestration in this transcendent setting of the Requiem Mass, underpinned by the fluid lines of ancient Gregorian chant.  

Francis Poulenc also looks to the past – you can hear the spirit of Vivaldi in his Gloria – but what really stands out is the irrepressible joy and candour of his music, the aural equivalent of brilliant stained glass in clear primary colours.

Strike A Chord 2026
Applications open 1 May!

Applications close: Thursday 28 May

Open to school students across Australia, Strike A Chord celebrates chamber music in all its forms. Ensembles of 3 – 8 players, with any combination of instruments or voice and at any level, are invited to apply.

With over $50,000 in cash and development prizes on offer, and expert feedback for all participants, this is a fantastic opportunity to build ensemble skills, and make music with friends. Visit the Strike A Chord website for more information and to enter!

Sydney Chamber Choir
In Paradisum

When: Saturday 30 May at 6pm
Where: St James’, King Street
Tickets: $45 - $50

From the stillness of Baltic and Nordic landscapes to the luminous clarity of Australian skies, this program traces a musical journey through faith, light and love.

Sacred works from Estonia, Norway and Sweden, including Arvo Pärt’s Bogoroditse Dyevo, Galina Grigorjeva’s In Paradisum and Edvard Grieg’s Ave Maris Stella, evoke a spirituality that is intimate and timeless, while Veljo Tormis vividly captures the Estonian light in selections from Autumn Landscapes.

At the heart of the program are two deeply moving pieces for choir and cello, Knut Nystedt’s meditative Stabat Mater and Joe Twist’s poignant Lament, accompanied by Julian Smiles.

International Jazz Day
The Lane Cove Live Music Alliance

When: Saturday 2 May 10am - 6pm
Where: Lane Cove Canopy, the Plaza and Birdwood Lane, Lane Cove
Tickets: free

Today is International Jazz Day!
2MBS jazz presenters are contributing to International Jazz Day with a celebration of Aussie Jazz by playing their favourite Australian jazz music or artists in a special five-hour program, which is streamed on demand via our website and the 2MBS app (click here to access this special stream).

Then, join our jazz presenters and The Lane Cove Live Music Alliance on Saturday 2 May at Lane Cove Canopy from 10am for a free day of live music, swing, blues, and gypsy jazz. In addition to the main Canopy stage, performances will also take place in two additional locations: Lane Cove Plaza and Birdwood Lane, adjacent to The Canopy.

2026 2MBS Secondary School
Student Composer Competition

Applications close: Friday 3 July at 5pm

Student composers at secondary schools in the Greater Sydney Area submit your works!

Genre: Chamber Music
Length: from 3 to 5 minutes
Style: Contemporary and conventional approaches are welcome
Instrumentation: using any or all combinations (at least a duet):
1 clarinet in B flat or 1 bass clarinet, 1 flute, 1 violin, 1 cello, 1 piano.

The winner’s work is performed by professionals and recorded by 2MBS.

The Camelot Lounge
Anna Weatherup and Amy Vee

When: Thursday 7 May at 8pm
Where: The Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Tickets: $30 - $35

After two successful East Coast tours, Hunter-based singer-songwriters Anna Weatherup and Amy Vee reunite for a new co-headline run.

Celebrating Weatherup’s album Delusional, the tour expands to include full-band shows and special guests.

Since joining forces in 2023, the pair have captivated audiences nationwide with their seamless vocal blend and heartfelt performances. Known for creating intimate, immersive live experiences, this tour  offers a richer and more dynamic connection to their music.

Art Gallery of NSW
Our Nicole film series

When: until Saturday 2 May, various times.
Where: Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Tickets: $15 - $18

Sydney Cinémathèque at the Art Gallery of NSW is showcasing the early films of Nicole Kidman, celebrating a homegrown star who refuses to be typecast.

At 16, she found early success in Australian television films and was soon taken under the wing of George Miller’s Kennedy Miller company, an experience that fostered a lasting allegiance to distinctive directors and independent filmmaking.

Our Nicole traces Kidman’s metamorphosis from local ingénue to Hollywood icon during a daring, auteur‑led run of work.

Drawn to complexity and contradiction, she has explored the darker reaches of the female psyche, from the ruthless ambition of To Die For to the haunted fragility of The Hours and the gothic melancholy of The Others.

In Conversation
Lynn Ahrens

Anastasia, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, is playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, currently booking until 18 July, before heading to Adelaide and then Brisbane.

An award-winning lyricist and writer for film, TV and musical theatre, Lynn Ahrens has collaborated with composer Stephen Flaherty on a slew of popular musicals, including Anastasia for both film and stage, Ragtime, Once on this Island, Seussical, A Man of No Importance and many others. She’s been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and won the Tony for Best Original Score for Ragtime. 

In this wide-ranging conversation, Lynn reflects on the remarkable journey that took her from a secretary with a guitar to one of musical theatre’s most celebrated lyricists. She speaks candidly about the role of luck alongside persistence, from her breakthrough writing for Schoolhouse Rock! to the formative partnership with Stephen Flaherty that began with a chance call across a New York street. Along the way, she shares insights into craft, from the challenge of writing opening numbers to the necessity of constant rewriting, as well as formative encounters with legends like Stephen Sondheim, Comden and Green and Sheldon Harnick. 

The conversation also explores the evolution of Anastasia from animated film to stage musical, shaped by a desire to deepen its emotional and historical resonance, and the ongoing life of works like Ragtime, whose themes continue to echo powerfully in today’s world. Lynn speaks warmly about mentoring the next generation of writers, the realities of collaboration, and the emotional highs and lows of developing new work.