Satu Vanska plays Beethoven

When: Sunday 28 July at 2.30pm
Where: The Smith Auditorium, Shore School
Tickets: $15 to $40

One of Australia’s best loved violinists, Satu Vanska, will be performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The program is rounded out with Dvořák’s Symphony No 7. Completed in 1885, it is considered by many to be Dvořák’s finest symphony, and its furious final passages are some of the most exciting symphonic music ever written. This will be the ONLY chance to hear Satu play this work in Sydney!

2MBS subscribers have the chance to win one of the three double passes to hear Satu Vanska play Beethoven in Sydney!

Omega Ensemble
Alchymia 

When: Saturday 27 July at 2pm and 7pm
Where: The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Sydney
Tickets: $39 – $89

Described as “a triumphant premiere from our greatest living composer...” (The Telegraph UK), Thomas Adès’ Alchymia is a spellbinding and expansive masterwork transporting the listener into a deep, dark timelessness.

Also featuring Missy Mazzoli’s haunting Dark with Excessive Bright and world premiere of Light House by Samuel Adams and a new version of Nervous Systems by Christopher Cerrone. These performances will move you from beautiful simplicity to pandemonium beyond recognition!

Music for a Winters Night

When: Saturday 27 July at 6pm
Where: The Independent Theatre
Tickets: $15 - $40

Home from Berlin and New York, celebrated Australian pianist Calvin Abdiel joins outstanding young violinist Cedar Newman for a performance of two captivating works, Schubert’s Grand Duo and Strauss’ Violin Sonata. The music is dramatic and punctuated by the exquisite lyricism synonymous with both composers. 

Abdiel also presents a Haydn solo sonata, and Newman performs Ysaÿe’s Ballade - a program that balances emotional intensity with lightness and joy. 

Also at Wollongong Art Gallery on Friday 9 August at 7 pm.

Andrew Scott stars in the acclaimed production National Theatre Live's Present Laughter, screening at Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne.

As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching. Captured live from The Old Vic in London, Present Laughter is a giddy and surprisingly modern reflection on fame, desire and loneliness.

Special preview screening of Present Laughter on Thursday 1 August and then  will be screening from 8 - 12 August.

Present Laughter
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace

When: Thursday August 1 at 7pm
Where: Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Tickets: $30 to $35 (complimentary glass of sparkling wine on arrival)

Hear the early music ensemble Consort 8 and the Sydney Conservatorium Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble play O Musica Du Edle Kunst (O Music The Noble Art).

The concert features Renaissance and Baroque music from Germany and includes selections from Samuel Scheidt's Ludi Musici, vocal and instrumental music of Ludwig Senfl and Paul Peuerl, Telemann's Trio Sonata in F major for 2 recorders and continuo and Franz Tunder and JS Bach's An Wasserflüssen Babylon. 

The concert finishes with the magnificent Johann Rudolph Ahle's Zwingt die Saiten in Cithara.

O Music The Noble Art
Consort 8

When: Saturday 10 August at 6pm
Tickets: $40 to $45
Where: St Paul's Anglican Church, Burwood

IFAC Hand Australian singing competition semi-finals concert

When: Sunday 18 August at 4.30pm
Where: The Independent Theatre, North Sydney
Tickets: $25 - $40

Discover the future of opera in this exciting afternoon concert as ten brilliant young singers compete for prestige, career opportunities, cash prizes and the chance to be named as a Finalist in the 2024 IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition (ASC).

From charming lieder to lyrical arias, our ten semi-finalists will each sing two items for one of five places in the finals.
Enjoy an afternoon of dazzling singing from Australia's finest young singers.

James O'Donnell is one of the leading organists and choral conductors of his generation. He was Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, and subsequently Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey for over 20 years, during which time he was responsible for the music at several significant events – most notably the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Katherine, and the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Since 2023 he has been Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at Yale.

In this conversation, James shares some of the history of the remarkable institutions he has served, and we delve into some of the recordings he has made with the Choirs of Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. We also hear about some of the broader responsibilities which came with his service at Westminster Abbey.

In Conversation with 
James O'Donnell

James O'Donnell performs the opening recital for the new Bicentennial pipe organ at St James King Street on Friday 26 July. 

By Barry O'Sullivan

Wilbur Whitta is an award-winning pianist and composer of contemporary jazz.
He is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied on a scholarship for two years.
Upon graduating with distinction he was awarded the Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music (DipRAM), a prize given for outstanding performance in a postgraduate level final recital.

High-five with Wilbur Whitta

You can also listen to the interview of Wilbur Whitta  on the program A Jazz Hour presented by Barry O'Sullivan.