Welcome to the June issue of Opus: While a quiet month at Piano+, rest assured we are hard at work on next month’s Piano+ concert diary, with four exhilarating new performances and collaborations for Piano+Place. Don’t miss out on treating yourself to a weekend escape this Spring with Out West Piano Fest in Bathurst, with early bird priced packages closing on the 14 June.

End of Financial Year is fast approaching on 30 June and your support keeps us engaged with local communities providing a vital springboard for pianists through education, concert touring, collaborations and festivals. Come be a part of it and keep the music alive!

Visceral. Sensory. Intimate. Join legendary Australian musicians Jim Moginie from Midnight Oil, Chris Abrahams from The Necks, renowned Sydney pianist Sophie Hutchings, and David Bridie from Not Drowning Waving for a one night only performance as they explore space and sound at historic Sydney places. Tickets selling fast!
 

• Jim Moginie from Midnight Oil - Friday 5 July, 7pm The Auditorium, Centenary Extension Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park Sydney SOLD OUT
   
• Chris Abrahams from The Necks - Friday 12 July Two performances - 6pm & 8pm Elizabeth Bay House
   
• Sophie Hutchings - Friday 19 July, 7pm Stapleton Room, Paddington Town Hall
   
• David Bridie from Not Drowning, Waving - Friday 26 July, 7pm Paintings Galleries, State Library of NSW

It’s already June, and we’re only weeks away from celebrating the first anniversary of Piano+.

Launched to strengthen and preserve the iconic Sydney International Piano Competition (The Sydney), Piano+ is working hard to connect a community of piano lovers, deliver talent and career development opportunities, and attract new audiences to follow and appreciate excellence in pianism.

We were so delighted to hear from Autumn Piano School attendees about just how important this new Piano+ event was to them. Watch the video to hear first-hand how much they appreciated connecting with a community of like-minded people.

Connecting a Community of Piano Lovers

Piano+ can only continue this vision with the generous support of individuals like you. If you love the piano and believe strongly in the importance of preserving the future of The Sydney, please donate to our Cycle of Giving before 30 June and you will receive a tax-deduction for your generosity.

Experience the beauty of Out West Piano Fest in Bathurst this 25-27 October with a weekend of world-class piano music, art, food and wine.  Music Director Konstantin Shamray and pianists Lee Dionne, Vatche Jambazian and Grace Kim bring the program to life through illuminating solos, duos, duets and entertaining works by all four.

Relish Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Chopin, Liszt, Bach, Schumann, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and more in a program inspired by nature and the breathtaking surrounds of Blackdown Farm in full Spring bloom.

Don’t miss these five incredible concerts, paired with delicious dining experiences. Early bird packages, inclusive all food and wine are on sale until 14 June only before tickets revert to full price.  This really is your last chance to secure the best seats in the house, close to the two magnificent Kawai grand pianos on stage and save dollars at 2023 prices, so be quick!

The State Library is here for everyone to use and enjoy. With its historic spaces and galleries, world-renowned collections and dynamic events program, the Library is a place of curiosity, connection and inspiration. For writers and creatives, it has become a sanctuary for exploring new realms of imagination and a platform for artistic expression.

The Library has provided rich context for renowned pianist and composer David Bridie for his upcoming performance for Piano+Place in the Library’s Paintings Galleries on Friday 26 July. Surrounded by early colonial representations of Australian landscapes, David will weave his own ambient responses, with themes drawn from quadrilles composed in 1833 by William Joseph Cavendish, the oldest extant musical composition by an Australian settler, held in the Library’s collection.