Once again St Francis Xavier's Cathedral is opening its doors for our popular lunch time organ recitals.

Richard Mills’s recent Sonata for Cello and Piano introduces a contemporary Australian voice, exploring the expressive potential of the duo with inventive textures. Written during a period of separation from his wife, Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata contains his trademark rhythmic drive, wit and intensity, creating a dynamic dialogue between cello and piano.

Programme:
Henri Brod - Trio for oboe, bassoon & piano, Op. 5
Ben Hoadley - Trio
Joe Chindamo - "Trio Fantastique" (2021)

Adelaide’s own Silk Strings Ensemble (Felix Wang, David Dai and Lester Wong) returns with Turkish vocal virtuoso Dr. Aysegul Altiok, drummer Satomi Ohnishi, pianist Yundi Yuan and bassist Tim Matthew. Together they create rich arrangements, surprising twists and a heartfelt tribute to cultural diversity and connection.

Programme:
Henri Brod - Trio No. 1, Op. 5
Benjamin Britten - Temporal Variations (oboe and piano)
Joe Chindamo - Trio Fantastique (2021)
- Interval -
William Hurlstone - Sonata for bassoon and piano
Andre Previn - Trio for oboe, bassoon & piano

Slava, Leonard, Vladimir and Andrew are renowned nationally and internationally as leading soloists and passionate advocates for  their distinctive instrument. They are also recognised for their formidable and diverse repertoire. For UKARIA, they present a  beautifully balanced program showcasing intimate delicacy and extravagant flair. The concert opens with Bach’s sixth Brandenburg  Concerto, here arranged by James Smith for guitar quartet…

Aurora Vocal Ensemble celebrates our Southern Skies and the land below in 'Lyra' — a shimmering program of music inspired by flight, light, and belonging. Named for the constellation that sings across the heavens, Lyra invites listeners to look upward and outward, to find beauty in the vastness above and wonder beneath our feet.

Elegance, virtuosity, humour and youthful energy will be on display in Mozart’s Divertimento in D major, K. 136. Sparkling with charm and graceful wit, it is a perfect example of his early mastery in light-hearted chamber writing. Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor follows, performed by Jade Elsdon. First attributed to Vivaldi, and then his brother, Marcello’s composition is a Baroque pearl renowned for its expressive lyricism and ornamentation. Rounding out the program is Carl Nielsen’s Little Suite for Strings, Op. 1, a youthful yet inventive work, with lively themes and textures that hint at the bold voice he would later develop.

As a regular recitalist at London’s Wigmore Hall and as a soloist with the London and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, French pianist Cédric Tiberghien is noted for his sensitive, versatile musicality as well as his innovative and engaging programming…

François Couperin’s three surviving tenebrae lessons for Holy Week are widely regarded as the pinnacle of French Baroque vocal writing. Two solo movements and one sublime duet set the Lamentations of Jeremiah with stunning ornamentation. In the lead up to Easter, don’t miss this intensely beautiful and atmospheric program highlighting the sweet soaring voices of sopranos Kate Macfarlane and Emma Horwood with the grace and delicacy of French harpsichord music specialist Anne Whelan.

Anna Pope, soprano
Emma Horwood, soprano
Kenneth Pope, bass

Join us in welcoming newest jazz faculty members Timothy Clarkson (saxophone) and Alex Taylor (trombone) for an afternoon of chamber jazz featuring special guests from Adelaide's vibrant jazz scene.

Journey from Australian shores to the elemental landscapes of Scandinavia. Strings swell in Barber’s Adagio for Strings. In Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight, a repeating melody rises with quiet resignation – cinematic and deeply tender. Sibelius and Thorvaldsdóttir evoke endless skies, frozen air, and distant warmth – a still, slow-moving northern landscape conjured in the quiet language of strings.

Journey from Australian shores to the elemental landscapes of Scandinavia. Strings swell in Barber’s Adagio for Strings. In Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight, a repeating melody rises with quiet resignation – cinematic and deeply tender. Sibelius and Thorvaldsdóttir evoke endless skies, frozen air, and distant warmth – a still, slow-moving northern landscape conjured in the quiet language of strings.

BACH & HANDEL: Pastoral love from the myth of Acis & Galatea, and outdoor wedding music celebrating the delights of blossoming love.

Austral Harmony 

Elinor Warwick - baroque violin

Jane Downer - baroque oboe 

Kim Worley - baroque ‘cello

In this special solo organ recital, Joshua van Konkelenberg (a lecturer at the Elder Conservatorium, and one of its most outstanding graduates) performs four works that showcase the majesty and grandeur of our resident instrument…

LIGHT of ANGELS: Celebrating 300 years of Johann Sebastian Bach with TRIO settings from his Leipzig Cantatas of 1726 full of lyrical emotion in their depiction of celestial imagery. 

Austral Harmony 

Elinor Warwick - baroque violin

Jane Downer - baroque oboe, oboe d’amore & oboe da caccia

Thomas Marlin - baroque ‘cello

Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky have been aware of each other for a very long time. As Michelle says, she ‘grew up’ watching  Paul on television and was aware of his work with the great Vince Jones and others; somewhat later Paul became aware of Michelle’s trajectory toward becoming, in his words, ‘one of the greatest jazz singers Australia has produced’…

A fascinating aspect of music is its capacity to transport us through time. The luminous, ethereal sound world of Hildegard von Bingen is brought to life by her Ave generosa, arranged here by Donald Nicolson. Selections from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations follow, featuring the immortal aria transformed across a vast universe of variation. Contemporary voices then take the stage, with Jakub Jankowski’s The Orchid and the Wasp and Missy Mazzoli’s Lies You Can Believe In – works combining lyricism with inventive atmospheres. The program concludes with a selection of folk tunes from Bulgaria and Scandinavia.

David Elton is no stranger to either Australian or international audiences. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) Principal Trumpet, virtuosic soloist and esteemed chamber musician brings an engaging program that highlights the range and versatility of his instrument. David is joined in his explorations by three colleagues, each renowned musicians in their own right: SSO Concertmaster Andrew Haveron, SSO Associate Principal Cello Simon Cobcroft and concert pianist and composer Stefan Cassomenos…

Captured and imprisoned by the German Army in a prisoner-of-war camp, Messiaen wrote Quartet for the End of Time using paper and a pencil given by a sympathetic guard. The work is a series of eight movements relating to a Biblical passage from Revelation, depicting the Angel of the Apocalypse. Though one might interpret the work as owing to his own experiences as a prisoner, Messiaen intended it to be an acknowledgement of the end of past and future, and the beginning of eternity.

The Berlin-based Leonkoro Quartet has been making waves on the international chamber music scene since triumphing at the 2022 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Now partnering exclusively with the Alpha Classics recording label, the  Quartet has a string of critically-acclaimed albums and performs regularly at venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the  Leipzig Gewandhaus and NYC’s Carnegie Hall. On their first Australian tour, their recital programs reflect their interpretative range  and their ‘profound sensitivity’…