On The Terrace 2025
Sunday 2 November
11am - 4pm
FREE
A free mini-festival of pop-up concerts for all ages - experience the intimacy and wonder of chamber music set amongst Adelaide’s iconic galleries, museums and creative spaces on North Terrace.
Experience the intimacy and wonder of chamber music set amongst Adelaide’s iconic galleries, museums and creative spaces on North Terrace.
This year, we present a vibrant tapestry of musical experiences across classical, contemporary, and diverse music traditions.
From Baroque elegance and intimate artsong to the otherworldly sounds of microtonal glass instruments, this year's program celebrates both tradition and bold innovation.
A highlight is composer Jodie O'Regan's Leviathan, a powerful new work for male voices and percussion that confronts South Australia's whaling history with raw dramatic force.
With newly commissioned pieces inspired by local landscapes, culturally rich voices from Australia's migrant and First Nations communities, and everything from Bach's devotional brilliance to playful family-friendly performances, each pop-up concert offers a unique and unforgettable sound world.
Featured ensembles and full schedule to be announced soon - sign up to our mailing list for updates or explore last year's program to see what On The Terrace has to offer.
Tickets are free but we would love your support. If you would normally buy a ticket, please consider donating.
San Ureshi
11.00am, 1.00pm, 2.20pm
Elder Wing, Art Gallery of SA
Experience the joyful sounds of erhu, guzheng and percussion in this family-friendly performance. San Ureshi creates music that blends tradition and playfulness, inviting audiences of all ages to enjoy and share in the joy of sound. With moments of reflection and bursts of energy, this interactive program is a chance to connect through music across generations.
Zhao Liang (guzheng), David Dai (erhu), Satomi Ohnishi
Presented in partnership with Nexus Arts
Inflorescence Trio
11.20am, 1.20pm, 3pm
Art Gallery of SA – Gallery 19-21
Bridget McCullough (viola), Gemma Vice (flute), Megan Robson (guitar) present a program inspired by the rich visual and spiritual worlds evoked in Touching the Divine, drawing particularly from The Water Sports of Krishna — a luminous 19th-century Rajasthani textile painting that celebrates joy, sensuality, and devotion.
The trio performs Oasis by Annette Kruisbrink and Trio by Frederic Hand — two contemporary works that conjure meditative beauty and ecstatic lyricism. Oasis offers a shimmering soundscape that echoes the stillness and floating quality of lotus-filled waters, while Trio evokes both playfulness and reverence, much like Krishna’s mythic presence in nature and art.
Pared to Two
12.20pm, 1.20pm, 2.40pm
Art Gallery of SA – Gallery 16
In an intimate dialogue between oboe and cello, Pared to Two explores transformation through sound — from the smoky nostalgia of Piazzolla's Café 1930 to the mythic world of Britten's Pan, inspired by Ovid's tales of metamorphosis. The program features the world premiere of Sally Whitwell's Miniature, a new work that distils musical ideas into their purest essence, and finishes with excerpts from Vivaldi's Sonata in C minor RV53.
Celia Craig (oboe) and Thomas Marlin (cello)
Adelaide Baroque Trio
12.00pm, 2.00pm, 3.40pm
Art Gallery of SA – Gallery 16
Adelaide Baroque Trio brings the elegance and charm of 17th-century England to life with dances and fantasias by Henry Purcell and Matthew Locke. Performed by the ensemble’s principal musicians on violin, viola and cello, this program offers a window into the intimate world of early English consort music — graceful, inventive, and full of character.
Ben Dollman, Heidi Von Bernewitz, Thomas Marlin
Austral Harmony
11.40am, 1.00pm, 3.20pm
Art Gallery of SA – Gallery 16
Inspired by myths of transformation, Austral Harmony presents Handel’s Acis & Galatea, a pastoral tale of love, jealousy and metamorphosis. Set among sylvan glades and crystal fountains, the trio’s baroque instruments bring to life the story of Acis and Galatea, where human emotion meets divine magic. Through shimmering arias and intimate interplay, this performance transforms the gallery space into a world of music, myth, and wonder.
Elinor Warwick (baroque violin), Jane Downer (baroque oboe), Kim Worley baroque cellist
Dylan Crismani: Electric Cristals
11.00am, 12.40pm, 2.20pm
Art Gallery of SA – Gallery 25
Discover the otherworldly sounds of the Electric Cristals, a rare microtonal instrument played by rubbing glass rods to create shimmering, ethereal vibrations. Dylan Crismani explores a rich palette of textures and tones, from delicate whispers to resonant waves, offering audiences a mesmerizing and immersive sonic experience unlike any other.
Presented in partnership with CASM
Opal Guitar Quartet
12.00pm, 2pm, 3.40pm
Circulating Library
The Opal Guitar Quartet celebrates the richness of contemporary Australian classical guitar repertoire with a programme inspired by visual art and natural treasures. The programme will feature works for guitar quartet by renowned Australian composers as well as a world premiere of new miniatures written by the quartet.
Megan Robson, Caleb Lavery, Dylan Boller, James Rawley
Jesse Budel: Volumes
11.20am, 12.20pm, 2.40pm
Migration Museum courtyard
Composer Jesse Budel presents Volumes, a new work developed during his residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida, as part of his 2024 Arts SA Fellowship. Designed for an octophonic sound array with live performance elements, this immersive piece envelops audiences in a multi-dimensional sonic landscape exploring the voluminous materiality and sounds of water, sand, vehicles, rockets, news media, and biodiversity in Volusia County, Florida.
Coruscalia Collective
12.40pm, 2.20pm, 3.20pm
Circulating Library
Coruscalia Collective celebrates the rich voices of Australia’s migrant composers with a program of imaginative, evocative works for two flutes. From Meta Overman’s playful MetaBorphoses to Felix Werder’s reflective Mirrors and Larry Sitsky’s inventive Canonic Variations, this performance offers audiences a journey through moods, textures, and musical storytelling — connecting past and present through sound.
Melanie Walters (flute), Madeleine Stewart (flute)
Vonda Last
12.20pm, 1.40pm, 3.00pm
Circulating Library
Vonda Last is an award-winning Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara musician and songwriter living in Kaurna yerta, Adelaide, South Australia. She is a celebrated vocalist and wordsmith, whose songs often explore Indigenous history, family stories, and cultural identity, gaining significant recognition for her powerful compositions like ‘For Love of Country’. She performs with Larrakia guitarist Daniel Fejo, sharing her songs in the intimate setting of the Circulating Library.
Magpie Artsong
12.20pm, 1.20pm, 3.20pm
Mortlock Chamber
Experience the intimate power of artsong with mezzo-soprano Fiona McArdle and pianist Penelope Cashman. This recital presents a selection evocative songs exploring the sentiments of change and possibility inspired by Spring. Voice and piano combine to share stories of the season in a program including songs by South Australian composers Rachel Bruerville and Anne Cawrse, and the Australian premiere of Adelaide-born Sadie Harrison’s ‘I am in love with every star in all the galaxies’.
Fiona McArdle, mezzo-soprano, Penelope Cashman, piano
Poetry in Song
12.40pm, 1.40pm. 3.40pm
Mortlock Chamber
Mezzo-soprano/ soprano Katelyn Crawford and pianist Haowei Yang bring poetry to life through the art song tradition. From Shakespeare and Tennyson to Verlaine and Rossetti, each song transforms words into music, offering audiences a deeply expressive experience and celebrates the connection between poetry, music, and human emotion.
Leviathan by Jodie O’Regan
11.00am, 12.00pm, 2.40pm
SA Museum Foyer
Leviathan is the first movement of a major new work inspired by South Australia’s whaling history—from frenzied slaughter and near extinction to the gradual return of whales in a declared sanctuary. Born from a pandemic-era fascination with Victor Harbor’s maritime past, the work explores themes of ocean devastation and hope that feel urgently relevant amid today’s algal blooms. Drawing musical inspiration from heavy metal band Manowar, Russian male voice choral music, and Orff’s Catulli Carmina, this powerful, masculine piece features four solo baritones, male chamber choir, and percussion. Through singing, shouting, chanting, and movement, the performers evoke nineteenth-century industrial hunger for whale oil, depicting men who set out with noble honour only to discover they are agents of destruction—’demons’ rather than heroes.
Performers: Mark Oates, Alex Roose. Nicholas Cannon, Emlyn O’Regan
Festival Statesmen Chorus (Chamber Ensemble), Andrew Wiering
Director: Nicholas Cannon
Designer: Clare Langsford
Open Music Academy, Elder Conservatorium of Music;
1.00pm. 2.00pm
South Australian Museum – Pacific Cultures Gallery
The flagship string ensemble of the Elder Conservatorium’s Open Music Academy presents Gustav Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, a lively and engaging work celebrating music, tradition, and craftsmanship. From spirited dances to the finale featuring beloved folk melodies, this performance showcases the ensemble’s energy, precision, and expressive range — a joyful highlight for audiences of all ages.
Bousta: Loved Ones
11.40am, 12.40pm. 3.20pm
Migration Museum Courtyard
As part of a collaboration with CASM for the 2025 On The Terrace, producer Bousta has worked with members from the Adelaide Chamber Singers on his track Loved Ones. This track will be played through Jesse Budel’s octophonic sound system in the Migration Museum courtyard for a surround sound experience.
‘This song is about loves ones who passed and remembering them. Mainly those who had an image in their mind and the vision they saw of our potential in music, sports, or arts. We are reminding ourselves to never give up and stay strong for them to keep their high hopes for us alive’.
Presented in partnership with CASM
Adelaide Cantata Band
1pm, 3pm
Mortlock Chamber
Bringing Bach’s brilliance to life, Adelaide Cantata Band presents a selection of arias and duets from some of his most loved cantatas. With the rich colours of baroque oboe, baroque viola and organ continuo, alongside luminous voices, this short program captures both the intimacy and the grandeur of Bach’s music — moments of transcendent beauty expressing hope, devotion and joy. With selections from BWV 80 “Ein feste Burg” and BWV 140 “Wachet auf”.
Gianna Guttilla - soprano
Christian Evans - baritone
Brendan O’Donnell - baroque oboe
Anna Webb - baroque viola
Andrew Georg - chamber organ
Silk Strings Ensemble with cellist David Moran
11.40am, 1.40pm. 3.20pm
South Australian Museum – Pacific Cultures Gallery
Silk Strings Ensemble invites audiences on a journey through the landscapes and wildlife of South Australia with a series of newly commissioned works for huqin trio and cello. From the cheeky calls of magpies to the elegance of the leafy sea dragon, each composition offers a vivid musical snapshot of the natural world. Performed entirely acoustically, this engaging program is a celebration of sound, culture, and place — an experience to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.
Presented in partnership with Nexus Arts
Vanya Quartet
11.20am, 2.20pm. 3.40pm
South Australian Museum – Pacific Cultures Gallery
Vanya Quartet, recipients of the 2025 Chrysalis Fellowship, bring their emerging excellence to the stage with a program that highlights their artistry and collaborative spirit. Supported through performance opportunities, recording sessions, and professional development, this fellowship enables the quartet to present chamber music with energy, precision, and creativity, offering audiences a glimpse of the next generation of exceptional Australian musicians. Their program for On The Terace includes Saoirse (Freedom) by Belle Smibert, an Adelaide based composer currently studying at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. Her piece is inspired by Irish/Scottish Fiddle tunes.
Lucy Macourt (violin), Nick Miceli (violin), Clara Salzmann (viola) and Henry Say (cello)
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Previous On The Terrace Programs
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