2023 Season Archive
Music at McClelland
Music at McClelland is generously supported by Igor Zambelli, Stephen Charles AO KC, Chris and John Collingwood.
Songmakers Australia mark the 102nd anniversary of Astor Piazzolla with a spirited homage featuring superb artists Andrea Katz and Nicholas Dinopoulos. Passionate pianist Katz returns to her homeland Argentina in a soul-searching voyage to the music that shaped her youth, as bass-baritone Dinopoulos enchants us with songs and tangos by Gardel, Mores, Piazzolla and Ziegler, in a captivatingly nostalgic program threaded together with iconic works of the Argentinian piano repertoire.
Compelling theatrical lyric soprano Anna-Lee Robertson presents her very own original Cabaret show – "After Birth", an irreverent and affectionate account of the trials and tribulations of her life as a new mum. Capturing the bittersweet emotions of new parenthood, she weaves her own hilarious tales of baby-wrangling through a perfectly curated and gloriously sung collection of timeless songs from Bernstein, Guettel, Flaherty & Ahrens, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Sondheim.
Anne Norman is a lauded performer, improviser and composer of shakuhachi (bamboo flute) currently residing in Mornington and working as a freelance artist in solo and collaborative recitals, music-theatre productions, broadcasts and recording work. Sculpted Silence showcases traditional Japanese Zen pieces and her own works for shakuhachi played in new and wonderful ways, incorporating voice in a recital sprinkled with evocative eco-poetry.
After forging stellar careers as individual artists, violinist Zoë Black and pianist Joe Chindamo quickly established themselves as a formidable force upon forming a duo just over a decade ago. Embodying the true essence of restless creativity and discovery, they are constantly evolving, challenging themselves and their audiences, and earning the highest respect from their peers and critics alike along the way. Their music has been described as edgy, emotionally charged, and unique.
Acclaimed Melbourne Quartz Quartet are a confluence of Australian musical talent and outstanding technique, performing sensitive interpretations of great masterpieces that are both innovative and unique. Violinists Kathryn Taylor and Karla Hanna, violist Merewyn Bramble and cellist Zoe Wallace frequently collaborate with sought-after Australian artists, in refreshing concerts of classical and contemporary repertoire.
Multi-faceted vocalist and composer Shauntai Sherree Batzke joins forces with pianist Stefan Cassomenos for a feast of song. Effortlessly inhabiting the worlds of opera, inspirational soul and gospel, classical composition, and theatre making, Shauntai has appeared as a soloist for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Sydney Opera House, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Short Black Opera, and Arts Centre Melbourne. She was the featured composer at the 2019 Port Fairy Spring Music Festival premiering her critically acclaimed song cycles drawing on Wiradjuri heritage and First Nations languages. Join Shauntai and Stefan as they continue their long and celebrated association with a powerful journey across style, space, and time.
The Consort of Melbourne is Melbourne's premier vocal ensemble, comprising eight of this city's finest chamber singers under the artistic direction of Steven Hodgson. Typically performing “a cappella” (unaccompanied) with one singer per part, The Consort of Melbourne champions both historic and contemporary repertoire, bringing 1000 years of vocal music to life with an intimacy and verve that leaves audiences spellbound. Their program includes celebrated masterpieces heard alongside lesser-known gems, exploring the full expressive potential of human voices combined.
Michelle Nicolle has forged a reputation nationally and internationally as a celebrated and creative jazz vocalist-musician. Together with Geoff Hughes on guitar, Tom Lee on bass, and Ronny Fenella on drums, the Michelle Nicolle Quartet (MNQ) has established itself as one of Australia's leading contemporary jazz ensembles since 1999, developing a truly unique approach to the interpretation of jazz standards, contemporary pop songs, and now with the release of their 9th album, the music of J.S. Bach. One of the great improvisers of his time, Bach is a perfect fit for the MNQ’s arrangements which showcase his compositional mastery and add a new flavour to the improvisational focus in these great works.
Speak Percussion shapes the sound of 21st century Australian percussion music through ambitious art projects that redefine the potential of percussion. Their world-class, risk-taking and innovative conceptual compositions have cemented their place as international leaders in experimental and contemporary classical music. In Assemblage, Speak's Assistant Artistic Director Kaylie Melville showcases works at the forefront of post-instrumental practice - a movement revealing the hidden musical potential in everyday objects. Plants, wine glasses, alarm clocks and saw blades sit alongside an array of traditional percussion instruments, creating a universe of endless sonic possibilities.
Melbourne ensemble PLEXUS brings together the talents of three of Melbourne's most vibrant and versatile musicians, Monica Curro (violin), Philip Arkinstall (clarinet), and Stefan Cassomenos (piano). The name PLEXUS reflects this ensemble's devotion to supporting and engaging an ever-growing network of exceptional artists across a variety of disciplines. Since launching in 2014, PLEXUS has commissioned over 110 new works. PLEXUS seeks to involve both Australian and overseas writers, film-makers, actors, directors, poets, choirs, and visual artists, as well as guest instrumentalists and vocalists, as part of its ongoing commitment to synthesising creative links across multidisciplinary artistic networks.