2026 Season
Music at McClelland
Music at McClelland is generously supported by Igor Zambelli OAM, Mary-Jane Gething AO and The Robert Salzer Foundation. It is a seated event and is held in the Sarah and Baillieu Myer Education Pavilion.
Music at McClelland 2026 will be held on the third Sunday of the month, 2.30pm to 4pm, from February to November
Message from our Curator
Music at McClelland returns in 2026 with a kaleidoscope of sonic colour and creative brilliance, offering a season that spans centuries, continents, and musical traditions. From the refined elegance of Stephen McIntyre’s solo piano recital to the genre-defying virtuosity of the Grigoryan Brothers, this year’s program is a celebration of musical diversity.
We welcome the bold innovation of Rubiks Collective, the historical charm of the Gryphon Baryton Trio, the finely honed expertise of the MSO Chamber Players, and the fresh energy of the MSO Academy ensemble. New horizons are explored with First Nations composer/conductor/violist extraordinaire Aaron Wyatt, and Zoe Black and Joe Chindamo bring their signature blend of lyricism and cutting edge. In a feast of song, we present the exquisite Australian Chamber Choir, and Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky’s NOIR brings a deliciously poignant expression of melancholy, born from a shared love of sad songs and a serendipitous courtyard conversation.
Each performance is a unique encounter, intimate, immersive, and deeply connected to the natural beauty of McClelland’s sculpture park.
We invite you to join us for this exhilarating journey through sound, story, and place.
— Monica Curro
Message from our Artistic + Executive Director
McClelland is delighted to present the fifth season of the Music at McClelland program in 2026, made possible through the generous support of founding donor Igor Zambelli OAM, Mary-Jane Gething AO, and The Robert Salzer Foundation.
Curated once again by the brilliant Monica Curro, this year brings together a rich tapestry of musical voices—from celebrated soloists and dynamic ensembles to emerging artists and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Set within the inspiring surrounds of the Sarah & Baillieu Myer Education Pavilion, each performance invites audiences to experience the profound connection between music, art, and landscape. We look forward to welcoming you in 2026.
— Lisa Byrne
Click here to buy a Full or Half subscription to our 2026 concerts
$50 for Adult tickets
$220 for Half subscription or 5 ticket bundle
$440 for Full subscription
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 few years back they began a conversation around songs they were drawn to, and it was immediately clear that their tastes converged at the melancholy, the testimonial, the heartbreak ballads that speak of love’s sometimes bitter ironies. The Covid lockdowns certainly helped them to focus on this project, one that led to the recording of their ABC Jazz album ‘Noir’, a collection of standards and originals that reveal sentiment rather than sentimentality, great beauty in deepest shadow, empathy and calm. As Paul puts it, ‘we have found a happy place in these sad songs, in which each shadow reveals new light’.
Stephen McIntyre is known nationally and internationally as one of Australia’s most eminent pianists and teachers. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in many countries, and was Head of Piano at the Victorian College of the Arts from 1977 until 1993.
He has appeared as concerto soloist with all major Australian orchestras. His cycle of the complete piano music of Ravel won the National Critics Award.
He was Principal Artistic Advisor for Musica Viva Australia during 1995-96, Director of the Chamber Music Program for the Melbourne International Festival from 1989-1999 and Artistic Director of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival from 2005 to 2009. Stephen McIntyre was for many years Associate Professor in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne.
In 2003, he was the recipient of the Sir Bernard Heinze Award for distinguished contribution to music and in 2007, he was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Two romantic masters, two deeply personal works, and one rarely heard configuration – this program for string sextet offers an intimate glimpse into the emotional and musical lives of Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
Brahms’ Sextet No.1 in B-flat major, written in his late twenties, blends youthful lyricism with the emerging hallmarks of his mature style: rich textures, rhythmic intricacy, and exquisite writing for strings. Written in the shadow of emotional upheaval, the work feels both generous and intimate - chamber music of immense warmth, depth, and quiet resilience, where six voices speak with a singular sense of unity.
Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence opens with bold, almost operatic intensity from its first bars. Composed at the height of his fame, it captures the sunlit vibrancy of Italy alongside the drama and passion of his Russian heritage. Whilst its title suggests a simple memento, this is instead a vivid remembrance - full of colour, movement, and life, and demanding emotionally charged technical brilliance from each performer.
*Book here for Souvenirs: Brahms + Tchaikovsky String Sextets
Joe Chindamo OAM and Zoë Black are a virtuosic duo whose performances dazzle with brilliance and daring imagination.
Chindamo, one of Australia’s leading composers and pianists, combines creativity with technical mastery, while Black, an exceptional violinist, brings luminous sound and fearless artistry.
Together they are two of nature’s most powerful musicians.
From the Melbourne Recital Centre to Carnegie Hall, and at prestigious festivals including Spinacorona in Naples, fusing classical virtuosity with an edgy contemporary spirit, Chindamo and Black are acclaimed for performances that are as emotionally profound as they are dazzling, reaffirming their reputation as one of Australia’s most compelling musical collaborations.
Providing young instrumentalists a vital final bridge to a successful career, the MSO Academy is an exciting opportunity for post-graduate musicians. During the year-long program, Academy members perform in Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concerts, receive mentoring from MSO musicians and participate in a full range of professional development activities designed to prepare them for a career in music. They also prepare and present chamber music performances featuring a curated selection of works for the ensemble and special guest musicians.
The 2026 MSO Academy represents the fifth cohort of brilliant young musicians to participate in this unique program.
Aaron is a violist, violinist, conductor, composer, programmer, and academic. Originally from Perth, he spent many years as a regular casual with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra before moving to Melbourne to take up an Assistant Lecturer position at Monash.
A member of the award winning Decibel New Music ensemble, he also develops their animated graphic notation app for the iPad, the Decibel ScorePlayer. In 2021 he became the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a state symphony orchestra in concert, and has since gone on to have engagements with the Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, West Australian, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.
He was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his role as musical director of Cat Hope’s opera Speechless in the 2019 Perth Festival, and recently conducted the premiere of Gina Williams’ and Guy Ghouse’s Noongar opera Wundig wer Wilura. As a composer, he has written for Ensemble Offspring, GreyWing Ensemble, Ensemble Dutala, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and is currently Artist in Residence with Speak Percussion.
Guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are counted amongst the finest musicians of their generation, having developed a reputation for enthralling audiences with their energy and the breadth of their repertoire – embracing genres such as classical, jazz and contemporary music from around the world.
Between them, they have received 4 ARIA awards (Australian Recording Industry Association) and an incredible 25 ARIA Award nominations and together have recorded 14 albums. Since 2003, the Brothers have been touring internationally throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA, and more exotic locations in Brazil, South Africa, India and the Middle East.
Their diverse repertoire continues to present new opportunities for appearances in traditional and unconventional settings, from projects with orchestras to duo performances in iconic classical venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus.
Their ability to navigate disparate genres has resulted in invitations from arts festivals, jazz festivals, folk festivals and WOMAD, while also effortlessly inhabiting more intimate spaces such as clubs and salons.
Rubiks is one of Melbourne’s most dynamic contemporary art music ensembles, directed by Tamara Kohler (flutes) and Kaylie Melville (percussion).
Since debuting in 2015, Rubiks has been hailed as “a formidable contribution to Australia’s growing community of contemporary music makers” (Partial Durations) and commended for their “incredibly personal, strangely spiritual and ultimately deeply touching” performances (Limelight).
Rubiks reimagines classical music for the modern era by showcasing bold cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations, sharing untold stories and championing gender equity in the arts.
The ensemble has collaborated with Australian and international artists including Marcus Fjellström (SE), Amy Zhang (US), Kate Neal (AU), Ashis Sengupta (IN), Kinds of Kings (US), Short Black Opera (AU) and Matthew Shlomowitz (AU/UK). Rubiks’ international appearances have included performances in Germany, England, the Netherlands and at the closing events for the 2018-19 Australia Fest in India. National appearances include the Metropolis New Music Festival (Melbourne), City Recital Hall’s Extended Play Festival (Sydney), Canberra International Music Festival and the post-genre concert series Dots+Loops (Brisbane).
Established in 2007 by Douglas Lawrence, the Australian Chamber Choir has given 125 concerts in Europe and many more in Australia. The singers have won accolades in the mainstream press in four countries for their “flawless intonation, superb uniformity, perfect tonal balance and astounding dynamic range” (General-Anzeiger Bonn).
With programs ranging from a cappella to oratorio, from European Renaissance to contemporary Australian, the choir provides a rigorous training ground for young professional singers. ACC graduates currently work in Europe with ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, Bristol Ensemble, Freiburg Barockorchester, and Vox Luminis.
The ACC’s reputation for “lucidly articulated” (The Age) performances of Bach’s motets has earned them several invitations to perform at JS Bach’s St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig. Other prestigious engagements have included the Cathedrals of Berlin, Bonn, Freiberg (Germany), Klagenfurt (Austria), Konstanz, Lausanne (Switzerland), Legnica, Pelplin (Poland), Ribe (Denmark), and Venice (Italy) and St Martin-in-the-Fields, London (UK). The choir’s 2024 world premiere, in Australia and Venice, of a lost cantata by Vivaldi’s orphan protégé, Agatha, is the subject of a new documentary.
Australian tours have taken them to Sydney, Canberra and regional NSW. Every program performed in the choir’s hometown of Melbourne is also presented in regional Victorian centres.
The Gryphon Baryton Trio draws on the combined chamber music and historical performance practice experience of Laura Vaughan (baryton), Katie Yap (Classical viola) and Josephine Vains (Classical cello). The magnificent baryton reached its zenith at the court of Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy in 18th-century Vienna during the time of composer Joseph Haydn, and there exists a significant repertoire of chamber music for baryton which is very rarely performed. The Gryphon Baryton Trio joyfully brings this unique soundscape back to life in Australia by enabling this music to be performed with its original instrumentation and through the commission of new works for this fascinating instrumental soundscape.
Founded on a passion for the chocolate velvet timbre of a baryton trio, the Gryphon Baryton Trio embodies the essence of artistic expression through its exploration of the harmonious melodies and timeless compositions of the Classical era, as well as exploring new music for this unique medium. With a profound respect for musical traditions, our ensemble cultivates a rich cultural experience that transcends time and captivates the hearts of our listeners.
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