Monthly Archives: June 2014

City Recital Hall becomes a Parisian Salon to celebrate Bastille Day

City Recital Hall becomes a Parisian Salon to celebrate Bastille Day

Join classical superstars, soprano Yvonne Kenny, flautist Jane Rutter, accordionist Marcello Maio and baritone Andrew Jones. The stellar lineup will be accompanied by a small chamber ensemble including: Owen Torr on harp an Vincent Colagiuri on piano performing Parisian classical arias, Chansons and delicious salon pieces.

La Rêvolution will take you on a journey to the heart of the French Romantic Operatic era. To the passionate world of the Parisian salons and the languid, joyous insouciance of French Impressionism.

Artistic director, Jane Rutter has created a seductive program which includes a wonderful selection of works including; Ravel’s La Flûte Enchantée, Piece en Forme de Habanera and Chansons à Boire, Fauré’s Sicilienne and Après un Rêve, Debussy’s Claire de Lune, Cole Porter’s So In Love and Eric Satie’s classical Parisian cabaret favourite La Diva de l’Empire. With excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen and Les Pecheurs de Perle, and musical délices by Hahn, Messager, Chausson, Poulenc, Offenbach, and Saint-Saëns. Bastille Day never looked this good!

Vive la France! Vive La Musique!

claire de lune

Debussy played by Jane Rutter

the merry widow

Performed by Yvonne Kenny

purchase tickets

14 July 2014, 7.30pm
City Recital Hall
tickets from $65*

online at cityrecitalhall.com
by phone (02) 8256 2222
in person City Recital Hall Angel Place

SuncéBeat is a sparkling gem in the Croatian festival scene

SuncéBeat is a sparkling gem in the Croatian festival scene, the sister event to the UK’s legendary Southport Weekender, the longest running indoor urban and dance music event in the world. This year’s event marks five years of parties on the Dalmatian coast with our biggest line up to date!Jazz-funk legend Lonnie Liston Smith will appear live in concert on the outdoor main stage, and David Morales will be spinning a heartfelt tribute set to the Godfather of House music, Frankie Knuckles.

We’ve got NYC parties with Kerri Chandler and Quentin Harris, South Africa sessions with Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and Julian Gomes, and Chicago legends Ron Trent, Glenn Underground, Boo Williams and Anthony Nicholson will all be in attendance. Check out the full line up below.

KERRI CHANDLER RON TRENT GILLES PETERSON
OSUNLADE BLACK COFFEE CULOE DE SONG
PROSUMER GLENN UNDERGROUND BOO WILLIAMS
ANTHONY NICHOLSON KARIZMA QUENTIN HARRIS
DEETRON KYODAI RICH MEDINA
SADAR BAHAR GRANT NELSON CRAIG SMITH
ATJAZZ JULLIAN GOMES PHIL ASHER
After-party
Check out the line-up Buy a ticket Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

The King’s Singers bring their Great American Songbook tour to Sydney for one night only

The beloved Grammy Award-winning a cappella vocal ensemble offers up sunny, sophisticated arrangements of their favourite tunes by Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and many others in Great American Songbook.Enjoy an evening of familiar tunes as The King’s Singers pay tribute to some of the most enduring and influential American popular songs of the 20th century.
The King’s Singers with renowned jazz composer and arranger Alexander L’Estrange, have created brand new a cappela arrangements of each song, bringing the groups own unique performance style to some of the most beloved hits from the golden era of song-writing.

From their witty take on Let’s Misbehave and The Lady is a Tramp (the latter even updated with references to Twitter and The Ashes!), to the sensual harmonies of My Funny Valentine and Cry Me A River, the ensemble bring their own consummate vocal talents and trademark British humor to these golden era songs from Broadway musicals, Hollywood films and the American theatre stage.

Recipients of two Grammy Awards, the Midem International Classical Award and recent inductees into the Gramophone Hall of Fame, this is sure to be an unforgettable evening!

purchase tickets

25 June 2014, 7.30pm
City Recital Hall
tickets from $85*

online at cityrecitalhall.com
by phone (02) 8256 2222
in person City Recital Hall Angel Place

TWO SENSATIONAL CONCERTS WITH SELBY & FRIENDS

TWO BRILLIANT INTERNATIONAL STARS

TWO SENSATIONAL CONCERTS WITH SELBY & FRIENDS

Leave behind the winter cold and enjoy the electric atmosphere of top-class artistic friends performing chamber music at its best.  Purchase tickets ($33 – $69) now for the best seats!

IN MEMORY OF A GREAT ARTIST

Tuesday 1 July, 7pm

Australian virtuoso violinist and leader of both the famed Lucerne Festival Strings and the recent Australian World Orchestra, Daniel Dodds returns home to perform with renowned Australian cellist Julian Smiles and pianist Kathryn Selby AM  in this program featuring piano trios by Beethoven and Fauré, and Tchaikovsky’s monumental piano trio homage to Anton Rubinstein.

Daniel Dodds, violinist

Torleif Thedéen

SWEDISH DELIGHT

Tuesday 16 September, 7pm

Selby & Friends is delighted to welcome the great Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen in recital for the first time in Australia in over 20 years. Thedéen’s program will include cello sonatas by Beethoven, Debussy and Grieg with friend Kathryn Selby along with a world première work by Australian Paul Dean. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Torleif Thedeen live in concert.

15 Questions to Torleif Thedéen

purchase tickets

online at cityrecitalhall.com
by phone (02) 8256 2222
in person at City Recital Hall Angel Place
tickets $37- $69 (additional fees may apply)

SELBY & FRIENDS TOUR 3
1 July, 7pm

SELBY & FRIENDS TOUR 4
16 Sept, 7pm

One of America’s greatest cabaret performers returns to City Recital Hall

One of America’s greatest cabaret performers returns to City Recital Hall for the first time in over a decade with her show Let’s Fall in Love. Amanda McBroom ponders the dark and light side of that endangered species – romance.

Somewhere between cabaret, Broadway show and concert, Let’s Fall in Love sees star songstress Amanda McBroom present an intimate program full of love, lust, loss, cherished dreams and wisdom, alsong side pianist and musical director Michele Brourman.  Be entertained by a familiar selection of great American songs with exquisite interpretations of Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields, Sammy Cahn, and hit songs by McBroom and Brouman themselves, including The Rose.

Humorous, profound and intensely moving, McBroom and Brourman weave their spell with innate artistry, incredible versatility expertly traversing blues, ballads and torch songs.

Amanda McBroom voice
Michele Brourman piano and musical director

MOVEMENT ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 WRAPS UP ANOTHER RECORD YEAR; PAXAHAU ANNOUNCES 2015 DATES

Paxahau Events, producers of the annual Movement Electronic Music Festival is pleased to announce another record year for the 2014 event, which took place Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26 inside Detroit’s Hart Plaza. The ninth edition of the festival attracted over 107,000 attendees from all parts of the world and has been widely regaled by attendees and media alike as the best festival for music lovers in America.

Movement returns to Hart Plaza next Memorial Day Weekend; May 23, 24 & 25, 2015.

Movement 2014 featured over 130 acts, including upfront performances by Claude von Stroke, Richie Hawtin, Action Bronson, Tiga, Underground Resistance, Just Blaze and Marco Carola, just to name a few.

The Red Bull Music Academy stage featured a handful of breakout stars and international heavyweights, including a special b2b closing set on Monday night by Desolat boss, Loco Dice and Intec Records chief, Carl Cox. Other notable performances include, RBMA alums Nightwave and Shadowbox as well as Jamie Jones, John Digweed, Seth Troxler and Detroit’s very own, Carl Craig.

Fans were caught grooving on the Beatport stage all weekend long to the sounds of Pete Tong, The Martinez Brothers, Heidi, Justin Martin, DJ Sneak, Green Velvet and many more. Dirtybird queen and Movement veteran, J.Phlip closed out Monday night with bang as she was called on to replace headliner, Boys Noize. *Side note: J.Phlip replaced Boys Noize due to last minute cancellation by his camp.

All eyes and ears were at the Moog Stage as Baauer, DJ Snake, Flosstradamus, Escort, Bonobo, Ryan Hemsworth and Julio Bashmore just to name a few, energized a packed crowd all weekend long.

The Made in Detroit stage was packed with rising local stars and Detroit icons, such as Stacey Pullen, Mike Huckaby, Terrence Dixon, Golf Clap, Gabi and many more. Kevin Saunderson’s ORIGINS showcase featured powerhouse performances by Exhale, Eddie Fowlkes and the techno legend himself, Kevin Saunderson featuring Seth Troxler for an unforgettable b2b set.

Jeff Mills’ three-hour long set was one of the most notable highlights on the techno-centric Underground Stage. Speedy J and Lucy performed together as Zeitgeber for the first time in North America.

New this year was the Ford and Sennheiser Silent Disco stage, which gave those who joined in a very personal festival within a festival experience! Breakout moments at the Silent Disco stage were given courtesy of Ataxia, Shawn Michaels and Annie Hall.

OMEGA ENSEMBLE ENLIGHTENED City Recital Hall

OMEGA ENSEMBLE ENLIGHTENED City Recital Hall
Sat 7 June, 7.30pm

Don’t miss Omega Ensemble’s largest and most comprehensive collaboration to date, Enlightened.
Book now to receive 20% off Adult tickets.*

Joining with virtuosic performers from one of the country’s foremost musical institutions, the Australian National Academy of Music, and with French Conductor/Clarinetist Paul Meyer as well as Principal Cellist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra Timo-Veikko Valve, Omega Ensemble present symphonic chamber repertoire as big as it gets.

In this concert Omega will perform some of the most technically demanding and most beautiful chamber works in the repertoire, including the wonderfully lyrical Siegfried Idyll composed by Wagner as a birthday present to his second wife Cosima, and one of the great works of the late 20th century, the highly complex Chamber Symphony by John Adams.
program
Hindemith Kammermusik No.3
Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No.1
Wagner Siegfried Idyll
Adams Chamber Symphony

pre-concert talk
There is so much to say about our Enlightened program we’ve invited ABC Radio producer Daniel Driscoll to give a special pre-concert talk between 6:45 and 7:15pm before the concert.

guest artists

Paul Meyer – Conductor

Internationally recognised for his wide repertoire and an interest in modern works for clarinet, Paul Meyer began studying clarinet as a child and made his solo debut with the Symphony Orchestra of the Rhine at age 13. Paul Meyer has since gone on to an illustrious career as a performer and conductor.

Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM)

ANAM is dedicated to the artistic and professional development of the country’s most exceptional young musicians, develop the country’s future music leaders, distinguished by their artistic skill, imagination and courage.

Timo-Veikko Valve – Cello

One of the most versatile musicians of his generation Timo-Veikko ‘Tipi’ Valve is equally at home performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader on both modern and period instruments. In 2006 Valve was appointed Principal Cello of the Australian Chamber Orchestra with whom he frequently appears as soloist.

Academy of St. Martin in The field Workshops

The Academy will be presenting our very first Family Cushion Concert  at 1pm on Sunday 22nd June at Cecil Sharp House in Camden. This fantastic new event is a great way for the whole family to enjoy the brilliant sound of the Academy. The afternoon includes workshops for beginners and youngsters who already play an instrument, where they’ll get to work with members of the Academy on a piece everyone will play together in the concert.

The workshops are followed by the concert itself, which will include Romanian folk music from Bartok and other orchestral masterpieces from across Europe.

We are looking forward to sharing our music with participants young and old so don’t miss this unique opportunity to take part in some amazing music-making!

To book, simply download a form from our website here, where you can also find out more about the concert.

Taikoz Future Directions at City Recital Hall

TAIKOZ

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

14 June, 8pm

Australia’s internationally renowned TaikOz is being joined by one of New York City’s most exciting musicians as guest artistic director and soloist.

Traditional Japanese and jazz flute virtuoso, Kaoru Watanabe, will draw on the classical and jazz backgrounds of the TaikOz members to create new lyrical and improvisational possibilities for taiko drumming.

Kaoru Watanabe graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in jazz flute and saxophone. His music can be best described as an ever-shifting blend of the folk and classical traditions of Japan with contemporary improvisational and experimental music.

This stunning program will consist of mostly new works, created between TaikOz and Kaoru Watanabe during intensive collaborative sessions here in Sydney. For more information about Taikoz and their upcoming performances, check out their website here.

2014 Deni Ute Muster Artist Announcement!

The organisers of the 2014 Deni Ute Muster are thrilled to be able to lift the lid on this year’s amazing line of musicians set to take the stage over the October long weekend.

 

Now in its 16th year, the Deni Ute Muster celebrates all things Australian and is the largest event of its kind in the world.  Year on year the “Muster” continues to grow bigger and better and 2014 is on track to once again break all its records.

 

In its first year (1999), the Festival had approximately 5,000 patrons and set a new Guinness World Record for the most number of legally paraded utes at 2,839 – a record which still stands today.  Since 1999 the Deni Ute Muster has become the region’s biggest tourist drawcard and a “bucket list” celebration of all things Australian.

 

Without further ado, the artist line up for the 2014 Deni Ute Muster is … drumroll please:

 

Friday, 3 October, 2014

 

Morgan Evans, one of Australia’s hottest singer/songwriters, will be opening the main stage line up on Friday, 3 October.   A four-time CMC Music Award winner who’s toured with everyone from Taylor Swift to Alan Jackson, Morgan’s #1 selling debut album was recorded in Nashville and launched this year to great acclaim. His high-energy, dynamite performances are acclaimed by fans and media both here and in the US where he’s presently on tour before heading back home to perform tracks from his recently released, self-titled debut album at the 2014 Deni Ute Muster.

 

Blackjack Billy (USA) are the definition of fun – a group whose on-stage alchemy is impossible to describe in words but makes audiences holler and dance in delight. Their breakthrough signature hit Booze Cruise – an indelibly catchy ode to summer living – raced up the charts when it was released last year. Blackjack Billy made their Australian debut this year whipping the crowd into a frenzy at CMC Rocks the Hunter and sending their Get Some’ EP to number one the following week.  Be ready to rock when Blackjack Billy take the stage at this year’s Deni Ute Muster. 

 

James Reyne, Joe Camilleri, Daryl Braithwaite and Ross Wilson need no introduction to Australian audiences – between them they supplied the soundtrack to a generation and Deni Ute Muster is thrilled to welcome their The Time of My Life Band show to the line-up for Friday, 3 October.  Still individually selling out shows around the country, don’t miss the chance to experience the time of your life in one unforgettable night featuring all the iconic Australian hits from these four legends.  With countless chart hits between them, including The Horses, One Summer, Taxi Mary, Chained To The Wheel, The Boys Light Up, Hammerhead, Come Said The Boy and Bed Of Nails, the foursome will each take the stage to perform a selection of their most memorable singles, before joining forces to play together for the unforgettable finale.

 

There’ll be no time for sitting down when country superstar, Gary Allan (USA), takes stage to close the Muster’s first day in true country-rock style.  Gary Allan is a certified country music superstar and has been mixing honky-tonk bravado and grainy isolation across nine acclaimed studio albums; all the while mining the emotional turf that fuels a life well lived: the joys of parenting, the heartache of personal loss, the testosterone of disagreement and the unpredictability of love.

 

Gary Allan has had a string of #1 singles on US country radio including Man To Man, Tough Little Boys, Nothing On But The Radio, Watching Airplanes and Every Storm Runs out of Rain as well as his trademarks hits – the lonely Best I Ever Had and the swaggering Right Where I Need To Be.   Along the way he has amassed seven gold albums – three of them certified Platinum – and maintained the admiration of critics for his unwavering uniqueness.

 

Saturday, 4 October, 2014

 

After developing into one of the biggest Australian acts on commercial radio in 2013 (Top 10 on national radio), Brisbane indie-outfit Sheppard returned with a bang in 2014 with their No. 1 hit single Geronimo – the first track from their highly anticipated debut album.  It was Sheppard’s breakthrough hit Let Me Down Easy that first ignited radio airwaves around the world last year, hitting the Top 20 ARIA and airplay charts in Australia and the Top 10 in Thailand. The single, which is on its way to 130,000 sales, cracked the Top 100 on the CMJ college radio charts in the US last year and received further chart success in New Zealand, Holland and Thailand.  Sheppard are already lining up a handful of appearances in 2014, including showcase slots at Musexpo and the Worldwide Radio Summit in the USA, The Great Escape in the UK and opening slots for Keith Urban on his upcoming Australian tour in June before opening the stage on Saturday, 4 October at the Deni Ute Muster.

 

Spiderbait are considered Australian rock royalty with over half a million albums sold, 5 Top 20 albums, 19 ARIA Nominations and 2 ARIA Awards! They were the first band to make it to the #1 spot on triple j Hottest 100 for their pulsating guitar anthem Buy Me A Pony and their cover of Black Betty scored them a No. 1 single on the ARIA Singles chart and a Top 20 single in the US.  After an 8 year recording hiatus, Spiderbait returned in 2013 with a new self-titled album produced by François Tetaz. The album remains true to their rock heritage mixed with sweet sounds, double kick and gritty ball busting riffs.

 

The Mavericks (USA) are a country-steeped garage band that fuses elements of Tex-Mex and rock n roll to create the ultimate party every time they step on stage. They racked up hit after hit during the 1990s, crossing over to the mainstream with songs like All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down and Dance the Night Away.  After pursuing solo projects for most of the past decade, the group reformed in 2012 and unleashed their new album, In Time, like nothing had changed. They made their first ever trip to Australia last August and its Deni Ute Muster’s turn to be wowed and captivated by these irresistible legends.

 

Jimmy Barnes has been there and back. And, he says, “I’m glad to be back”.  He’s tasted glory as Australia’s favourite rock singer for more than three decades and Deni Ute Muster is proud to have him close the festival on Saturday, 4 October.

 

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Jimmy Barnes was the wildest, loudest and most popular rock ‘n roll star in the country. In the 1990’s he reached mega-stardom with back-to-back No. 1 albums in both soul and rock genres. But it was the 2nd gig he played when he was 16, as lead singer on the back of a truck one hot Saturday at Gawler Raceway in Adelaide, South Australia, that started it all – that band would become Cold Chisel.

 

Jimmy Barnes holds the record for most No. 1 records by an Australian artist and is currently working on a new album of his old songs with special guests to mark the 30th anniversary of his first solo record.

 

Deni Ute Muster General Manager, Kate Pitt, said, “It’s just an amazing line-up of Aussie and international acts on both Friday and Saturday nights.  Each year we’re able to raise the bar and this year, with such a depth of talent, we’ve been able to do it again.  I’m confident we can break last year’s crowd record, as well as setting new world records for the largest parade of utes and largest gathering in blue singlets.

 

“And the concerts are only part of the entertainment at our festival which continues to draw a more diversified crowd and becomes established as a ‘bucket list’ event for anyone with an interest in Aussie rural culture,” Ms Pitt added.

 

There will also be non-stop activity around the festival site with most of last year’s favourites returning, including the Bull Ride Spectacular, The Australian National Circle Work Championships, Ute Museum, Holden Grunt Off, Holden Barrel Race and Show ‘n’ Shine, plus a host of trade sites and food stalls.

 

Big kids and little kids also love Carnivale Corner, our helicopter rides, the mechanical bucking bull, woodchop demonstrations and Whip Cracking Championships.

 

Additional competitions will also be held for tradie’s utes, to encourage more of another iconic Aussie breed.

 

The 2014 Deni Ute Muster is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

 

Tickets are on sale now and available at www.deniutemuster.com.au