Crowds pack the folk festival opening concert
Arts editor HELEN MUSA reviews the opening concert of the 60th National Folk Festival at Exhibition Park.
Music
Canberra-raised Leonard ("Lenny") Weiss will conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra next week, becoming the first Australian ever to lead the ensemble at its home, Symphony Hall.
"Canberra Choral Society’s Our Stories gave its audience an unusual collection of material and much to reflect upon," says reviewer ALANNA MACLEAN.
LEN POWER reviews Romance Sublime! a performance by soprano Lorina Gore and pianist Anthony Smith.
Music
Phantom harbourside production lives up to the hype
"There are few musicals in the repertoire so well suited to the dramatic staging offered by Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, and this one lives up to the hype." Arts editor HELEN MUSA reviews Handa Opera's production of Phantom of the Opera.
Music
Ensemble’s raw sound, with gut strings and baroque bows
NICK HORN reviews The Devil’s Violin, a performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra led by guest violinist Ilya Gringolts.
Music
Fiery Fiorillo still thrills her audience
"This piano recital journeyed across five centuries of Spanish music, from transcriptions on Sephardim music to the fiery spirit of modern Spanish composers." ROB KENNEDY reviews a recital by pianist Marcela Fiorillo.
"You know you’re in for something a little out of the ordinary when you’re greeted at the concert venue by the original, giant and creepy AF doll from Squid Games," writes reviewer SARAH BYRNE.
Music festival Birdsville Big Red Bash has been cancelled for 2026 after heavy rains. It's more bad news for live music lovers after the collapse of Bluesfest.
"A gentle radicalism lies at the heart of the 60th National Folk Festival as co-artistic directors Michael Sollis, Holly Downes and Chris Stone embrace a 'make love, not war' spirit suited to troubled times," writes HELEN MUSA.
It’s time for Canberra’s Italians and those who wish they were to kick up their heels as the Viva Italia in Canberra Festival returns with an expanded program, inviting locals and visitors to immerse themselves in Italian heritage.
"With three violinists and a continuo section of three more players, this ensemble certainly made beautiful music together." LEN POWER reviews 3 On 3, a performance by Apeiron Baroque.
Musica da Camera reverted to being entirely a string orchestra for this first concert of the year under the direction of German violinist Daniel Röhn, writes reviewer GRAHAM McDONALD.
Stevie Young is "in good spirits" after being hospitalised in Argentina during rock band AC/DC's South American tour, a representative says.
The streets of Braddon were alive to the sound of music on Sunday as the seventh annual Braddon Busking Festival showcased local talent.
"Despite of a feeling of excessive length, the magnificence of the music and the power of the emotions made for an absorbing evening." HELEN MUSA reviews Opera Australia's latest production of Eugene Onegin
SAM WILSON reviews a performance by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and cellist James Morley.
Rock band the Cat Empire will team up with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra for an orchestral spectacular in September.
Illness has meant that this concert was likely the Griffyn’s last, and founder Michael Sollis drew on music from several previous concerts to produce what was 90 minutes of fascinating music," says reviewer GRAHAM McDONALD.
