ACMF 2024 | Program Session 2

 

Albury Chamber Music Festival ’24

8 – 10 November 2024

“Beyond Borders”

This year, we truly are the Albury International Chamber Music Festival, with artists and compositions from over 30 countries! We are crossing borders left, right and centre (even from Albury to Wodonga!) to present a superb platter of chamber music, including fresh new works by eight Australian composers – with three world premieres! Expect the unexpected: little surprises, pop-up performances, exotic animals and an All-BRIE food pop-up. And if you come on your own, no worries, we can pretty much guarantee that you will leave Albury with a couple of new musical friends!

Your all-inclusive festival pass gives you access to ten exciting performances at the beautiful deco heritage-listed Regent Cinema, St Matthew’s Church, and the jewel in the crown, the Adamshurst ballroom. A sumptuous three-course dinner (valued at $100) at the exclusive Albury Club Gala performance is also included in your pass.

ACMF | 24, let’s go!

Venues:
Adamshurst, 603 David St, Albury NSW 2640
Regent Cinemas, 456 Dean St, Albury NSW 2640
St Matthew’s Church, 516

Friday 8 November - Session 2

Session 2, Performance 1

St Matthew’s Church

Friday, 8 November, 2:00pm-3:00pm

It is hard to match Beethoven but Leonard Bernstein got very close. He was a true cross-border artist, merging classical and jazz, and West Side Story was his masterpiece. The Australian String Trio (and friend) will let rip in the Beethoven, while piano virtuosos Stephen de Pledge and Konrad Olszewski will groove like hell, with our percussionists demonstrating why they are called the groove-ministers.

Breakfast Information: Bernstein “borrowed” the opening notes in his West Side Story’s “There’s place for us” from the second movement of Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto.

Ludwig van Beethoven           String Quartet No 4 in C minor, Op.18, No. 4

Leonard Bernstein                  Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, for two pianos and percussion

Roy Theaker, violin

Sophia Kirsanova, violin

Simon Oswell, viola

Ye Jin Choi, cello

The Lenny Ensemble:

Stephen de Pledge, piano

Konrad Olszewski, piano

Edward Higgs, percussion

Michael Evans-Barker, percussion

 

 

Session 2, Performance 2,

Berio Folk Songs

Adamshurst Ballroom

Saturday, 9 November, 4:00pm-5:00pm

From all the places on earth we come, and we’ve brought our music with us! This performance will be a musical mishmash from everywhere! Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, French, Italian, Latvian, Venezuelan, Indigenous Australian and of course Australian from Pakenham and Wang(aratta).

Luciano Berio                      Folksongs for chamber ensemble

Brenda Gifford                    Mungala (Clouds) for solo alto flute and clap sticks

Brett Anthony Jones          Semicolon 1 and 2 for solo paper (world premiere)

Petar Hristoskov                 Fantasy for solo cello

Peteris Vasks                      Landscapes with Birds for solo flute

Noel Fidge                           The conceited dancer for baritone (world premiere)

Lecuona                                La dulzura de tu rostro,  Malagueña from Andalucía

Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo soprano

John Bolton Wood, baritone

Sally Walker, flutes

Robert Schubert, clarinet

Glavier Aldana, harp

Simon Oswell, viola

Ye Jin Choi, cello

Michael Evans-Barker, percussion

Edward Higgs, percussion

Marcus Govan, percussion

Mario Dobernig, percussion

 

Session 2, Performance 3, A Venezuelan Candlelight Delight-Harpist Glavier Aldana

St Matthew’s Church

Friday, 8 November, 9:30pm

A graduate of the world renowned El Sistema music training program in Venezuela, Glavier will serenade us into the night and talk about her musical upbringing.

Carols Salzedo                       Song in the Night,

Alphonse Hasselmans         Gitana

Manuel Guadalajara              Yo no te olvidaré,

Ramon Delgado Palacios     La dulzura de tu rostro,

Aldemaro Romero                 Quinta Anauco,

Ernesto Lecuona                    Malagueña from Andalucía

Saturday 9 November - Session 2

Session 2, Performance 4, Organ Recital-Antonio di Vacanza aka Anthony Halliday
St Matthew’s Church

Saturday, 9 November, 9:00am-10:00am

A former winner of the ABC Young Performer award, Beethoven fanatic and italophile, Anthony Halliday has ORGANised audiences around the world but still calls Australia home.

Festival guests are also invited to submit their favourite tunes, which Anthony will improvise on during his performance. The catch, Anthony will only receive the tunes one minute prior to his performance…. Get creative!

Johann Sebastian Bach                       Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor BWV 582

Ludwig van Beethoven 

(transcribed by Anthony Halliday)     Overture ‘Fidelio’ Op. Suite Op. 5

Maurice Duruflé                                    Prélude – Sicilienne – Toccata

Improvisation                                        Extemporization on three previously unseen themes.

 

Session 2, Performance 5, Admiring Mairi-Radio presenter Mairi Nicholson

Regent Cinemas Albury

Saturday, 9 November, 10:45am-11:45am

She interviews the stars on the ABC and the BBC, she shares their stories. For this event we are turning the tables with legendary radio presenter Mairi Nicholson answering our questions.

 

 

Session 2, Performance 6, English Folk Song Journey with Teddy Tahu Rhodes

Adamshurst Ballroom

Saturday, 9 November, 1:00pm-2:00pm

With engagements around the world, we are so thrilled to have Teddy Tahu Rhodes join us in Albury. Burnished, breathtaking, bass baritone sounds are guaranteed and with Konrad Olszweski on the piano a musical feast is guaranteed.

 

Ralph Vaughan Williams:  Songs of Travel

  1. The vagabond
  2. Let beauty awake
  3. The roadside fire
  4. Youth and love
  5. In dreams
  6. The infinite shining heavens
  7. Whither must I wander
  8. Bright is the ring of words
  9. I have trod the upward and the downward slope
  10.  

Gerald Finzi:   Let us garlands bring

  1. Come away, come away death
  2. Who is Sylvia
  3. Fear no more the heat of the sun
  4. O mistress mine
  5. It was a lover and his lass

 

Teddy Tahu Rhodes, bass-baritone

Konrad Olszewski, piano

 

Session 2, Performance 7, Dream World: Stephen de Pledge, piano

St Matthew’s Church

Saturday, 9 November, 3:00pm-4:00pm

Stephen de Pledge’s dreams came true: he appeared as a piano soloist with the Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony and all the major New Zealand orchestras. In this fantasy-themed performance, he will share his musical dreams, and remind us, that dreams sometimes may come true.

Johann Sebastian Bach/Myra Hess    Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Joseph Haydn                                          Variations in F minor Hob.XVII:6

Olivier Messiaen                                      Prelude “chant d’extase dans un paysage triste”

Claude Debussy                                       Prelude “ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest”

Eve de Castro-Robinson                         Prelude “this liquid drift of light”

Frédéric Chopin                                       Prelude op.28 no.15 “Raindrop”

Sergei Rachmaninoff                              Prelude op.23 no.2

Manuel de Falla                                       Ritual Fire Dance (Improvisation)

 

Session 2, Performance 8, Gala Dinner-Food World
The Albury Club

Saturday, 9 November, 6:30pm-9:30pm

An entertaining evening of music with our festival orchestra and a delicious three-course meal from the Albury Club will make life beautiful.

What will happen this year? A xylophonist in Lederhosen, a singing priest, an alpaca, a Malteser race, a Limerick Competition? You’ll find out on the night, as always, expect the unexpected.

Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo soprano

Teddy Tahu Rhodes, bass-baritone

Glavier Aldana, harp

Rod Lara, entertainer

Art of Sound Salonorchestra:

Roy Theaker, violin

Robert Schubert, clarinet

Ye Jin Choi, cello

Michael Fortescue, double bass

Josiah Kop, French horn

Konrad Olszewski, piano

Marcus Govan, percussion

Mario Dobernig, conductor and percussion

and percussion 

Sunday 10 November - Session 2

Session 2, Performance 9, Paradise Bound

St Matthew’s Church

Sunday, 10 November, 9:00am-10:30am

We crossed some borders, we looked beyond them, so what else is there to see? We leave the earth behind and see what paradise looks like. Fr Peter Macleod-Miller will be your tour guide.

We crossed some borders, we looked beyond them, so what else is there to see? We leave the earth behind and see what paradise looks like. Fr Peter Macleod-Miller will be your tour guide.

Andrew Goodwin                         For God so loved the world, for chamber choir (world premiere)

Stephen Adams                           The holy city, for baritone

Jodie O’Regan                              In the centre we dance, for mezzo soprano

Johann Sebastian Bach             Erbarme Dich, for mezzo-soprano and violin

William Schmidt                          The Christmas Rose, for chamber choir (world premiere)

Michael Leighton Jones             Irish Blessing

Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo-soprano

John Bolton Wood AM, baritone

Anthony Halliday, organ

Sophia Kirsanova, violin

Lux Alba, chamber choir

Session 2 Brass and Brie 1:15pm-2:00pm

Join our friends from across the border for a cheese platter of brie.

Yum yum.

Wodonga Brass Band

Fenella O’Sullivan, conductor

 

Session 2, Performance 10, Global Rhythms: The Mathiske Suites: Guitar virtuoso, ACMF Chamber Orchestra.

St Matthew’s Church

Sunday, 10 November, 3:00pm-4:00pm

The Mathiske Suites combines the guitarist’s technical acumen and lust for travel. Whilst predominantly classical in structure, the music is coloured from a wide palette of global rhythms with orchestral laced colours in an enchanting music feast rich in rhythm yet steeped in tender melodies.

Bruce Mathiske, guitar

ACMF chamber orchestra

Sally Walker, flute

Scott Marshall, oboe

Robert Schubert, clarinet

Josiah Kop, French horn

Roy Theaker, violin

Sophia Kirsanova, violin

Simon Oswell, viola

Ye Jin Choi, cello

Michael Fortescue, double bass

Mario Dobernig, conductor