Keep up with local
chamber music
On The Terrace 2024
Sunday 3 November
11am - 4pm
FREE
A free mini-festival of pop-up concerts for all ages - experience the intimacy and wonder of chamber music set amongst Adelaide’s iconic galleries, museums and creative spaces on North Terrace.
With awe-inspiring performances, storytelling through music, opportunities for children and a vast range of styles, put this one in your diary for a unique catch-up with your friends.
Tickets are free but we would love your support. If you would normally buy a ticket, please consider donating.
The Stringybark Quartet: Barossa Girl
11.20am, 12.40pm, 3.20pm
SA Museum: Pacific Cultures Gallery
The Stringybark Quartet, founded in 2020 by is a versatile ensemble known for their diverse musical repertoire spanning classical, folk, pop, and new music genres. At On The Terrace, they perform the world premiere of Becky Llewellyn’s piece, Barossa Girl.
Becky Llewellyn was commissioned by Kelvyn Prescott to write a string quartet after his wife Ruth died. Barossa Girl is Becky’s musical portrait of Ruth Prescott, a well-known Barossa resident and her friend of many decades. Musical portraits are few and far in between, as how do you portray the many wondrous stages of life's unfolding through music? In Barossa Girl, the first movement opens to reveal childhood fun with her siblings. The second, slower movement has a love theme based on her mother's name, Edna (E-D & A) whom she loved deeply. The third movement is full of the energy, drive and passion of Ruth's leadership and work ethic, so evident to those who knew her. Finally, a solemn, but uplifting tribute to her faith in facing a terminal illness in her mid-60s. The work has been called, 'joyful, captivating...haunting'.
Belinda Gehlert, violin, Emma Perkins, violin, Linda Garrett, viola, Gemma Phillips, cello
Windsong Quintet and guests: Elegy For A Grieving Ocean
11.00am, 12.20pm, 3pm
SA Museum: Pacific Cultures Gallery
Windsong Quintet are joined by baritone Jamie Moffatt and percussionist Andrew Wiering to perform the world premiere of Jodie O’Regan’s “Elegy For A Grieving Ocean”.
Jodie O’Regan program note:
“For several years of the pandemic I lived in Encounter Bay, where I had the profoundly moving experience of seeing whales for the first time and was inspired to write a piece about the history of whaling in the region. This is a story of naive destruction, subsequent loss and renewed hope. During the nineteenth century, Encounter Bay whales were slaughtered to near extinction. It was over a hundred years before whales returned. In 2012 the area was declared a sanctuary and now humans watch in wonder every winter as mothers and calves play in the bay.
I created ‘Elegy For A Grieving Ocean’, a song of sorrow for the 100 years of empty bay, for South Australia’s Windsong Wind quintet, with Emlyn O’Regan baritone and percussionist Andrew Wiering. I felt the colours of these beautiful instruments would combine perfectly to express the contrasting feeling of the constant motion of waves and ocean life with the grief and yearning of the empty bay.
While I was writing this music, my husband Emlyn O’Regan career in AI generative software development, has been inspired to design sound-to-light software which will convert the dimensions of my music into a light display in real time for live productions. In this concert, audiences will experience this - seeing the music of each instrument turned into lighting on screen during the concert.
After writing ‘Elegy For A Grieving Ocean’ I was inspired to expand this into a larger work Night Whales which will be premiered in South Australia in 2025.”
Soundstream: Breath
12noon, 2pm, 3.20pm
Art Gallery of SA: Galleries 9-11
Mark Cauvin (NSW) and Gabriella Smart (SA) are both influential figures in the Australian avant-garde music community. Here, they collaborate to deliver a compelling, condensed commentary on the concept of Breath in its most literal, tangible, and raw form.
Mark Cauvin is an avant-garde double bass and electronics musician who has made a significant contribution to the contemporary double bass. He is skilled in composition, interpretation, and improvisation, drawing inspiration from the experimental music explorers of the 1950s to 1970s. Mark has performed and recorded with ensembles Chamber Made Opera and Decibel Ensemble and cross platformed with choreographer Hellen Sky, performance maker Nikki Heywood and Visual Artist Jody Graham and toured extensively throughout Australia.
Mark Cauvin http://www.markcauvin.com/
Gabriella Smart is a leading advocate of new music in Australia, with sustained contribution over 35 years. Her expertise and leadership as an Australian representative artist has been recognised with numerous awards and grants, including an Australia Council for the Arts Paris Residency, and an APRA AMCOS Award for Excellence by an Individual. Gabriella performs extensively in Australia and internationally, and her composer commissions include Perth International Festival, ABC Classic and Art Zoyd (France). Gabriella is Artistic Director of Soundstream New Music.
https://www.gabriellasmart.com/bio
Mark Cauvin: bass, electronics
Gabriella Smart: Seaboard Roli, Electric Cristal, electronics
Kegelstatt Ensemble: After the War: Schulhoff’s Concertino for flute, viola and double bass
11.20am, 12.20pm, 3.40pm
Art Gallery of SA: Elder Wing
Kegelstatt Ensemble, inspired by the "Rethinking Australian Art" exhibition in AGSA which explores changes in Australian art after the Second World War, presents Erwin Schulhoff’s Concertino for flute, viola and double bass, composed in the time of adjustment following WW1. Any period of major conflict will provoke and inspire changes in art, reflecting profound changes in people's lives and world views.
Schulhoff (1894-1942) was born in Prague to a German-speaking merchant family. After World War I, and suffering from what is now known as post-traumatic stress after witnessing firsthand the appalling horrors of trench warfare, Schulhoff moved to Dresden, where he encountered a group of other creative people including painter Otto Dix. Together, they founded the "Werkstatt der Zeit" (workshop of the time), promoting expressionist music and art, which sought to find new forms of expression for a world that felt it would never be the same again. Schulhoff also explored and relished American jazz, and nightclub dancing. Returning to Prague in 1923, he blended folk, late romantic, expressionist, and jazz elements into a completely unique style.
Schulhoff composed the Concertino in just four days in 1925, featuring a blend of Eastern motifs, Czech folk dance rhythms, and Carpathian folk melodies (from the mountains in what is now Ukraine, giving a poignant contemporary twist to this choice of repertoire in 2024).
Anna Zweck: flute, Anna Webb: viola, Harley Gray: double bass
She Who Knows Strange Songs
Cheryl Pickering: mezzo-soprano
Helen Ayers: violin
Hilary Kleinig: cello
11.40am, 1.40pm, 2.40pm
Art Gallery of SA: Gallery 16
In May this year, Chamber Music Adelaide commissioned Anne Cawrse to write a new song cycle as part of our Perspectives program. The result was She Who Knows Strange Songs, a wonderful exploration of the words of four female poets chosen for their honest and non-stereotypical perspectives on who a woman might be, how she might act, who she might love, and how she might choose to show up in the world. Our protagonist sits outside of expected societal norms, opting for truth over kindness, and solitude over conventionality.
The texts were selected by Cheryl Pickering, in consultation with Anne, for a new work she is creating based on the life of Julie D’Aubigny. These four songs will eventually find their place within the full production. In addition, they have been crafted into this song cycle which stands independently as a provocation to the tension between social expectations and individual choice.
Zemzemeh
12.20pm, 1.40pm, 3pm
State Library of SA: Mortlock Chamber
Zemzemeh, a Persian word meaning “to whisper”, is the Adelaide base trio, weaving together traditional music from Persia with contemporary influences and creative improvisation. Iranian-born multi-instrumentalist Maryam Rahmani leads the band with her emotive and complex intricacies on the 72-stringed Santur, accompanied by Irish-born Caoimhe Collins providing an expressive foundation of powerful cello layers supported by the dynamic hands of Australian drummer and percussionist Alexander Flood.
Maryam Rahmani: santur, Caoimhe Collins: cello, Alexander Flood: percussion
Presented in partnership with Nexus Arts
Lawrence Mooka-Neliman
12noon, 1pm, 2.40pm
Migration Museum: Courtyard
Hailing from Townsville, North Queensland, Lawrence Mooka-Neliman is a proud Torres Strait Islander whose music resonates with the rich cultural heritage of his roots. A guitarist since the age of 12, Lawrence has dedicated over 14 years to performing within his community, sharing the stage with his father in a musical partnership. Their band has become a fixture at local festivals and events, earning recognition and awards for their unwavering commitment to the music scene in Townsville. Lawrence's journey has seen him open for renowned artists such as Yothu Yindi, Baker Boy, and Lil Mase, among others. nt contemporary twist to this choice of repertoire in 2024).
Silk Strings Ensemble
12.40pm, 2pm, 3.20pm
State Library of SA: Circulating Library
The Silk Strings Ensemble's program is composed of three parts. The first part, "Culture and Imagery", features pieces that showcase the unique playing techniques and glissando of Northern China. These include "An Alley in the Old Part of Town" and "Frolicsome", a piece inspired by the traditional Chinese instrument Zhui Hu. In the second part, the audience will experience "Horse Racing", arranged by ensemble member David Dai. This piece vividly captures the energy of horse galloping, the sound of hoofbeats, neighing, and the calls of riders. The final part features "Three Folk Songs from Yangzhou", which blends modern composition techniques with traditional folk melodies. This piece enriches the harmonic structure and elevates the playing techniques, creating a perfect fusion of modern and traditional elements.
Presented in partnership with Nexus Arts
Adelaide Baroque Duo: Style Galant
12.20pm, 1.40pm, 3pm
State Library of SA: Circulating Library
Style Galant - a European travelogue of music circa 1770 with music by Corelli, Sperger, Borghi and Kleinknecht.
String Duo Heidi von Bernewitz, viola and Rob Nairn, double bass have been performing together for over 30 years, throughout Europe, the U.S., Scandinavia and Australia. Specialists in Historical Performance they have also commissioned over 25 works from composers such as Peter Askim, Rufus Reid, John Carbon, Elena Kats Chernin, Andrew Ford, and Garth Stevenson. They have given the premiers of a number of significant works and their first CD, “The Matrimonial Duos” was released on the Emeritus label in 2013. Individually they have performed in Orchestras throughout the world and in many of the most important International festivals include Salzburg, Baden-Baden, Aldeburgh, Glyndebourne, Schleswig-Holstein, and the London ‘Proms’. In 2017 the duo returned to Australia from the U.S where they had been based since 2000.
Poco Tutti
12.20pm, 1.20pm, 2.20pm
Migration Museum: Courtyard
Poco Tutti is Tutti Arts’ smaller choir of talented disabled and non-disabled singers. A former headline act at the Desert Song Festival in Alice Springs, Poco Tutti is a choir that goes to the heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls. Poco Tutti joined the collaboration between South Australian composers, musicians and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for the world premiere of the Floods of Fire Symphony. This unique concert was the final act of the 2024 Adelaide Festival.
“But what really made Floods of Fire touch the heart were the contributions of Poco Tutti choir and the amusingly titled Quirkestra instrumental ensemble.”
Graham Strahle – InDaily
Nathan May and Julian Ferraretto
11am, 3pm
Art Gallery of SA: Elder Wing
In May 2024, Chamber Music Adelaide commissioned a new work which was a collaboration between Arabana, Yawuru and Marridjabin songwriter Nathan May, Julian Ferraretto, a renowned improvising violinist. 2025 will see Nathan and Julian developing more compositions together and this year’s On The Terrace is an opportunity to hear them explore Nathan’s songs in a new way. Listen to the storytelling in Nathan’s music and imagine how this will develop into the chamber music of 2025.
Musical Masterpieces
Art Gallery of SA: Function Room
11.30am, 12.30pm. 1.30pm
Presented as part of the Art Gallery of SA’s Start at the Gallery program for families, children are invited to a creative workshop with composer/violinist Julian Ferraretto as they develop new musical works in response to art. No experience necessary.
Duration: 40 minutes
Register at the Start Art Club desk on arrival. Registrations open at 10.30am. Arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Recitals Australia: Emerging Artists Showcase
The emerging artists showcase features musicians selected in partnership with Recitals Australia – exceptional artists at the beginning of their careers.
Bridget McCullough, solo viola
12, 1.20pm. 2.40pm
State Library of SA: Circulating Library
Performing Suite 3 in C major by J.S. Bach.
Angus McBride, bassoon, with Simón Pazos Quintana, piano
12.40pm, 2pm, 3.20pm
State Library of SA: Mortlock Chamber
Performing Basson Sonata in G major, Op. 168 - Saint Saens and Romance for Bassoon in D minor, Op. 62 - Edward Elgar.
Jenny Su, piano
1pm, 2.20pm, 3.40pm
State Library of SA: Mortlock Chamber
Lucy Macourt, violin, with James Logan, lute
11.40am, 1pm, 3.40pm
SA Museum: Pacific Cultures Gallery
Performing Ayrs for violin and continuo by Nicola Matteis as well as works by Biagio Marini and Ignaz Biber.
Keep up with local chamber music
Are you a chamber musician? We would love to support you in your career.
Membership is free.
Thank you to our partners who make this event possible
Since 2016, our annual flagship event has taken place in the South Australian Museum (SAM), State Library SA, Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) and the Migration Museum.
2022 saw us develop new partnerships with Nexus Arts and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), broadening our program and showcasing more artists to our audiences.
