BLAIR HARRIS’ TWO-CONCERT SERIES


Blair Harris is considered among Australia’s leading cellists and chamber musicians. He presents two concerts at Tempo Rubato in 2024, featuring three colleagues with whom he shares a reputation for being among Australia’s most highly respected chamber musicians.

Blair has appeared as soloist and principal cello in both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. In 2023 Blair joined the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra as principal cello. 

Blair is also a member of Ensemble Offspring, playing a major role in the commissioning and creation of Australia’s musical future. As a passionate educator Blair holds a position at Monash University as lecturer in cello performance.

Blair plays a fine cello crafted by V.Gagliano, Naples, 1859.


MONDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2024 8PM
AURA GO | SOPHIE ROWELL | BLAIR HARRIS

TICKETS $35 | CONCESSION $25

Iconic works of Brahms and Schumann lead us to one of Schubert’s greatest works, his Fantasy in C major. This is a rarely performed masterpiece; an occasion not to be missed.

The trio rounds off this concert, joining forces in Felix Mendelssohn’s tempestuous Piano Trio no.1 in D minor.

PROGRAM

Johannes BRAHMS Klavierstücke Op.118

Robert SCHUMANN Stücke im Volkston Op.102

Franz SCHUBERT Fantasy in C for violin and piano D. 934

- interval -

Felix MENDELSSOHN Trio in d minor Op.49

ABOUT SOPHIE ROWELL

Sophie Rowell is one of Australia’s most respected and recognisable violinists. In 2023 Sophie was appointed Artistic Director of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. 

She is well known to national audiences for winning the ABC Young Performer’s Award in 2000, founding the Tankstream Quartet, being appointed to the Australian String Quartet and, most recently, being Concertmaster of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 

Sophie is in much demand as a teacher, and her ongoing role at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) aligns with MCO’s long-standing commitment to emerging musicians.

Sophie plays a violin by Pietro Mantegazza, Naples,1789.

————————————

ABOUT AURA GO

Aura Go is an Australian pianist whose practice encompasses performance, collaboration, curation, education and artistic research. She performs across the globe as soloist and chamber musician in programs that interweave old and new music, and as creative collaborator in the development of new music and multi-artform projects. In recent seasons, Aura has worked as concerto soloist with orchestras such as the Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. She has performed at international festivals including the Edinburgh Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, PianoEspoo, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Metropolis Festival, and the Musica Viva Festival. In 2023 Aura toured nationally for Musica Viva as pianist-actor in Chopin’s Piano, a new stage adaptation of Paul Kildea’s book of the same name.

Aura is Head of Piano at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University.

PAST CONCERT

MONDAY 6TH MAY 2024 8PM
BLAIR HARRIS WITH TIMOTHY YOUNG

TICKETS $35 | CONCESSION $25

PROGRAM

Alice HUMPHRIES One Thing at a Time for Solo Cello
Step
Breath
Brick

Franz LISZT Funérailles (No.7 of Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S173)

Arvo PÄRT Spiegel im Spiegel

Manuel DE FALLA Suite Populaire Espagnole

—interval—

Sergei RACHMANINOFF
Sonata for cello and piano Op.19

ABOUT TIMOTHY YOUNG

Timothy Young is one of Australia’s most prominent and versatile pianists. Currently the Head of Piano and Chamber Music at the Australian Academy of Music and a founding member of Ensemble Liaison, he performs regularly in recital as a soloist and in partnership with leading Australian and international musicians and ensembles.

He studied at the University of Melbourne with Ronald Farren-Price and Mack Jost before completing his Diploma with distinction from the Nicolò Paganini Conservatorium in Genova, Italy under the direction of Lidia Baldecchi- Arcuri and Massimiliano Damerini. While studying in Italy Timothy won several first-prizes in International Music Competitions including the Premio Kawai-Tortona and the Palma d’Oro-Finale Ligure, along with other major prizes in the Premio Venezia and the Sanremo Classico International Piano Competition. A personal highlight was a special performance playing works by Luciano Berio for the composer’s 70th birthday celebrations in Genova.

In recent years Timothy has toured Australia with violinist Ray Chen for Musica Viva and New Zealand with Ensemble Liaison for Chamber Music NZ. Performed with the Australian String Quartet, the Tin Alley String Quartet, the Australian Brass Quintet, the Australia Ensemble, the ANAM Orchestra and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Frequent festival appearances include the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville,  Huntington Festival, Queensland Biennial Festival of Music, the Australian Piano Duo Festival, the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Port Fairy Festival, Bangalow Music Festival, Melbourne International Festival of Brass, the Utzon Room music series at the Sydney Opera House, Canberra International Music Festival, the Aurora Festival (ISCM), the Perth Concert Hall Summer Series, Perth Festival, Woodend Festival, the Novi Sad Music Summer Festival in Serbia, the Kotor Arts International Festival in Montenegro and recently the opening recital at the Capraia Festival of Music in Italy.