The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra is pulling out all the stops
BY LILY BRYANT Typically, “pulling out all the stops” is considered a good thing. It’s how you might describe an incredible display from a sports […]
2026
Madeleine Jevons: “Making a show is a powerful act of love”
BY MADELEINE JEVONS I have always been a believer in the Matisse adage: ‘There are cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see them’. I’ve […]
Sarah Elise Thompson’s new release is a meditation on grief and love
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE As Australian composer-pianist Sarah Elise Thompson releases her newest music, the moment is bittersweet. Her five-track EP, filled with original works for […]
Louise Keast “burst into tears” when she won this $43k opera scholarship
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE This August, operatic soprano Louise Keast was awarded one of the biggest achievements in her artform: the 2026 Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship. […]
Thomas Misson is championing “some of the stranger music out there”
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE We all love a bit of strange music from time to time. Some might argue that the stranger it is, the better. […]
“I had no idea the saxophone could even sound like that”
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE Hope and Bravery. This is the name of the upcoming concert program with musicians of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which features Shostakovich’s […]
LIVE REVIEW // Miranda experiences Elemental Resonance
BY MIRANDA ILCHEF Elemental ResonancePaul Nicolaou (harp)Gosford Regional Library, 19 September Recently I had the pleasure of watching harpist/composer Paul Nicolaou’s self-produced concert Elemental Resonance in Gosford, […]
The best Australian music can happen when orchestras support the creators
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE One of the most defining features of the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra is its willingness to embrace creative risk. And what could be […]
Emily Granger’s calming new album is “an act of rebellion”
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE “Play it faster, play it louder, make a viral reel, hook someone in the first three seconds before they scroll past. Being […]
How one orchestra is launching a concert season designed for everyone
BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE Every orchestra in the 21st Century faces the same challenge: how do you launch a concert season that will appeal to loyal […]