Upcoming May Concerts

May is just around the corner and it’s shaping up to be a big month of music in the mountains. There is something on almost every weekend so it would be great to have your support. Here are the projects I’ll be involved in this month.

This Sunday 3 May, Penrith City Choir presents Showtunes – with hits from all your favourite old timey musicals. I conduct the choir with accompanist Jane Andino and we’ll be  joined by Jane’s fellow Tres Amigas alum Ann Paulmbo on Double Bass. Performance is at Melrose Hall, Emu Plains. https://www.trybooking.com/DJJQL

Jane Andino features again in another exciting cross-cultural new music concert presented by composer Tony Wheeler at 3pm on Sunday 17 May at the Blackheath Uniting Church. Many Strings, Miraculous Tones features traditional and contemporary pieces and some non-western instruments such as the erhu and qin. Very excitingly, it will also see the premiere of a new piece of mine. For Weedy Seadragon is a recently completed work for clarinet, vibraphone and piano. The piece itself has been ‘under construction’ for about 20 years (I’m not joking) and I’m thrilled to see it finally emerge. https://www.trybooking.com/DKZMR

On Saturday 9 May at 3pm Harmoni Chamber Choir presents Art in Harmoni at the Phillips Hall in Blackheath. This remarkable newly formed choir led by Alex Pringle specialises in rich 8-part harmony. They received a standing ovation at last year’s Choir Festival prompting the organisers to invite them back for this special event.  I highly recommend this concert to all you choral singers in particular! https://events.humanitix.com/art-in-harmoni/tickets

This year, I returned to conducting the Phoenix Choir. Our first concert together for 2026 will be the monumental and oh so sublime Mass No 6 by Franz Schubert in Eb Major. Performances are at 3pm on Saturday 23 May at Wentworth Falls School of Arts and Sunday 24 May 2026 at Hoskins Uniting Church in Lithgow. We have four wonderful soloists joining us for what should be a unique concert.  https://phoenixchoir.org.au/tickets/

Last but not least (phew), the amazing Julie Adams returns to Blackheath Uniting Church for a recital of solo piano works on Sunday 31 May at 3pm.  After completing her CD, “The Land of My Early Childhood – Piano Music of Béla Bartók” Julie has ventured further afield to explore various connections Bartók had with composers in his native Hungary and also abroad. The Bartók Connection will shed light on some differing styles of music composed in the early 20th century. https://www.trybooking.com/DKIUH