Author: alexandramathew

I’m halfway through performances of Aida with Opera Australia, which has so far been an absolutely wonderful experience. The sets and costumes are beautiful, and the principal singers possess thrilling voices. There are three performances left—7:30pm Monday 17 May, Wednesday 19 May, and Friday 21 May—and I believe tickets are still available via the Opera Australia website.

On Saturday 22 May at 1:15pm, pianist Georgina Lewis and I will be performing on Sam Alfred’s program ‘Vocal Chords’ on 3MBS 103.5FM. We’ve put together a short program of favourites, including some Mozart, Schubert, and a song Andrew Anderson.

The following Wednesday 26 May at 1pm, pianist Hugh Fullarton and I are presenting a short, half-hour lunchtime recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, Flinders Street. Entry is via donation. Our program includes lullabies by Stephen Foster and Brahms, and the Melbourne premiere of Andrew Anderson’s captivating cycle ‘Songs of Sleep’.

In December 2020, after a year of lockdowns and few performance opportunities, pianist Hugh Fullarton and I entered Rolling Stock Studio in Collingwood to record Andrew Anderson’s beautiful song cycle ‘Songs of Sleep’, engineered by Myles Mumford. Our recording is now available for streaming and download via Bandcamp. It was a privilege to work with Andrew, Hugh and Miles on such a beautiful project! Recording below, with a few happy snaps from the session.

Composer Andrew Anderson and I recently got together (virtually, of course!) to make an isolation recording of his beautiful song ‘Only in Sleep’ — a setting of Sara Teasdale‘s poem of the same name. Turns out Andrew is an accomplished pianist as well as composer! For my part, I used a simple USB microphone that I bought in order to give online singing lessons. A worthy investment, that USB microphone! Although the pandemic has meant live performances are currently not an option, it has been a fun experience sharing and making music with my colleagues from our respective homes. Enjoy!

Last December I performed Handel’s Messiah to a sold-out audience at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta. That same performance will be broadcast at 1:30pm on Sunday 3 May, via the River City Voices YouTube channel! My performances for 2020 may have been cancelled, but the music has not stopped. I do hope you’ll tune in — it was such a fabulous event, and a huge thrill to share the stage with legendary baritone Warwick Fyfe, whose magnificent voice filled the cathedral.

See below for further details.

Earlier this year I interviewed 3MBS Chair Adele Schonhardt for CutCommon print issue #3. In light of worldwide cancellations and shutdowns due to Coronavirus, CutCommon editor Stephanie Eslake made the decision to release the magazine online rather than in print. Read the full magazine here, and flip to page 20 for the interview. Happy reading!

I’ve been invited to be part of an incredible 16 hr music marathon to fundraise for our CFA. It’s an important part of what I do as a performer to contribute to the community, and, in the wake of the recent and devastating bushfires, what better way to express my gratitude to our firefighters’ resilience and endurance than by participating in a music marathon. A total of 40 musicians from Sydney and Melbourne are contributing to this event, and we aim to raise $1000 per hour on the day. It’s on 29 February, from 7am till 11pm, at Tempo Rubato in Brunswick.

At 6:30pm pianist Georgina Lewis and I will be taking the stage to perform a beautiful selection of meditative songs, including Ravel’s ‘Kaddish’ and Britten’s realisation of Purcell’s ‘Evening Hymn’.

The good news is — even if you can’t make it on the day — you can still support the cause through this link. Please share this fundraiser with anyone who may be interested in attending or donating to this worthy cause!

16 Hr Marathon A3 Poster copy 2

After an amazing time in Sydney earlier this week singing Handel’s Messiah with River City Voices, my last performance of the year will be Fauré’s Messe Basse in Wangaratta. This lovely, little-known piece is for soloist and treble voices, and I’m looking forward to performing alongside the talented choristers of Wangaratta Cathedral and organist Hugh Fullarton. More information here.