The Cage Project | January 2025

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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the many lands on which we meet,

work and live, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present – people who

have sung their songs, danced their dances and told their stories on these lands

for thousands of generations, and who continue to do so.

The Cage Project

PAUL KILDEA & MATTHIAS SCHACK-ARNOTT

original concept

MATTHIAS SCHACK-ARNOTT

sculptural design &

musical treatment

CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN

pianist &

musical treatment

KEITH TUCKER

technical design & management

lighting design

NICK ROUX

system design

& robotics

MICHAELA COVENTRY

(SAGE ARTS) producer

SYDNEY

Carriageworks

THURSDAY 23 JAN, 6PM

FRIDAY 24 JAN, 1PM

SATURDAY 25 JAN, 1PM

SATURDAY 25 JAN, 6PM

CANBERRA

Llewellyn Hall,

ANU School of Music

FRIDAY 31 JAN, 7PM

Pre -concert talk: 6.15pm,

Larry Sitsky Room

MELBOURNE

Elisabeth Murdoch Hall,

Melbourne Recital Centre

TUESDAY 4 FEB, 7PM

Pre -concert talk: 6.15pm,

Eva & Marc Besen Suite

The Cage Project was co-commissioned by Musica Viva Australia, Perth Festival, Adelaide Festival,

and the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Musica Viva Australia is grateful to Ensemble Patrons

Ian Dickson AM & Reg Holloway and the Nelson Meers Foundation and Melbourne Recital Centre.

We also thank the Amadeus Society for their support of the 2025 Concert Season.

Musica Viva Australia is thankful for the generous loan of Yamaha pianos

from Yamaha Music Australia and the Australian Piano Warehouse.

Presented in association with Carriageworks and Sydney Festival.

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From the Artistic Director

© Darren Leigh Roberts

Some years ago I was knocked sideways by my old friend

Cédric Tiberghien performing John Cage’s Sonatas and

Interludes, that great monument of 20th-century piano

writing. It was the sort of performance that stays with you,

so colourful and alive was it, and so in late 2019, only a few

months in the job, when I saw Matthias Schack-Arnott’s

new work Everywhen, I was struck by the complementary

aesthetics of these two highly original creators. I asked

Matthias if he knew the Cage collection, which he had

certainly encountered, and posed him a simple question:

how would you take the inside of Cage’s prepared piano –

with its bolts and bits of plastic inserted in strings to create

a wholly new sound world – outside the instrument, so that

audiences would have a greater understanding of Cage’s

innovation? Matthias sat on that question for a week or

so until he texted me, saying that if we used a Yamaha

Disklavier grand piano, we would have a live digital feed

from the pianist that Matthias could utilise in any number of

ways.

And utilise it he did. With his usual collaborators Keith

Tucker and Nick Roux, under Michaela Coventry’s watchful

eye, Matthias created a sonic sculpture with 48 plates,

gongs and pipes, each tuned microtonally to match the 48

prepared strings inside the piano, and in real time and three

dimensions brought to life the internal workings of both

Cage’s mind and his prepared piano.

These projects are so precarious, requiring trust,

matchmaking (very successful, as it turns out), funding and

a shared vision for creating something new and important.

I remember an early meeting with Sam Redston, then CEO

of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, who loved the sound of

the work and reported back to Naomi who immediately and

generously contributed to its development. Sam Meers and

the Nelson Meers Foundation brought enthusiasm and funds

to the first performances in the Perth and Adelaide Festivals

(thank you Iain Grandage and Ruth Mackenzie!), as did Ian

Dickson AM and Reg Holloway, all of whom have saddled

up once more. Marshall McGuire gave us access to the

beautiful Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital

Centre to do a way-too-far-along proof-of-concept couple

of days, which were invaluable.

And as we celebrate our 80th year, it is worthwhile saluting

two other great innovators: Musica Viva Australia founders

Richard Goldner and Walter Dullo, whose bright spirits

hovered encouragingly over the project.

Paul Kildea

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Program

John CAGE (1912–1992)

Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48)

70 min

I Sonata 1

II Sonata 2

III Sonata 3

IV Sonata 4

V First Interlude

VI Sonata 5

VII Sonata 6

VIII Sonata 7

IX Sonata 8

X Second Interlude

XI Third Interlude

XII Sonata 9

XIII Sonata 10

XIV Sonata 11

XV Sonata 12

XVI Fourth Interlude

XVII Sonata 13

XVIII Sonata 14

XIX Sonata 15

XX Sonata 16

John Cage is published by Edition Peters.

Please ensure that mobile phones are turned onto flight mode before the performance.

Photography and video recording are not permitted during the performance.

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Zoë Cobden-Jewitt, Director of Development:

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0409 340 240

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Musica Viva Australia creates opportunities

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artists to share their experience and expertise

with talented early-career artists and young

music students, creating an enriching learning

experience.

For further details visit:

musicaviva.com.au/masterclasses

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Australia are also supported by Wesfarmers Arts.

Masterclass with Pekka Kuusisto at Sir Zelman Cowen

School of Music and Performance, Monash University.

© Elizabeth Dedman

INTRODUCING THE 2025

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Meet the artists

Cédric Tiberghien

Cédric Tiberghien is a French pianist who

has established a truly international career.

He has been particularly applauded for his

versatility, as demonstrated by his wideranging

repertoire, interesting programming,

an openness to explore innovative concert

formats and his dynamic chamber music

partnerships.

Concerto appearances in the 2023–24 season

included his debut with the Atlanta Symphony

Orchestra as well as return invitations to

the London Philharmonic Orchestra, San

Francisco Symphony and Orchestre National

de Lyon. His solo and chamber appearances,

the latter with Alina Ibragimova and the

Chiaroscuro Quartet, include performances

in London, Brussels and Berlin. Cédric has a

long association with Wigmore Hall in London,

where he has recently finished a complete

Beethoven Variations cycle, juxtaposed with

works by other composers, illustrating the

evolution of the genre.

with Les Siècles. He has also collaborated

with such conductors as Karina Canellakis,

Nicholas Collon, Stéphane Denève, Edward

Gardner, Enrique Mazzola, Ludovic Morlot,

Matthias Pintscher, François-Xavier Roth and

Simone Young.

Cédric’s discography on Harmonia Mundi

includes works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms

and Debussy, the Ravel concertos with Les

Siècles (Editor’s Choice in Gramophone

magazine), and the first volume of the

Beethoven Variations cycle that he has been

performing at Wigmore Hall. He has been

awarded five Diapasons d’Or for his solo and

duo recordings on Hyperion, his most recent

solo project on that label being a three-volume

exploration of Bartók’s piano works.

A dedicated chamber musician, Cédric’s

regular partners include violinist Alina

Ibragimova, violist Antoine Tamestit and

baritone Stéphane Degout, with all of whom

he has made several recordings as well as

performing in concert. His discography with

Alina Ibragimova includes complete cycles of

music by Schubert, Szymanowski and Mozart

(Hyperion) and a Beethoven Sonata cycle

(Wigmore Live).

Cédric is a member of the Académie Musicale

Philippe Jaroussky, where he teaches

regularly.

© Holly Cartwright

Last season Cédric performed Messiaen’s

Turangalîla-Symphonie with both the Berliner

Philharmoniker (Simone Young) and Orchestre

National de France (Cristian Macelaru). ˇ Other

recent collaborations have included the Boston

and London Symphony Orchestras, Cleveland

Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Tokyo

Philharmonic Orchestra and at the BBC Proms

Matthias Schack-Arnott

Matthias Schack-Arnott is an Australian artist,

composer and percussionist whose works span

live performance, public art and installation.

Over the last decade he has been building

unique kinetic systems to create visceral and

visually compelling sound worlds.

Described by The Guardian as ‘visually

and sonically exquisite’, Matthias’ works

have been presented by major festivals and

contemporary art spaces including the Sydney,

Adelaide and Melbourne Festivals, National

Gallery of Victoria, RISING Festival, Arts

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© Aaron Francis

House, Supersense Festival and The Substation

in Melbourne, The Unconformity in Tasmania,

Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, La Comète

in Paris and Denmark’s Spor Festival.

From 2010 to 2018 Matthias was the Artistic

Associate of Australia’s leading percussive

arts organisation, Speak Percussion. He

continues to have a close affiliation with the

organisation.

As a collaborator, interpreter and improviser,

Matthias has worked with many leading

musicians including Steve Reich, Claire Chase,

Unsuk Chin, Johannes Kreidler, Matthew

Shlomowitz, Simon Løffler, John Zorn, Liza Lim

and Steven Schick.

Matthias has also created new works

with some of Australia’s most celebrated

choreographers. In 2017 he co-created They

Want New Language with Antony Hamilton

for La Comète; he recently collaborated

with Lucy Guerin to create a large-scale

interdisciplinary work commissioned by

RISING Festival in association with National

Gallery of Victoria.

Matthias is the winner of five Australian Art

Music Awards, the Melbourne Prize for Music,

MTNow Prize (Rotterdam) and three Green

Room Awards.

Michaela Coventry

Michaela Coventry’s career as a creative

producer spans 25 years and all artforms.

With Sage Arts she works with many

independent artists and companies including

Jo Lloyd, Gail Priest and Lee Serle.

In demand as an executive producer for

organisations and as a creative producer of

interdisciplinary work, Michaela has worked

with many of Australia’s most exciting arts

organisations, including The Substation

(2020–22); Speak Percussion (2015–17),

where she produced tours across Europe

and Asia; and Megafun (2013–14), where she

produced the National Gallery of Victoria’s

Melbourne Now dance program, curated by

Antony Hamilton.

From 2006 to 2012 and again in 2018–19

Michaela was the Executive Producer of Lucy

Guerin Inc, where, hand-in-hand with the

artistic director, she oversaw the expansion

of the company and touring of its work

across Asia, Europe and North America.

Other career highlights include producing

roles with independent companies such

as Marrugeku and Stalker, where she

oversaw the development of new works

and the touring of these works to Europe

and Latin America; venues such as Sydney’s

Performance Space which included cocurating

the Antistatic Dance Festival in

2001; and working with individual artists and

independent organisations, such as Lara

Thoms, Henry Jock Walker, Stephanie Lake

Company, Roslyn Oades & Collaborators,

and Sophia Brous. Between 2003 and 2005,

Michaela was a guest artist for Art Harbour

at Future University Hakodate in Japan.

Michaela is highly regarded as a board

member and member of funding selection

panels. Work in this area has included the

boards of Melbourne Electronic Sound

Studio, APHIDS, New Music Network,

Dancehouse, PACT and Ausdance NSW, City

of Yarra Room to Move Panel and YAARTS,

Creative Victoria advisory panels, and

Australia Council funding panels including

Going Global, APAM, Dance Fund and

Playing Australia.

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Nick Roux

Nick Roux is an artist who uses technology

to solve creative problems and create new

problems. He pursues an interest in the

structure and form of elegant systems and

attempts to apply this both conceptually and

materially to his work.

Nick creates sophisticated instruments,

devices and systems for use in performance

works, using custom electronics, computer

programming, 3D modelling and

fabrication. A frequent collaborator with

Matthias Schack-Arnott, he has designed

both the software and robotic systems for a

number of his works including Pendulum and

Everywhen, as well as The Cage Project.

In 2022, he worked with visual artist Marco

Fusinato and developed a bespoke guitar

effects device and image manipulation

system that was installed for DESASTRES in

the Australian Pavilion for the 2022 Venice

Biennale. Other projects include creating

one hundred glowing sound orbs for

contemporary dance company Dancenorth

(Wayfinder, 2022), a wind-powered

instrument for percussion ensemble Speak

Percussion (Polar Force, 2018), a large-scale

hologram for Robin Fox’s Diaspora (2019)

and video design for Chamber Made’s

Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep, a sonic portrait

of new music icon Margaret Leng Tan which

won Work of the Year: Dramatic at the 2020

APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards.

Keith Tucker

With a career spanning over 40 years,

technical and lighting designer Keith Tucker

has worked with a vast array of artists and

companies from across the world.

His early work with the Australian Dance

Theatre gave Keith the opportunity to work

with world leading artists such as Jonathan

Taylor, Philip Glass, Anthony Steel, Graeme

Murphy and Stephen Cummings, among

many others. He went on to form his own

company and continued working in both

contemporary and commercial theatre

with leading-edge organisations such as

Lucy Guerin Inc, Speak Percussion, English

National Ballet, St Petersburg Ballet and

even the Great Moscow Circus, Paul Hogan

and Denise Scott.

In 2006, Keith was engaged as the creative

producer for the outdoor program of the

Commonwealth Games in Melbourne

where the Yarra River was transformed by

72 floating fish sculptures, which became an

iconic image of the Games.

More recently, Keith has formed a

partnership with Matthias Schack-Arnott

and has worked closely on the design,

development and realisation of many

of his works which have been presented

throughout Australia and beyond.

Keith enjoys the challenges and

excitement of working with a multitude

of artists, particularly with leading-edge

contemporary works where the entire team

is collectively pushing the boundaries of

traditional staging, lighting design and

performance.

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About the music

Metamorphosis: Preparing a New Sonata

‘I am going toward violence rather than tenderness,

hell rather than heaven, ugly rather than beautiful,

impure rather than pure—because by doing these things

they become transformed, and we become transformed.’

—John Cage, interview with Calvin Tomkins (1976)

The development of the concert grand piano

has been one of refinement: cast iron frames

to hold the tension of longer strings, greater

agility through a responsive action, and a

purer sound with doubled or tripled strings.

Though each piano has its own character, the

sound you would usually hear from this piano

is close to those you would hear from grand

pianos around the world, whether Steinway,

Bösendorfer or Fazioli. Within 88 keys there

is a world of sounds and colours: reliable,

beautiful, homogenised.

How does one write beautiful music for a

beautiful instrument in the wake of a world

gone mad? With Europe in ruins, a genocide

on a scale unseen in European history being

uncovered, and the spectre of nuclear warfare

a catastrophic reality, 20th-century composers

needed broader palettes to encompass

the devastation they grappled with. Where

Pierre Boulez and other European composers

sought this new sound through extended

techniques and growing complexity, John

Cage and his American contemporaries

turned more towards chance – though

increased globalisation and an aversion to

pre-war nationalism resulted in constant crosspollination

of ideas. Nevertheless, a common

factor was the search for new sounds, violent

sounds.

Henry Cowell, who Cage admired and once

termed ‘the open sesame of new music in

America’, was an early innovator in the

expansion of the piano’s sound, from using the

forearm to play large clusters to strumming the

piano’s strings – setting the path towards using

the entire instrument to create sound, such as

in Helmut Lachenmann’s Guero (1970). But it

is Cage who is credited with first preparing

the piano, altering the very sounds of each

note to transform the piano’s uniformity into a

multifaceted landscape of timbres.

Cage began an article penned in 1939 with the

proclamation: ‘Percussion music is revolution.’

In the late 1930s, he was working as a dance

accompanist at the Cornish School of the Arts

in Seattle, after a short time accompanying

dance at UCLA, and seized the possibilities of

percussion to move away from the harmonyobsessed

Romantic idiom, making this music

‘an integral part of the dance’. The spaces in

which the dancers would perform were not

designed with percussion ensembles in mind,

and in 1938 Cage found himself in a hall too

small for the percussion ensemble needed.

Using the piano in the space, Cage placed

screws, bolts and felt on and around the

strings, altering and muting the strings and

creating percussive sounds. This experiment

became Bacchanale (1940) and kicked off

more than a decade of works featuring

preparations.

Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48) is regarded

as a landmark of his catalogue, a collection

of 20 short works for a meticulously prepared

piano. The diagram provided by Cage for the

preparation of the piano details the alterations

required on 49 notes, shifting some notes to

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become tinnier or muted, and completely

stopping the sounds to create drum- and

tambourine-like colours on others. This

palette of sounds becomes richer with Cage’s

specifications on which strings of a note certain

preparations affect: each note on a piano has

up to three strings, and if the una corda (soft)

pedal is depressed, the hammers shift so that

one fewer string is struck, and the sound of the

note is changed.

The work was composed over two years

using a type of chance: improvisation. On

composing the material, Cage likened the

process to choosing ‘shells as one walks along

a beach’. The structures were organised within

the piece, with the sonatas using repetitive and

simple structures, and the interludes being

more organically through-composed.

The structure of the collection lends itself

to meditation, with listeners drawn to the

Klangfarbenmelodie nature of the work.

Coined by Arnold Schoenberg (who taught

Cage in 1934), the German compound word

translates to ‘sound-colour-melody’: using tone

colour as a device of melodic variation. With

the alteration provided by the prepared piano,

simple melodic lines become complicated by

the variation of colour in each prepared note,

and chords notated in the right hand more

frequently consist of a percussive collection of

unpitched sounds rather than the expected

triad. Despite this, tonality is not banished and

becomes clear in Sonata X and beyond, where

the non-prepared notes gesture towards a

B minor harmonic motion.

Shortly before beginning the Sonatas and

Interludes, Cage met the Indian musician

Gita Sarabhai, and the two spent six months

teaching each other their musical traditions. At

the conclusion of their time together, Sarabhai

gave Cage a copy of the Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna. This sparked a lifelong journey

and fascination with spirituality (eventually

shifting further east to Zen Buddhism), which

bleeds into Cage’s musical output in a trend

towards tranquillity and enlightenment, or its

sonic equivalent.

Cage had previously battled with the concept

of Affect and the disjunction between his

intentions and the audience’s perception. Give

Schubert and Stravinsky the same melody,

which may in a minor key be theorised as ‘sad’

or ‘melancholy’, and the two would orchestrate

them in vastly different ways, generating their

own interpretations, which then would go on to

have their own personal interpretations by the

audience. In a 1990 statement, Cage said:

‘I could not accept the academic idea that

the purpose of music was communication,

because I noticed that when I conscientiously

wrote something sad, people and critics were

often apt to laugh. I determined to give up

composition unless I could find a better reason

for doing it than communication.’

The answer to why continue writing, the reason

beyond communication, came from his study

with Sarabhai. Sonatas and Interludes aims

to express the Hindi aesthetics learned from

Sarabhai, wherein ‘white’ emotions (heroic,

erotic, mirthful, wondrous) and ‘black’ (fear,

anger, sorrow, disgust) all tend towards

tranquillity. Which sonatas correspond to

which emotion has never been detailed by

Cage, and is left up to the listener to discern.

‘Composing’s one thing, performing’s another,

listening’s a third. What can they have to do

with one another?’

—Cage (1955)

© Rob Croes

© ALEX OWENS, ANAM MUSIC LIBRARIAN,

ROBERT SALZER FOUNDATION LIBRARY

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Interview

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE

The result is The Cage Project, and it features

a large sculpture that connects with this

piano music from above. As it appears to

hover in the air, this sculpture develops its

own sonic and visual identity. It spins and

glistens while the space is engulfed in the

percussive chimes of the prepared piano.

You may be familiar with the expression,

‘Know the rules before you break them.’

It describes the ability – and power – of

composers who push the boundaries

of what is possible in their art form. For

American composer John Cage, the piano

was an instrument that could be used to

communicate the musical ideas of his

Sonatas and Interludes. But if he truly wanted

to fulfil his vision, the sonic rules of this

instrument would need to be broken.

Cage lifted the lid of the piano and

surrounded its strings with a handful of

found objects. He used bolts, screws, rubber,

and other items that are not considered

to be inherently musical. But everything

is musical, when your mind is open – and

Cage knew that disrupting the piano’s

ordinary mechanisms would open the

door to an extraordinary kaleidoscope of

colours and textures. This instrument set-up

is known as a ‘prepared piano’ – and its

effect is percussive, ethereal, and strikingly

imperfect.

Matthias Schack-Arnott believes Cage was,

in his words, a ‘philosopher of sound’. So

when Paul Kildea approached Matthias

about bringing a new approach to the

Sonatas and Interludes, it was never going

to be about changing the ways Cage had

stretched the limits of the piano. After all,

Matthias feels the 1940s composition ‘is

really beautiful and complete’ as it stands.

Instead, the new project would be built out

of respect for Cage’s philosophy of musical

expression – of breaking the rules – and it

would see Matthias invent his own way to

‘three-dimensionalise that sound world’

Cage had first created.

‘I have always had quite a visual way of

thinking about sound,’ Matthias says. ‘I like

the way, when you play with sound in a

spatial way, that it takes on more of a life of

its own. It can become something in its own

right, rather than just the byproduct of a

human manipulating an instrument.’

The Cage Project is not the first time

Matthias has used the presence of sound

and moving objects to craft an immersive

space for audiences and performers alike.

In Everywhen (2019) he surrounded himself

with objects such as chimes and gongs

which would spin around him or respond to

touch. For Groundswell (2021) he designed

a platform filled with metal balls: it released

sound and vibration as concertgoers tilted

the surface, moving their bodies over the

artwork itself.

In The Cage Project, French pianist

Cédric Tiberghien plays Cage’s Sonatas

and Interludes, and Matthias’ sculpture

simultaneously provides ‘an additional layer

of preparations’ beyond the piano and its

performer.

‘For each of the 44 prepared notes in

the piano, we’ve created a double, so to

speak,’ Matthias explains as he describes

the function of his sculpture. Those 44 extra

sounds become ‘different sonic objects that

float above the piano’. The sculpture is made

of an eclectic collection of found objects –

aluminium rods, hardwood, brass tubes,

granite, bronze, and gongs.

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© Aaron Francis

‘They’re not instruments that have been

crafted specifically for sonic purposes –

they’re more materials that exist in the world

for other reasons, then get repurposed for

musical ends,’ the composer-percussionist

says. ‘At any given point in time, we as the

artists can’t control exactly where the sound

is triggered from in the space, because it’s

moving of its own accord.’

When he uses different materials to expand

Cage’s sound world, Matthias is also building

on the composer’s legacy. He strengthens

the ability to express human emotional

states through sound, ranging from sorrow

to tranquillity – core elements of Cage’s

original work.

The impact of The Cage Project becomes

deeper still through the artistic contributions

of Keith Tucker, who has designed lighting

that shifts alongside the music. For concert

pianist Tiberghien, whose own career has

seen him perform alongside the world’s

leading orchestras, sharing the spotlight

with a sculpture is unlike anything he’s done

before.

The Cage Project was created as part

of a co-commissioning project between

Musica Viva Australia, the Naomi Milgrom

Foundation, and the Adelaide and Perth

Festivals at which it premiered in 2023.

Perhaps such projects can help break the

rules of chamber music itself, forcing us to

question what we have expected to hear –

and to see – when we attend a performance

of music that was composed long ago.

‘I think Musica Viva Australia has been a

really important institution for many years,

bringing really fascinating artists from

around the world to Australian audiences,

and also cultivating Australian voices in

music,’ Matthias says. ‘And I think, under

the direction of Paul Kildea, they’re doing

some very innovative, imaginative projects

that are pushing the organisation into new

territories that are really exciting.’

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GIVING CIRCLE

The collective support of our Emerging Artists Patrons enables

the artistic development of the next generation of Australian

chamber musicians via our Masterclasses, Strike A Chord and

FutureMakers programs.

Nicholas Callinan AO & Elizabeth Callinan, Caroline & Robert

Clemente, Patricia H. Reid Endowment Fund, Andrew Sisson

AO & Tracey Sisson, Mick & Margaret Toller, David Wallace &

Jamelia Gubgub, Anonymous (1)

CONCERT CHAMPIONS

The mainstage concerts of our 2025 Season are brought

to life thanks to the generosity of our Concert Champions

around the country.

ACT Andrew Blanckensee & Anonymous,

Dr Ray Edmondson OAM & Sue Edmondson, Dr Sue Packer,

Sue Terry & Len Whyte

NSW In memory of Dr Catherine Brown-Watt PSM,

Patricia Crummer, Dr Jennifer Donald & Mr Stephen Burford,

Katherine & Reg Grinberg

QLD Andrew & Kate Lister, Andrea & Malcolm Hall-Brown,

Barry & Diana Moore, Anonymous (2)

SA

Dr Susan Marsden & Michael Szwarcbord

VIC Penny Hughes, Presented by friends in memory of

Dr James Pang, Dr Michael Troy, Mr Igor Zambelli, Anonymous

WA A gift to share the love of music (2),

Deborah Lehmann AO & Michael Alpers AO,

For Stephanie Quinlan (2), Robyn Tamke

AMADEUS SOCIETY

The Amadeus Society is a group of passionate music lovers

and advocates in Sydney and Melbourne, who have joined

together to support the extraordinary artistic initiatives of

Musica Viva Australia.

Tony Berg AM & Carol Berg AM, Tom Breen &

Rachael Kohn AO, Dr Annette Gero, Katherine &

Reg Grinberg, Jennifer Hershon, Fred Hilmer AO &

Claire Hilmer, Penny Hughes, Stephen & Michele Johns,

Michael & Frederique Katz, Philip Robinson,

Andrew Rosenberg, Ray Wilson OAM

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COMMISSIONS

Musica Viva Australia is proud to support the creation

of new Australian works through The Ken Tribe Fund

for Australian Composition and The Hildegard Project.

We are also grateful to the following for their generous

support of this work: D R & K M Magarey, Richard Wilkins,

Playking Foundation.

LASTING GIFTS

We are deeply appreciative of those who have chosen to leave

a bequest to Musica Viva Australia in their will, to make a lasting

impact that not only celebrates their passion for music but

enables music for future generations of audiences and artists

alike. Your legacy will live on through our work.

LEGACY DONORS

We proudly honour the generous legacies of those donors who

are no longer with us, and the impact their support still has today.

NSW The late Charles Berg, The late Stephan Center,

The late Janette Hamilton, The late Dr Ralph Hockin in

memory of Mabel Hockin, The late Geraldine Kenway,

The late Judith Osborne Finalson, The late Elizabeth Varley,

The late Kenneth W Tribe AC

QLD

The late Steven Kinston

SA The late Edith Dubsky,

In memory of Helen Godlee, The late Lesley Lynn

VIC In memory of Anita Morawetz, The family of

the late Paul Morawetz, The late Dr G D Watson

WA

Anonymous

CUSTODIANS

We thank those who have notified us of their intention

to leave a gift to us in their will.

ACT Margaret Brennan, Clive & Lynlea Rodger,

Ruth Weaver, Anonymous (3)

NSW Catherine Brown-Watt PSM & Derek Watt, Graham

Blazey, Jennifer Bott AO, Lloyd & Mary Jo Capps AM, Andrew

& Felicity Corkill, Peter Cudlipp, Liz Gee, Suzanne Gleeson,

David & Christine Hartgill, Annie Hawker, Dorothy Hoddinott

AO, Mathilde Kearny-Kibble, Elaine Lindsay, Trevor Noffke,

Dr David Schwartz, Ruth Spence-Stone, Mary Vallentine AO,

Deirdre Nagle Whitford, Richard Wilkins, Kim Williams AM,

Megan & Bill Williamson, Ray Wilson OAM, Anonymous (14)

QLD John Nightingale & Leslie Martin, Anonymous (2)

SA Monica Hanusiak-Klavins & Martin Klavins,

Anonymous (4)

TAS

Kim Paterson KC, Anonymous

VIC Elizabeth & Anthony Brookes, Julian Burnside AO KC,

Ms Helen Dick, Robert Gibbs & Tony Wildman,

Penny Hughes, Helen Vorrath, Anonymous (8)

WA Janice Dudley, Anne Last, Graham Lovelock,

Robyne Tamke, Anonymous (3)

ANNUAL DONORS

We’re thankful to our annual donors who support our work where

it’s needed most and for all they enable us to do – both on and

off the stage – for Australian musicians, artists and music lovers,

including our extensive education and outreach programs.

MAJOR GIFTS

NSW The Berg Family Foundation,

Patricia H. Reid Endowment Fund, Anonymous

QLD

ACT

Ian & Caroline Frazer

Marion & Michael Newman

$100,000+

$50,000+

NSW J A Donald Family, Katherine & Reg Grinberg,

Elisabeth Hodson & the late Dr Thomas Karplus

NSW

QLD

Michael & Frédérique Katz, Vicki Olsson

Andrea & Malcolm Hall-Brown

$25,000+

VIC The Morawetz Family in memory of Paul Morawetz,

The Morawetz Family in memory of Anita Morawetz,

Marjorie Nicholas OAM, Rosemary & John MacLeod,

Joy Selby Smith

ACT

Mick & Margaret Toller, Anonymous

NSW Susie Dickson, Gresham Partners,

Richard Wilkins, Anonymous

QLD

Anonymous

SA Jennifer & John Henshall,

Hugh & Fiona MacLachlan OAM

VIC Peter Lovell & Michael Jan, Mercer Family

Foundation, Mark & Anna Yates, Anonymous

ANNUAL GIFTS

ACT

Craig Reynolds, Sue Terry & Len Whyte

$10,000+

$5000+

NSW Judith Allen, Maia Ambegaokar & Joshua Bishop,

Thomas Dent, Sarah & Tony Falzarano,

Robert & Lindy Henderson, Catharine & Robert Kench,

Ruth Magid & Bob Magid OAM, Lynda O’Grady,

David & Carole Singer, Diane Sturrock,

Kim Williams AM & Catherine Dovey

QLD

SA

Ian & Cass George, Anonymous

Aldridge Family Endowment

VIC Joanna Baevski, Mr Carrillo Gantner AC,

Linda Herd, Myer Family Foundation, Ralph & Ruth Renard,

Greg Shalit & Miriam Faine, Anonymous (2)

WA Rodney Constantine, Jace Foundation,

Deborah Lehmann AO & Michael Alpers AO,

Zoe Lenard & Hamish Milne

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$2500+

ACT Liz & Alex Furman, Goodwin Crace Concertgoers,

Odin Bohr & Anna Smet, Dr Andrew Singer

NSW D Barbeler & K Kemp, Christine Bishop,

Gay Bookallil, Tom Breen & Rachael Kohn AO,

Catherine Brown-Watt PSM, Susan Burns, Hon J C Campbell

KC & Mrs Campbell, Dr James Gillespie & Ms Deena Shiff,

Charles & Wallis Graham, Kevin & Deidre McCann,

Andrew Rosenberg, Geoffrey White OAM & Sally White OAM

QLD Jocelyn Luck, Barry & Diana Moore,

Barbara Williams & Jankees van der Have

SA

DJ & EM Bleby, Ann & David Matison

VIC Alastair & Sue Campbell, Dhar Family,

Anne Frankenberg & Adrian McEniery, Kingsley Gee,

Angela & Richard Kirsner, Bruce Missen, Michael Nossal &

Jo Porter, Prof. John Rickard, Murray Sandland, Maria Sola,

Wendy R. Taylor, Helen Vorrath

WA Anne Last & Steve Scudamore, Mrs Morrell,

Robyn Tamke

$1000+

ACT Andrew Blanckensee, The Breen/Dullo Family,

Christopher Clarke, Dr Jean Finnegan, Claudia Hyles OAM,

Margaret & Peter Janssens, Kristin van Brunschot & John

Holliday, Ruth Weaver, Anonymous (3)

NSW David & Rae Allen, Christine Bishop, Hugh & Hilary

Cairns, Robin & Wendy Cumming, Nancy Fox AM & Bruce

Arnold, John & Irene Garran, Bryan Havenhand &

Anna Kaemmerling, Annie Hawker, Lybus Hillman,

Dr Ailsa Hocking & Dr Bernard Williams, Dorothy Hoddinott

AO, Mathilde Kearny-Kibble, Mrs W G Keighley, Ms Kathryn

Magarey, Prof. Craig Moritz, Paul O’Donnell, Trish Richardson

in memory of Andy Lloyd James, Dr Robyn Smiles, Geoff

Stearn, Hon. Prof. Ross Steele AM, Graham & Judy Tribe,

Dr Liz Watson & Mr Ben Skerman, John & Flora Weickhardt,

Andrew Wells AM, Megan & Bill Williamson, Anonymous (3)

QLD George Booker & Denise Bond, Prof. Paul &

Ann Crook, Stephen Emmerson, Prof. Robert G Gilbert,

Robin Harvey, Lynn & John Kelly, Keith Moore

SA Ivan & Joan Blanchard, Richard Blomfield,

Zoë Cobden-Jewitt & Peter Jewitt, Mrs Mary Handley,

Elizabeth Ho OAM in honour of the late Tom Steel, Joan Lyons,

Dr Leo Mahar, Geoff & Sorayya Martin, Diane Myers,

Leon Pitchon, Jennie Shaw, Anne Sutcliffe, Colin &

Sandra Taylor, Robert & Glenys Woolcock, Anonymous (6)

VIC Russ & Jacqui Bate, Jan Begg, David Bernshaw &

Caroline Isakow, Alison & John Cameron, Mrs Maggie Cash,

Alex & Elizabeth Chernov, Dr Glenys & Dr Alan French,

Mary-Jane Gething, Naomi & George Golvan KC, John &

Margaret Harrison, Lyndsey & Peter Hawkins, Virginia Henry,

Doug Hooley, House for Music, Angela Kayser,

Peter Kingsbury, June K Marks, Janet McDonald, Ruth McNair

AM & Rhonda Brown in memory of Patricia Begg & David

McNair, Christopher Menz and Peter Rose, D & F Nassau,

Barry Robbins, Ms Thea Sartori, Mr Charles Tegner, Ray

Turner & Jennifer Seabrook, Lyn Williams, Anonymous (1)

WA Dr S Cherian, Michael & Wendy Davis, In memory

of Raymond Dudley, Dr Barry Green, Dr Penny Herbert in

memory of Dunstan Herbert, Hugh & Margaret Lydon, Marian

Magee & David Castillo, Dr Bennie Ng & Olivier David, Prof.

Robyn Owens AM, Margaret & Roger Seares, Ruth Stratton,

Philip Thick & Paula Rogers, Christopher Tyler, Anonymous (4)

$500+

ACT Prof. Michael Bessell, Margaret Brennan,

Peter Cumines, Jill Fleming, Marjorie Gilby, Robert Hefner,

R & V Hillman, Janet Kay, Margaret Lovell & Grant Webeck,

Margaret Oates, Robert Orr, Helen Rankin, Diana Shogren

& Anne Buttsworth, Greg Trigg, Dr Paul & Dr Lel Whitbread,

Anonymous

NSW Dinah Beeston, Alexandra Bune AM, Neil Burns,

Christopher Burrell AO & Margaret Burrell, Robert Cahill

& Anne Cahill OAM, Lucia Cascone, Lyn Casey, Richard

Cobden SC, Mrs Susan Collins & Mr Angus Collins, Pam

Cudlipp, Howard Dick, Anthony Gregg, The Harvey Family,

The Hon. Donald Harwin, David & Sarah Howell, Megan

Jones, Jocelyn Kelty, Dr Bridget Mabbutt, Dr Colin MacArthur,

Vanessa & John Mack, Michael & Janet Neustein, Stephen

O’Doherty OAM, Profs. Robin & Tina Offler, Christina Pender,

In memory of Katherine Robertson, John & Sue Rogers, Penny

Rogers, Peter & Heather Roland, Matthew Westwood,

Mrs Jenny Williams, Mrs Margaret Wright, Anonymous (8)

QLD Janet Franklin, Jennifer Kennedy, Timothy Matthies

& Chris Bonnily, Mr Jeffrey Willmer, Anonymous (2)

SA Max Brennan, Elizabeth Hawkins,

Dr Norman James & Mrs Christine James, Dr Iwan Jensen,

The Hon. Christopher Legoe AO QC & Mrs Jenny Legoe,

Julie Mencel & Michael McKay, Trish & Richard Ryan AO,

Tony Seymour, Dr Lesley Smith, Anonymous

VIC Coll & Roger Buckle, Pam Caldwell, Kate Cherry,

Andrea Goldsmith, Prof. Denise Grocke AO, Dr Anthea

Hyslop, Nancy James, Dr Jerry Koliha, Traudl Moon OAM,

Eda Ritchie AM, Prof. Lynne Selwood, Darren Taylor &

Kent Stringer, Maureen Turner, Ian Watts OAM, Tony Way,

The Australian Strings Association (AUSTA), Anonymous (4)

WA Mr Harry Anstey, Jennifer Butement,

Fred & Angela Chaney, Russell Hobbs & Sue Harrington,

Graham Lovelock & Steve Singer, Paula Nathan AO &

Yvonne Patterson, NevarcInc, Lindsay & Suzanne Silbert,

Peter & Cathy Wiese, Anonymous (3)

THANK YOU

We are grateful to our donors at all levels,

including those who contribute up to $500.

Every gift really makes a difference.

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GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

Musica Viva Australia is assisted by

the Australian Government through

Creative Australia, its principal arts

investment and advisory body.

Musica Viva Australia is

supported by the NSW

Government through

Create NSW.

Musica Viva Australia is a Not-for-profit

Organisation endorsed by the Australian

Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient

and registered with the Australian Charities

and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).

CONCERT PARTNERS

Perth Concert Series Sydney Morning Masters Series Major Project Partner

Philanthropic Supporters

Chamber Music

Foundation

Jace

Foundation

Myer

Foundation

Legal

Piano & Tuning

Accountant

Wine

Media

Print

Hotel

EMERGING ARTISTS PARTNERS

Competitions

FutureMakers

Principal Partner

Strategic Partner

Grand Prize Partner

Lead Partner

FutureMakers

Key Philanthropic Partners

Residency Partner

Scobie and Claire

Mackinnon Trust

22

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EDUCATION PARTNERS

Government Partnerships & Support

National Education Supporters

Anthony & Sharon Lee

Foundation

J A Donald Family

Marion & Mike Newman

In Schools Performance, Education & Development Program

• Gardos Family • Godfrey Turner Memorial Music Trust • In memory of Anita Morawetz

• Margaret Henderson Music Trust • Marsden Szwarcbord Foundation

• Perpetual Foundation • Grieve Family Fund

National Music Residency Program

The

Benjamin

Fund

The Marian &

E.H. Flack Trust

Day Family

Foundation

• Aldridge Family Endowment • Carthew Foundation • Foskett Foundation

• Jennifer & John Henshall • Legacy Unit Trust

23

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Stories to inspire

BY MATTHEW WESTWOOD

From the Classroom to the Concert Hall

Timmy and the Breakfast Band are at

Plunkett Street Public School in Sydney’s

Woolloomooloo, and it’s no exaggeration

to say that the whole school has turned up

for the fun.

Led by acrobat Gareth (as Timmy),

and musicians Rachel (cello) and Trent

(mandolin), Timmy and the Breakfast Band

uses music and clowning to tell the story of

a boy getting ready for school – and the

unexpected challenges that interrupt his

morning routine.

‘Put your hand up if we should use music to

mess up Timmy’s morning,’ Trent says. Hands

shoot up around the room.

While Timmy juggles his breakfast bowl

and balances a spoon on his nose, Rachel

on her cello plays the unmelodious notes

of a smartphone ringtone, and then Trent

plays the saw with a quivering, alien vibrato.

Timmy is by turns perplexed, annoyed and

angry.

The hour-long show is a little essay in

varieties of instrumental colour – but it also

demonstrates how music can affect mood,

and how we can use music as a tool to help

us regulate our emotions.

It’s just one of the myriad ways that Musica

Viva Australia is creating a music-rich future

for all Australians.

As we enter our 80th year, we are as

committed as ever in our mission to create

memorable musical experiences for

audiences at every stage of life – through

our acclaimed education programs, lifechanging

opportunities for emerging artists,

and our premium concert series featuring

Australian and international artists.

For our valued community of donors, too, we

offer multiple opportunities for philanthropic

engagement with music programs that

produce joy and have meaningful, lasting

impact. Allow us to explain.

Timmy and the Breakfast Band is one of 14

specially produced shows that perform in

classrooms across the country for Musica

Viva Australia In Schools. Every show is

unique, but each is designed to excite a

child’s imagination about the possibilities

of music – and each relies on the support of

donors to ensure their maximum reach and

impact.

Indeed, our school performances are seen

by more than 170,000 students every year,

from the capital cities to Jindabyne and

Kununurra.

Plunkett Street Public School is part of

MVA’s National Music Education Residency

program, where a resident music teacher –

in this case Tim Hansen – helps embed music

education across the learning environment.

It means that teachers and students are

primed to tap into the benefits that music

brings to a child’s development, including

cultural awareness, social cohesion and

academic learning. For children who take up

the study of a musical instrument – and those

who embark on a career in music – we offer

enriching opportunities for learning and

engagement through our Emerging Artists

programs.

24

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© Sam Roberts

The Strike A Chord contest for school-age

groups, and the Melbourne International

Chamber Music Competition for young

ensembles, provide performance

opportunities, social interaction and artistic

assessment.

Masterclasses with guest artists offer

practical teaching on technique and

musicianship, as well as the wisdom of life

as a working musician. Imagine being in

the room with didgeridoo virtuoso and

composer William Barton when he gave

a masterclass for young students at Ngutu

College, Adelaide!

We are proud of our FutureMakers

mentorship program, a two-year fellowship

for early-career artists as they produce a

new piece of work. Alumni include violinist

Harry Ward – now a member of the Berlin

Philharmonic – and percussion/sculpture

artist Matthias Schack-Arnott, whose

monumental creation for The Cage Project

you are witnessing today.

All of these initiatives depend on the

generosity of donors through the Emerging

Artists Giving Circle. We think of it as an

investment in Australia’s musical future and

the artists of tomorrow.

Finally, our mainstage concerts continue to

bring exceptional musical experiences to

audiences around the country. We are the

only organisation to present a program of

diverse chamber ensembles in a national

subscription season. Audiences can expect

to hear the great repertoire performed

by superb musicians, as well as new

commissions and fresh discoveries.

Each of our concerts is an opportunity for

donors to match their passion for chamber

music with philanthropic support, as Concert

Champions, or as Ensemble Patrons across

an entire tour. The Creative Development

Collective is an investment in Artistic Director

Paul Kildea’s innovative reimagining of

chamber concerts, seen in such brilliantly

realised works as A Winter’s Journey and

The Cage Project.

Whether you care deeply about school music

education, or opportunities for young artists,

or want to share your love of chamber music

with others, we invite you to join us in our

musical mission.

Like Timmy, we know that music makes the

world a better place.

© Bradbury Photography

To learn more about how you can support the work of Musica Viva Australia, please contact:

Zoë Coben-Jewitt, Director of Development, zcobden-jewitt@musicaviva.com.au

Matthew Westwood, Individual Giving Manager, mwestwood@musicaviva.com.au

25

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Northern Lights

Fearless Norwegian violin virtuoso Johan

Dalene makes his Australian debut playing

Ravel, Grieg and Rautavaara with

much-loved pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith.

10–23 June

Mozart’s Clarinet

Historical clarinettist Nicola Boud, cellist

Simon Cobcroft and early keyboardist

Erin Helyard explore the spirit of invention

in chamber works by Mozart and

Beethoven.

15–28 July

MEL

CBR

NCLE

ADL

PER

SYD

BNE

ADL

PER

MEL

NCLE

CBR

SYD

Takács Quartet

The undimmed brilliance of the Takács

Quartet shines through masterpieces by

Beethoven and Haydn framing a new

commission from Australian composer

Cathy Milliken.

14–25 August

Trio Isimsiz

In its first Australian tour, Trio Isimsiz

performs two giants of the piano trio

repertoire from Schubert and Brahms

alongside a striking new work from

Francisco Coll.

30 September–13 October

MEL

CBR

SYD

BNE

ADL

PER

PER

ADL

CBR

MEL

NCLE

BNE

SYD

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The Hollywood

Songbook \\

ALI MCGREGOR

SIGNUM SAXOPHONE QUARTET

National Tour: 3–17 May

Tickets from $65

‘Rhythmically electrifying,

with the dynamics spanning

from an always rounded

fortissimo to the most

delicate pianissimo — this

music simply cannot be

played more beautifully.’

Süddeutsche Zeitung

musicaviva.com.au/hollywood

1800 688 482

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WELCOME TO A NEW WORLD.

WELCOME HOME.

15 international artists | 11 Australian artists | 3 new Australian commissions

Join us in our 80th Anniversary year in Adelaide, Brisbane,

Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney

The future of chamber music is in great hands.

GLAM ADELAIDE, ESMÉ QUARTET

BOOK NOW

musicaviva.com.au/2025 | 1800 866 482