It’s live and you’ll love it

Our conservatorium welcomes you back to its concert series

A one-act opera, the premiere performance of a transformed organ and a production of an award-winning musical highlight our concert series this year.

Avondale Conservatorium welcomes the return of live audiences to the series after it live streamed or cancelled events to comply with coronavirus (COVID-19) public health order rules this past year.

The series begins this month (April 24) with an Evensong performance of inspirational folk music from husband and wife duo Kevin and Jennifer Petrie. Kevin is our Vice-Chancellor and President and Jennifer our Director of Student Life Services. Music cased in a gentle ballad style is a favourite way to express and share their faith journey.

A collaborative performance of Benjamin Britten’s popular one-act opera Noye’s Fludde brings semester one to a close. The concert on our Lake Macquarie campus (May 29) features Dr Ian Cook’s Newcastle Youth Orchestra and the Avondale String Orchestra.

Semester two opens with a concert featuring the premiere performance of our transformed Johannus Rembrandt organ. Its new Hauptwerk system will bring the sounds of the world’s most famous organs to Avondale. Hauptwerk systems use their own computers to run software with recordings from the world’s most famous organs. The stops, their chosen combinations and other settings are shown on touchscreens, facilitating instant and complete change of stop labels for each recording. The organ will honour the late Valerie Duncan’s love of music and continue a legacy of the Duncan–Kranz family’s support of the arts and of Avondale. The concert will close Homecoming (August 28), the biggest Avondale Alumni event of the year.

The biggest event of the year will be a production of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. A cast of 40, directed by alumna Sarah Morton and Avondale Conservatorium Director Aleta King, will bring the story of the von Trapp Family Singers to the stage over three performances (September 17-19).

Sing Me A Story follows the next month (October 30). The concert is an initiative of jazz musician David Pudney. It will feature his Avondale Jazz Ensemble and guest vocalists performing inspirational songs with storytelling lyrics.

The concert series ends with The Thrift Honours (December 11), an annual celebration of Avondale Conservatorium’s graduands, high distinction recital and prize-winning students.

“We’re so excited to be finally back,” says Aleta. “Even with remarkable technology at our fingertips, interacting with music completely online is just not quite the same as live music in the moment that is face-to-face and in real time.” She is keen to see you attend at least one event in the series. “You have an open invitation to be part of this shared community experience again.”