Category Archives: Concerts

We have two recitals coming up this week and next featuring music from our latest album, Meta Overman and Margaret Sutherland: Preserving the Music of Australian Women Composers.

This Friday 29th August at 6pm we will perform at The Women’s Club, Sydney for their Women in Music Series. Located at their beautiful space at Level 4, 179 Elizabeth St Sydney, the concert is open to members and guests. Tickets are $35 and available at the door or at http://www.thewomensclub.com.au/events

Our ensemble of Dr Jeanell Carrigan (piano), Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola) and Clare Kahn (cello), will perform:

• Meta Overman – Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
• Margaret Sutherland – Sonata for Viola and Piano
• Meta Overman – Sonata 1 for Flute and Piano
• Margaret Sutherland – Quartet in G minor “House Quartet” for clarinet, viola, cello and piano

Next Friday, 5th September, we will return to St Stephen’s Uniting Church for a lunchtime concert at 1.10pm. We will be performing:

• Margaret Sutherland – Sonata for Viola and Piano
• Darius Milhaud – Duo Concertante for Clarinet and Piano, Op.351
• Gabriel Fauré – Fantaisie for Flute and Piano, Op.79
• Margaret Sutherland – Quartet in G minor “House Quartet” for clarinet, viola, cello and piano

Upcoming concert featuring Dr Jeanell Carrigan AM and Sirius Chamber Ensemble.

Dutch/Australian composer Meta Overman was one of the foremost contributors to musical cultural life in Australia in the middle of the twentieth century. The music of Meta Overman is innovative, individual, sometimes humorous, expressing amazing creativity and powered by strong visual imagery. Her prolific output includes seventeen works or sets of works for piano solo, five for orchestra, six sets of songs, five choral works, eleven operas including one three act opera, four ballets and twenty-four chamber works, some of which are for two pianos. Overman was a composer who was very influenced by the circumstances of her life when she composed. Her compositions therefore fall into very defined categories and time periods which relate to the situations she found herself in and many of her compositions are the direct result of her life experiences.

Margaret Sutherland, now often referred to as the ‘matriarch’ of Australian composition, struggled during her life to find time to compose and to have her compositions realized in publication. She fought for the acceptance and recognition of Australian music and for the young composers of Australia and was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Music from University of Melbourne and an OBE for her contribution to Australian music. Despite her personal struggles to have Australian music accepted Sutherland worked tirelessly for other composers especially Meta Overman.

The majority of compositions by Meta Overman, in particular works for winds, strings and piano have been recently published by Wirripang. Most compositions by Margaret Sutherland have been published since her death with the exception of the Quartet in G minor (also known as the “House Quartet”). Despite many researchers trying to find the score and parts it appears that the only remnant in existence was a manuscript complete of the first three movements, yet only the sketch of the final movement, preserved in the archives at Monash University Library, Melbourne. Earlier this year a complete version of this quartet has been published, based on the recording Sutherland herself performed in 1943.

To celebrate the friendship of these two amazing Australian women composers our artistic collaboration will feature works never previously recorded for combinations of winds, strings and piano.

Notes by Jeanell Carrigan, August 2024.

Concert performance on Saturday 26 October, 7:30 pm

Program:

• Sutherland Sonata for clarinet and piano
• Overman Sonata 1 for flute and piano
• Meta Overman Charivari Variations for piano
• Overman trio for violin, viola and cello
• Overman Sonata for clarinet and piano
• Overman ‘Metaborphoses’ – six pieces for two flutes
• Sutherland Quartet for clarinet, viola, cello and piano

Guest performers: Dr Jeanell Carrigan (piano), Jennifer Taylor (violin), Lucy Carrigy-Ryan (viola), and Henry Liang (flute). 

Sirius Chamber Ensemble: Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), and Clare Kahn (cello).

Venue: St Columba Uniting Church (Uniting Heart and Soul), Cnr Forth & Ocean Street, Woollahra NSW 2025

Tickets: TryBooking

Download the program notes here.

We are looking forward to working on some exciting projects this year, and in celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March) this week, we wanted to highlight upcoming performances featuring works by female composers from diverse backgrounds spanning from the 19th Century to today. 

Lunchtime recital

We begin our celebration of female composers with a lunchtime recital at St Stephen’s Uniting Church on Friday 17 March with music by African-American composer, Valerie Coleman and Australian composer, Miriam Hyde. 

Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet) and Claire Howard Race will perform ‘Portraits of Langston’ (2007) by Valerie Coleman and the ‘Trio for flute, clarinet and piano’ (1948) by Miriam Hyde.

Valerie Coleman is a Grammy-nominated flautist and composer based in New York City. For her significant contribution to classical music as a performer, composer and educator Coleman was named Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year. Her works have won numerous chamber music awards and are performed by orchestras around the United States. ‘Portraits of Langston’ is a 6 movement work based on the poems of Langston Hughes, which can be performed with a narrator. 

Miriam Hyde, AO, OBE (1913 – 2005) had a distinguished career as a classical pianist, composer, music educator, and poet. Hyde was named International Woman of the Year (1991-92) for service to music, bestowed by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge. She was honoured with two awards from APRA/Australian Music Centre Classical Awards (2002/2004) for her services to Australian music. Long-known for her many compositions for piano, Hyde also composed numerous songs, chamber music and other orchestral works. Her ‘Trio for flute, clarinet and piano’ was written for flautist Constance Pether. 

Friday Music at St Stephen’s

Friday 17 March, 1.10-1:50pm at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Performers: Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet) and Claire Howard Race (piano)

Andrián Pertout 60th Birthday Concert

In August, we will be collaborating with Alan Holley to celebrate the Melbourne-based composer Andrián Pertout’s 60th birthday. Program to include works by Andrián Pertout, Alan Holley and Johanna Selleck. Program and booking details to be advertised soon. 

Concert details:

Friday 11 August, 1.10-1:50pm, Friday Music at St Stephen’s Uniting Church

Sunday 13 August, Church Street Studios, Camperdown

Happy International Women’s Day

Later in the year, we will announce more details about our concert showcasing all female composers from different countries and centuries to honour the diversity of classical and contemporary chamber music we can enjoy today. 

It is terrific that I am writing to you today to share our performance plans this year. After another long hiatus we are incredibly excited to be planning concerts for Sirius Chamber Ensemble this year. Later in the year, we will return to Picton Music Club to play a selection of chamber music for flute, clarinet, bassoon and piano. And we are also planning an exciting program for later this year featuring female composers, and will share more details in our next newsletter. To all our audience, friends and fellow musicians we hope that you are well and enjoying live performances again. 

St Stephen’s Friday Lunchtime concert

Join us next week, at the St Stephen’s Uniting Church Friday Lunchtime Music Series. Ian Sykes (clarinet), Clare Kahn (cello) and Claire Howard Race will play classical chamber works by Fauré, Beethoven, Nino Rota and a new composition by Sydney composer Paul Smith. 

Program:

• Élégie for cello and piano (Op.24) by Gabriel Fauré
• Dancing High with Margaret Thatcher for solo clarinet by Paul Smith (premiere)
• Aria and Allegro for clarinet and cello by Ludwig Beethoven 
• Trio for clarinet, cello and piano by Nino Rota

When: Friday 1 April, 1:10pm

Where: St Stephen’s Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Picton Music Club

Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Alison Evans (bassoon) and Claire Howard Race (piano) will perform a selection of chamber music for flute, clarinet, bassoon and piano. 

When: Sunday 11 September. 

Where: Wollondilly Shire Hall, 62-64 Menangel St Picton

10-year Anniversary Concert recordings

If you missed our anniversary concert last year, you can watch the following recordings on our YouTube channel. 

• Alexander’s elements for flute, clarinet and bassoon by Eve Duncan performed by Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet) and Alison Evans (bassoon) – watch here
• ‘the wind stirs gently’ by Nigel Butterley performed by Melissa Coleman (flute) and Clare Kahn (cello) – watch here
• A Summoner Remembers by Paul Smith performed by Taryn Srhoj (soprano), Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet) and Clare Kahn (cello) – watch here

If you’re in the CBD next Friday and looking for a lunchtime break with some beautiful chamber music, then head to St Stephen’s Uniting Church.

• 

• 

Co-artistic director Ian Sykes (clarinet) will perform with guest pianist Benjamin Burton.

Program:

• Witold Lutoslawski (1913 – 1994) – Dance Preludes for clarinet and piano (1954)
• Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) – Sonata in F minor for clarinet and piano, Op. 120, No. 1 (1894)

When: Friday 14 May 2021, 1:00 pm

Where: St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Macquarie St, Sydney

Tickets: $10 https://fb.me/e/26i2vAeGC

For venue details: Friday Music Concert Series

Next concerts

Sirius 10th Anniversary Concert – Saturday 5 June 2021, 7:30 pm

Clarence Valley Conservatorium 2021 Chamber Music Festival – Saturday 19 June 2021, 7:00 pm

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Sirius Chamber Ensemble. After such a remarkably challenging 2020, where COVID-19 impacted performing artists worldwide, we celebrate this milestone for our ensemble with a concert featuring music close to our hearts. New music written for the ensemble will be performed, alongside a selection of chamber music repertoire loved by our audiences. Melissa Coleman (flute), Ian Sykes (clarinet), Alison Evans (bassoon), Clare Kahn (cello) and Claire Howard Race (piano) will be joined by original ensemble member Georgina Price (viola) and our most popular guest artist, soprano Taryn Srhoj.

Program includes chamber music masterpieces by Max Bruch, Gustav Mahler, Nino Rota, Guillaume Connesson, and Australian Nigel Butterley. Also featured on the program is recent Australian music by Paul Smith, Eve Duncan, Corrina Bonshek and Tony Wheeler.

When: 7.30pm, Saturday 5^th June 2021.

Where: Sydney Presbytery, 37 St Johns Road, Glebe.

Tickets: $30 Adults, $20 Concession, $10 Children – Available at http://www.trybooking.com/BQOSC or at the door.

Follow us on FaceBook and Instagram: @siriuschamberensemble

We hope this post finds all of our audience, friends and fellow musicians well. These are indeed difficult times for us all, particularly those in the arts sector. We can’t wait to return to performing for you, but unfortunately our recital at St Stephen’s Uniting Church scheduled for this Friday, 10th July has been postponed by the church. Our trio of Claire Howard Race (piano), Clare Kahn (cello) and Ian Sykes (clarinet) hope to bring you the recital of music by Nino Rota, Gabriel Fauré and Gerald Finzi on Friday, 16th October at 1.10pm instead. Like everyone, we are just waiting to see how the situation develops. We will keep you updated!

In the meantime, the performances we gave for Melbourne Composer’s League last November have been uploaded to their YouTube page and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVwd1_TzYMVA5njIrvyrFS1RBglqoRdhD. The program entitled ‘the birds will sing them off’ features music by Alan Holley, Margery Smith, Eve Duncan, Houston Dunleavy, Maria Muyco, Brendan Black, Joseph Giovinazzo and Livia Judge.

Stay safe and well, we hope to see you at a concert soon.

Hello to all our subscribers and our wonderful audience, we hope you are doing well in these difficult times. The members of Sirius Chamber Ensemble are all missing performing for you, we are sad to have had to cancel or postpone our concert plans during this time.

However, we do hope to be back in recital on Friday, 10th July, 1.10pm at St Stephen’s Church, Macquarie St Sydney. Our trio of Ian Sykes (clarinet), Clare Kahn (cello) and Claire Howard Race (piano) will be performing music by Nino Rota, Gerald Finzi and Gabriel Fauré. Of course, with the uncertainty around restrictions at this time, please check our social media or blog for updates closer to the time to see if this event will be able to go ahead.

In the meantime, with everyone starved for live music, we are undertaking the long-overdue task of uploading some of our performances to our YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRlboqiS09hXmSbgQR2zxBQ

Our latest upload is from our August 2019 concert, featuring our Artistic Director Ian Sykes (clarinet) performing the Australian premiere of Albanian composer Kris Sopiqoti’s piece AlbPhonia. https://youtu.be/Ofn1E71nwTQ

Also available on our page are performances of music by Australian composers Margery Smith and Tony Wheeler, with more to come over the next few months.

We hope you stay safe and well, and look forward to seeing you at a concert sometime soon.