4 Luciana Whitelaw and Elaine Tang ‘Desafinado’ by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with House Band
5 Kailee Baulk
‘They Just Keep Moving the Line’ from Smash, with House Band
6 Finale - ‘Dreaming of You’ by Xani Kolac. Symphony Strings, Grace Notes, with House Band
Special Guest
Xani Kolac
Xani Kolac is a violinist, composer, and improviser redefining what the electric violin can do in contemporary and improvised music. With a Master’s degree in Music Performance (Improvisation) from the Victorian College of the Arts, Xani has spent over a decade pushing the boundaries of her instrument. Her unique sound is shaped by influences ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Stuff Smith to Kosmiche Musik explorers CAN, to art pop pioneers like Camille and Bjork, alongside her deep roots in jazz and improvisation.
Last year, Xani released two albums: a live improvised recording from The Jazzlab, featuring special guest artists Shannon Bourne (electric guitar) and Angus Radley (electric bass), and Keep Moving an Australian Music Prize-nominated studio album inspired by Krautrock, jazz, and rock that delves into themes of grief, death, family violence, and love. Xani performed at Tallinn Music Week (Estonia), SXSW London, and was Artist in Residence at MONOM Studios in Berlin. She also opened for Hania Rani (Melbourne Recital Centre) and John Cale (City Recital Hall) and brought her highly energetic and acclaimed original show, An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music to the Adelaide Fringe Festival garnering a five-star review.
In 2026, Xani continues to dive into the possibilities of contemporary and amplified string playing. She has just been named the 2026 Melbourne International Jazz Festival’s Take Note Leader – a program addressing under-representation of gender diverse musicians in jazz and improvised music. As part of the program, Xani has been commissioned to compose a new work which will premiere at this year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
Xani will perform her newest work Hymns for Atheists at Naarm’s MPavilion, followed by a string of shows in the UK and Poland in April/May.
Xani Kolac (cont.)
Recognised for her relentless passion, motivation and a fearless approach to musicianship, Xani has performed at major festivals including the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, RISING, and Classical:NEXT. She was a Finalist in last year’s Australian Art Music Awards for Jazz/Improvised Music Performance of the Year and was awarded Best Musician at the 2022 Music Victoria Awards. Her work continues to uncover new possibilities for the electric violin, offering music that connects, provokes, and inspires.
“Xani Kolac seems to have no problem at all using technology to achieve the highest artistic ends, while also delivering the gold standard of music-making, namely the ability to move her listeners, to transport them. She is truly exciting, engaging and inspiring.”
(Paul Grabowsky)
“Xani Kolac is an expert at melding creative artistry with technology to build captivating sound worlds.” (The Age)
Upcoming Music Events
Year 6 Production ‘The Little Mermaid’ - CAP
Wednesday, 20 May, Thursday, 21 May & Friday, 22
May
Biennial Concert - CAP
Wednesday, 5 August
Piano Festival and Soiree - Music Centre
Wednesday, 16 September
Tonight’s Performers
Alexis Anderson
Estella Aris
Annika Arnott
Celeste Barker
Kailee Baulk
Sylvie Beardwood
Indie Bethune
Anna Bishop
Alexis Blagojevic
Charlotte Bond
Imogen Brady
Genevieve Brown
Olivia Brown
Melissa Chen
Amaka Chiezey
Morgen Clarke
Scarlett Clemens
Faith del Rosario
Jett Di Natale
Ava Dillon
Annabelle Drinkwater
Ada Dynes
Florence Dyson
Olive English
Maeve Fontaine
Emma (Chang) Gao
Bella Goodman
Lily (Yingxin) Guo
Juliet Gwizdek-Faulkner
Matilda Hansen
Emma Hanson
Emily Harper
Emily Harvey
Amy Hong
Sunny (Jiaqi) Huang
Mollie Killigrew
Hannah Kirk
Shani Kristanto
Daisy La Nauze
Kitty La Nauze
Alexa Lee
Ellena Li
Wan Zhi Elva Li
Maya Lin
Rachel (Sirui) Liu
Michelle (Yiran) Liu
Olivia Lucas
Jessica Martin
Nico Matto
Heidi McDonald
Annabelle Menage
Erica Morrison
Genevieve Ng
Alice Noble
Charlotte Oldham
Grace Oldham
Charlotte Pierce
Eliza Pierce
Alix Pollock
Kalliopi Psarris
Asher Rafeld
Zoe Rasmussen
Jade Raux
Evie Renato
Sienna Rossetto
Sophia Russell
Tonight’s Performers (cont.)
Adrianna Sartori
Amelie Simpson
Ruby Smith
Elaine Tang
Vera (Yichen) Tang
Reyna Thadani
Jessica (Weijia) Wang
Maeve Weeks
Luciana Whitelaw
Sarah (Jingyu) Xiao
Wendy (Yawen) Xue
Selina (Yufei) Xue
Joyce (Yuxuan) Yan
Sienna Young
Angelina (Xiaoyu) Zhai
Rita (Yixuan) Zhao
Mia (Miaohan) Zhou
Special Thanks To
Special Guest Artist - Xani Kolac
House Band - Chris Bevens, James Burgess, Lester Cheung, Mitch Thomas, Rhys Warden
