2026 FIRST RELEASE
UKARIA honours our First Nations by fostering a shared sense of respect for this land, and we acknowledge and pay our respects to the Peramangk, traditional custodians of the land on which the Cultural Centre stands.
Saturday 14 8 February
Martin Hayes and Kyle Sanna
Sunday 22 18 March
Australian Guitar Quartet
Saturday 9 30 May
Bobby Singh and Friends
Sunday 15 10 February
Roomful of Teeth
Friday 20 12 February
Makoto Ozone TRiNFiNiTY
Sunday 29 20 March
Cédric Tiberghien
Sunday 24 32 May
Alexander Gavrylyuk
Saturday 18 22 April
Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky
Saturday 30 34 May
Radical Son
Sunday 22 14 February
Lonquich-ClericiMehner Trio with Júlia Pusker
Sunday 26 26 April
David Elton and Friends
Sunday 31 36 May
Ivan Karizna with Aura Go
Sunday 15 16 March
Sergej Krylov with Konstantin Shamray
Saturday 2– 28 Sunday 3 May
Leonkoro Quartet
Sunday 7 38 June
Lucas Debargue
Sunday 14 40 June
Maximilian Hornung
Sunday 26 52 July
Andrea Lam
Sunday 21 44 June
James Ehnes with Orion Weiss
Sunday 2 54 August
Attacca Quartet
Friday 2–Sunday 4 60 October
Chamberfest 26
Sunday 28 46 June
The Gesualdo Six
Sunday 12 48 July
Joshua Batty and Friends
Friday 4–Sunday 6 58 September James Morrison Jazz Weekend
Sunday 18 56 October
Paul Lewis | Mozart+
Saturday 18– 50
Sunday 19 July
Sitkovetsky Trio with Stefanie Farrands
KEY TO SYMBOLS ON CONCERT PAGES
Complimentary afternoon tea
Dining option
Under 40 tickets
Bus service
After a year of celebration, we’re excited to be forging the future, finding new ways to engage with artists, collaborate with festivals, develop touring circuits and encourage curiosity from you, our audience. We strive to keep the spirit of ‘aliveness’ in every performance we present. This First Release brochure is our initial burst of activity which gives us latitude to add extra concerts and the flexibility to keep refining our program for the second half of the year.
Our approach to curation is based around sound, and we are always searching for artists who inspire us to listen. The selection of music is artist-led, so each program is a deeply personal expression of what they want to explore, create and share with you. On our travels we are drawn to musicians who ignite a spark in us. Our response is usually immediate, intuitive and emotional but rarely intellectual. Most recently this happened with the Leonkoro Quartet, who we have heard in Berlin, Amsterdam and London. The depth of their musicality defies their youth, until you look a little deeper and discover that the first violinist and cellist are brothers who have been making music together since childhood. We felt compelled to initiate their first Australian tour, which was made possible through collaboration with the Melbourne Recital Centre and Pier 2/3 in Sydney.
We also enjoy finding new artists and pairing them with Australian musicians, such as cellist Ivan Karizna with pianist Aura Go, and violist Stefanie Farrands with the Sitkovetsky Trio. Occasionally we have the opportunity to present two legendary artists, independently renowned, who have found each other, as is the case with James Ehnes and Orion Weiss. It’s particularly exciting when artists who are deeply connected to us want to share their experience of UKARIA with their musical soulmates.
Cellist Umberto Clerici has longed to bring his clarinet trio to Australia since he arrived in 2014. Finally, his dream will be realised, and we are particularly thrilled that they will perform at the Perth Festival on their way to us.
There is a lot to be curious about in this new season. GRAMMY Award-winning Roomful of Teeth – an a cappella ensemble pushing the boundaries of vocal possibility; our first program of Irish folk with world-famous fiddler Martin Hayes; the discovery of Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone and his trio of next generation artists; a program which reimagines the flute led by Josh Batty; and the debut of David Leha, aka Radical Son, who has transformed his life through music. We anticipate adding a couple more contemporary concerts led by Iain Grandage.
Please save the date for Chamberfest, curated by the great Australian, Berlin-based soprano Siobhan Stagg.
As always, our thanks to you for your unwavering support. We look forward to sharing inspirational music-making in the year ahead.
Ulrike Klein AO Alison Beare Founder CEO
SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY 7.30PM
‘The Irish fiddler Martin Hayes has been an inspiration for me for a long time. He’ll play the same songs from night to night, but they never sound exactly the same. There are subtle changes of phrase or tempo or ornamentation, and it’s all so beautiful.’
– Johnny Gandelsman of Brooklyn Rider
Martin Hayes’ artistry is grounded in the organic soul of Irish music, reawakening traditional melodies with his vibrant spirit and fresh interpretations. ‘For me, music is about heart, feeling, trust, freedom, communication and true aliveness in the moment,’ he says.
Growing up in a remote, mountainous parish in County Clare, Martin Hayes was instilled with a powerful understanding of Irish music. His father was a founding member of the legendary Tulla Céilí Band, and it’s from these musical roots that Hayes’ extraordinary career burgeoned. Transcending folk, classical and contemporary styles, Hayes has collaborated with artists such as Jordi Savall, Brooklyn Rider, Sting, Paul Simon, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and the late Dennis Cahill.
Joining Martin Hayes on his Australian tour – which includes appearances at Perth Festival, Melbourne Recital Centre and Brisbane Powerhouse – is Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Kyle Sanna. Their collaboration invites us to witness a collection of traditional folk songs being brought into new life.
This tour is supported by
SUNDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2.30PM
‘If you get the opportunity to hear them live, just go, and experience for yourself the wonder and power of voice with Roomful of Teeth.’
– Lisa Lansi, Theatre Travels, Review of Adelaide Festival, 2020
Roomful of Teeth is a GRAMMY Award-winning vocal ensemble dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. The ensemble’s work is built upon creative collaborations with a spirit of curiosity and fearless experimentation, creating genre-defying, imaginative repertoire that pushes the boundaries of vocal music.
On their first Australian tour in six years, Roomful of Teeth presents an a cappella program that centres around two works from their GRAMMY Award-winning album Rough Magic: Caroline Shaw’s The Isle (Melbourne/Adelaide/Perth premiere) – a mystical and fantastical ode to Shakespeare’s The Tempest; and William Brittelle’s aptly titled Psychedelics (Australian premiere).
The concert also includes Australian premieres of Leilehua Lanzilotti’s on stochastic wave behavior, sung entirely in ‘Ōlelo Hawai`i; Vesper Sparrow by Missy Mazzoli, a rhythmic and virtuosic work with text by Farnoosh Fathi featuring an imitation of the vesper sparrow’s call; Gabriel Kahane’s Speaking in Tongues from his Elevator Songs, a set composed for Kahane and the ensemble; and Angélica Negrón’s Math, the one which is sweet, which represents ‘the sound of getting lost in new love’.
Estelí Gomez
Mingjia Chen
Tynan Davis
Virginia Kelsey
Jodie Landau
Steven Bradshaw
Thann Scoggin
Cameron Beauchamp | Artistic Director
Caroline Shaw The Isle
Leilehua Lanzilotti on stochastic wave behavior
Missy Mazzoli Vesper Sparrow
Gabriel Kahane
Speaking in Tongues from Elevator Songs
Angélica Negrón
Math, the one which is sweet
William Brittelle Psychedelics
FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY 7.30PM
‘A fascinating pianist and creative force in his own right, with a compellingly vast range of musical vocabulary.’
– London Jazz News
Born in Kobe, Japan, Makoto Ozone was self-taught in jazz under his father’s guidance, first on the organ, then piano. Immediately following his graduation from Berklee College of Music, his 1983 solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall brought him to public attention. Since then, his international career has included recording and touring with Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, and Branford Marsalis, as well as performing with an ever-increasing number of the world’s preeminent symphony orchestras.
Seizing on the milestone of the fortieth anniversary of his debut, Makoto formed the new trio TRiNFiNiTY, featuring young rising stars Shimpei Ogawa on bass and Kunito Kitai on drums. They first met Makoto as collaborators on From OZONE till Dawn, a 2021 project focused on introducing the next generation of jazz talent to the world. The trio premiered their 2024 TRiNFiNiTY album in Australia at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, October 2024, and will now share their artistry on a wider Australian tour in February 2026, including an appearance at the Perth Festival.
Makoto Ozone | Piano
Shimpei Ogawa | Bass
Kunito Kitai | Drums
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2.30PM
Clarinettist Tommaso Lonquich, cellist Umberto Clerici and pianist
Claudio Martínez Mehner each enjoy distinguished international careers. Together as a clarinet trio, they have transcended geographical distance to cultivate a profound artistic partnership, which they describe as ‘an enduring source of inspiration and dialogue’.
Umberto shares the personal significance of this ensemble in his life,
‘The musical partnership with Claudio and Tommaso that started at a festival in the Italian Dolomites over fifteen years ago has probably been the most transformative musical experience of my life. The phrase “finding your tribe” has become true for me while making music with them over these years – together enjoying the privilege of exploring music and its endless creative possibilities.’
‘At the same festival in Italy, we had the opportunity to play with a very young Júlia Pusker, and she was immediately a revelation. Her integrity, seriousness and respect for music was already remarkable in her early twenties.’ Described as a ‘true aristocrat of the violin’ (La Libre), Júlia Pusker has forged a stunning career, gaining international prominence as a prize-winner in the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Brussels. These four artists reunite in Australia for performances at UKARIA, Perth Festival and for Hayllar Music Tours, sharing a program that reflects their musical histories.
Lonquich-Clerici-Mehner Trio
Tommaso Lonquich | Clarinet
Umberto Clerici | Cello
Claudio Martínez Mehner | Piano
Júlia Pusker | Violin
Ludwig van Beethoven
Clarinet Trio in B flat, Op. 11 Gassenhauer
Igor Stravinsky
Suite from The Soldier’s Tale
Béla Bartók
Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Piano, Sz. 89
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66
SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2.30PM
‘I was amazed by the quality of this remarkable violinist whom I consider to be one of the five best contemporary violinists in the world.’
– Mstislav Rostropovich
Pairing effortless lyricism with intense virtuosity, Italian-based violinist
Sergej Krylov carries the influence of the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, with whom he regularly shared a stage as a young violinist. Krylov has held the multi-faceted role of Music Director of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra since 2008, while performing as soloist with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lyon and the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.
During this Australian tour, which also sees him perform with the Queensland and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, Krylov is joined by Konstantin Shamray for a recital of exquisite French repertoire. Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso and Ravel’s Tzigane are bookended by two evergreen sonatas. As with his preceding opus, Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2 embodies the increasingly cosmopolitan milieu of France in the 1920s, while Franck’s wedding gift to Eugène Ysaÿe promises to illuminate Krylov and Shamray’s sensitivity and fire.
Sergej Krylov | Violin
Konstantin Shamray | Piano
Maurice Ravel
Violin Sonata No. 2, M. 77
Camille Saint-Saëns
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Maurice Ravel
Tzigane, M. 76
César Franck
Violin Sonata in A, FWV 8
This concert is presented in association with
SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2.30PM
Slava, Leonard, Vladimir and Andrew are renowned nationally and internationally as leading soloists and passionate advocates for their distinctive instrument. They are also recognised for their formidable and diverse repertoire. For UKARIA, they present a beautifully balanced program showcasing intimate delicacy and extravagant flair. The concert opens with Bach’s sixth Brandenburg Concerto, here arranged by James Smith for guitar quartet.
The program bounds lightly from the eighteenth century into the twenty-first, to Nigel Westlake’s mercurial, humorous Six Fish, a work that won the 2005 APRA-AMC Classical Music Award for Best Instrumental Work. A legendary twenty-time GRAMMY Awardwinning jazz guitarist and composer, Pat Metheny is striking for the versatility of his musical talents and compositional interests: here, the Australian Guitar Quartet performs his 2021 six-movement composition Road to the Sun. To close their program, the group turns to Brazilian guitarist-composer Paulo Bellinati. Bellinati is an important global ambassador for the long and rich traditions of Brazilian guitar, and the colourful Un Amor de Valsa and A Furiosa are among some of his most beloved works.
Australian Guitar Quartet
Slava Grigoryan
Leonard Grigoryan
Vladimir Gorbach
Andrew Blanch
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, BWV 1051 (arr. James Smith)
Nigel Westlake
Six Fish
Pat Metheny Road to the Sun
Paulo Bellinati
Un Amor de Valsa
A Furiosa
SUNDAY 29 MARCH 2.30PM
As a regular recitalist at London’s Wigmore Hall and as a soloist with the London and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, French pianist Cédric Tiberghien is noted for his sensitive, versatile musicality as well as his innovative and engaging programming.
His multiple talents are on display in this inventive, witty recital that stages the two halves of a conversation and increasingly delighted banter between compositional voices. Tiberghien’s first half juxtaposes movements from Maurice Ravel’s 1917 Le tombeau de Couperin with the music of Couperin himself. Ravel shared Couperin’s flair for wry titles and sparkling musical humour. ‘The dead are sad enough, in their eternal silence,’ he replied to a complaint that his tribute to Couperin was insufficiently serious.
The second half introduces new protagonists: Claude Debussy, Jean-Philippe Rameau and contemporary British composer Julian Anderson. The recital ends with Debussy’s infamous L’Isle Joyeuse: as the composer himself ruefully noted, ‘God, how difficult it is to perform… that piece seems to assemble all the ways to attack a piano since it unites force and grace…’
Selections from:
Maurice Ravel
Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68
François Couperin
Pièces de Clavecin, Book 4
Claude Debussy Images, Book 1
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Pièces de Clavecin, Book 2
Julian Anderson
Étude No. 4 – Misreading Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin
Claude Debussy
Études, L. 136
Claude Debussy
L’isle joyeuse, L. 106
SATURDAY 18 APRIL 7.30PM
Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky have been aware of each other for a very long time. As Michelle says, she ‘grew up’ watching Paul on television and was aware of his work with the great Vince Jones and others; somewhat later Paul became aware of Michelle’s trajectory toward becoming, in his words, ‘one of the greatest jazz singers Australia has produced’. A few years back they began a conversation around songs they were drawn to, and it was immediately clear that their tastes converged at the melancholy, the testimonial, the heartbreak ballads that speak of love’s sometimes bitter ironies. The covid lockdowns certainly helped them to focus on this project, one that led to the recording of their ABC Jazz album Noir, a collection of standards and originals that reveal sentiment rather than sentimentality, great beauty in deepest shadow, empathy and calm. As Paul puts it, ‘we have found a happy place in these sad songs, in which each shadow reveals new light’.
Tickets are available to purchase on the UKARIA website at www.ukaria.com/events
Alternatively, please call the UKARIA office on (08) 8227 1277 during business hours and one of our staff will be pleased to assist you.
Adult | $80 Concession* | $75 Under 40** | $40
*Concessions are available for full-time students, pensioners and health care cardholders, but Seniors Cards do not qualify for concession.
**Please note that there is a limited allocation of Under 40 tickets available per concert.
A transaction fee of 2% will be applied to all orders.
SUNDAY 26 APRIL 2.30PM
David Elton is no stranger to either Australian or international audiences. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) Principal Trumpet, virtuosic soloist and esteemed chamber musician brings an engaging program that highlights the range and versatility of his instrument. David is joined in his explorations by three colleagues, each renowned musicians in their own right: SSO
Concertmaster Andrew Haveron, SSO Associate Principal Cello Simon Cobcroft and concert pianist and composer Stefan Cassomenos.
The recital’s first half reverse-engineers an evolution of the trumpet as a solo instrument. Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth’s Altiora Peto – a concerto for trumpet and strings arranged by the composer for trumpet and piano trio – showcases the instrument’s agility and soaring melodic capacity. Moving back in time, the program highlights a pivotal composer-soloist pairing: Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, successor to Haydn as Kapellmeister at the Esterházy court, wrote one of the great challenges of the trumpet repertoire for the star soloist Anton Weidinger. The afternoon ends with Kurt Weill’s entertaining Suite from The Threepenny Opera, here arranged by Australian composer James Ledger as a tour de force for trumpet and piano trio.
David Elton | Trumpet
Andrew Haveron | Violin
Simon Cobcroft | Cello
Stefan Cassomenos | Piano
Lachlan Skipworth
Altiora Peto (arr. Trumpet and Piano Trio)
George Enescu Légende for Trumpet and Piano
Johann Nepomuk Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E (arr. Trumpet and Piano Trio)
David Sampson
Memories to Keep Awhile
Kurt Weill
Suite from The Threepenny Opera (arr. James Ledger)
SATURDAY 2 MAY 5.30PM
‘It is not only the Leonkoro Quartet’s insight into the longings and distortions of human desire, but also their outstanding ability to shape these insights into sound that leaves us stunned.’
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Berlin-based Leonkoro Quartet has been making waves on the international chamber music scene since triumphing at the 2022 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Now partnering exclusively with the Alpha Classics recording label, the Quartet has a string of critically-acclaimed albums and performs regularly at venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Leipzig Gewandhaus and NYC’s Carnegie Hall. On their first Australian tour, their recital programs reflect their interpretative range and their ‘profound sensitivity’.
Their first recital introduces the work of Dutch composer and pianist
Henriëtte Bosmans. A century prior, a young Felix Mendelssohn responded to the dual stimuli of Beethoven’s late quartets and the experience of falling in love with a string quartet of his own. Like Beethoven’s late compositions as the end of life approached, Mendelssohn here offers a rare insight into a composer’s sensibility at a moment of heightened meaningfulness in life. The program ends with Schubert’s monumental Death and the Maiden quartet, which sees a young composer grappling with what it means to create, even in the shadow of enduring illness.
Henriëtte Bosmans
String Quartet
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810 Death and the Maiden
SUNDAY 3 MAY 2.30PM
‘This quartet is already one of the finest: perfectly unanimous, colourful and original.’
– Alfred Brendel
In their second offering for UKARIA, the Leonkoro Quartet presents a unique selection of Austro-German voices old and new. The lavish late-Romantic vocabulary of Anton Webern’s 1905 single-movement
Langsamer Satz is testament to the influence of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. From late-Romanticism, the Leonkoro Quartet shifts towards a far more modern language that yet grapples with a nineteenth-century musical legacy. Contemporary German composer Jörg Widmann describes his ninth string quartet Beethoven Study IV as having ‘a particular focus on Beethoven’s still unattainable Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131’. As is only fitting after such an overt dedication, the Leonkoro Quartet answers Widmann’s work with its original inspiration: Beethoven’s groundbreaking, formidable Op. 131.
Anton Webern
Langsamer Satz
Jörg Widmann
String Quartet No. 9 Beethoven Study IV
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
Jonathan Schwarz | Violin
Amelie Wallner | Violin
Mayu Konoe | Viola
Lukas Schwarz | Cello
SATURDAY 9 MAY 7.30PM
ARIA Award-winning tabla player Bobby Singh returns to UKARIA for a collaboration that spans cultures, generations and borders. Featuring the compositions of tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan, the music revolves around the nucleus of Bobby Singh – himself a student of Aneesh. Bridging Indian classical tradition, jazz and blues, the presence of Tjupurru’s didgeridoo grounds this collaboration in the roots of this land, with Bobby as the musical sutradhaar – the narrator who connects all the threads in this story.
Sydney-based jazz legend Sandy Evans was tasked with arranging the compositions for a unique ensemble of leading Australian musicians, each with a deep personal connection to Bobby’s life and music.
‘Over many years, these musicians have become my family. In my experience with collaborating in the West I feel that the best connections are made on a personal level, as humans, and are not dependent on the instrument that is played. We have toured around the world together, we have shared our food and stayed in each other’s homes, talked about the meaning of life together… then the music is played, and it feels like we have been playing together for lifetimes.’
– Bobby Singh
Bobby Singh | Tabla
Sandy Evans | Saxophone
Jeff Lang | Guitar
Greg Sheehan | Percussion
Ben Walsh | Percussion
Lara Goodridge | Violin / Voice
Shenzo Gregorio | Viola / Voice
Zela Margossian | Piano
Tjupurru | Didgeridoo
SUNDAY 24 MAY 2.30PM
‘Gavrylyuk is an artist as well as a pianist, and that’s rare.’
– Graham Strahle, InReview
Ukrainian-Australian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk returns with a characterful and dramatic program that showcases his ‘revelatory’ and ‘electrifying’ artistry. Each half opens with a distinctive evocation of childhood: Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) offers an adult’s perspective, in a series of reminiscences of childhood experience. By contrast, Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album – which begins the second half – is a twenty-four-part cycle written specifically for children.
Gavrylyuk has chosen to close the first half of his recital with music by two giants of nineteenth century piano-writing and playing. Chopin’s beloved Fantaisie in F minor swirls in temperamental, fancy-free eddies; a character piece from Liszt’s Venezia e Napoli evokes with flair the sights and sounds of Venetian and Neapolitan streets in 1859.
The program’s final work turns firmly away from childhood, daydreaming and holiday snapshots. Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 in B flat, the second of a trio of ‘war sonatas’, was composed in 1942 during a period of intense pressure and difficulty for the composer. The sonata’s three movements chart isolation, suspense, terror, desolation, and mourning, before ending in a fury with a movement marked Precipitato.
Robert Schumann
Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Frédéric Chopin
Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49
Franz Liszt
Tarantella from Venezia e Napoli: Supplément aux Années de Pèlerinage II, S. 162
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Selections from Children’s Album, Op. 39
Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat, Op. 83
SATURDAY 30 MAY 7.30PM
‘A voice as deep as the ocean and as soulful as a church choir.’
– Koori Mail
Radical Son is the creative moniker of David Leha, an artist from the Kamilaroi nation of Australia and the South Pacific nation of Tonga. His voice carries the compelling story of his turbulent past, restoration through culture and ever-deepening connection to Country, which has been captured in two critically-acclaimed albums: Cause ‘N Affect (2014) and Bilambiyal (2024).
Mentored by the late Archie Roach AC, Radical Son is an exemplary concert artist, with stage credits including a starring role in Opera Australia’s production of The Rabbits – the award-winning opera by Kate Miller-Heidke, Lally Katz and Iain Grandage. He was a core chorister and featured artist in Archie Roach’s national tour of Into the Bloodstream, and has received standing ovations across the country at Bluesfest, WOMADelaide and Sydney Festival.
Radical Son will be joined by two of his bandmates for an intimate performance of his ARIA Award-nominated album Bilambiyal (The Learning). Created in collaboration with artists including Emma Donovan, Frank Yamma, Marcus Longfoot and Jida Gulpilil, Bilambiyal weaves spoken word with potent songs that speak to resilience, identity and cultural strength.
‘Music has made me a better person. We hold the key. Within ourselves we can change things for ourselves and make the lives of others better in the process. I hope my songs have a positive impact on you.’
– Radical Son
Radical Son | Vocals
Marcus Longfoot | Keys
Victor Jesus Sydenstricker | Guitar
SUNDAY 31 MAY 2.30PM
Declared by Sir András Schiff to be ‘one of the best cellists of his generation’, Ivan Karizna combines a striking stage presence with poetic musicality. In his first appearance at UKARIA, Ivan partners with Australian virtuoso pianist Aura Go for a recital that showcases the breadth and nuance of the cello and piano duo repertoire.
From Claude Debussy’s darkly humorous Sonata, initially subtitled ‘Pierrot is angry at the moon’, the program turns to the world of fairytales, as in Leoš Janáček’s Podháka, a characterful, episodic work based on the epic Russian poem The Tale of Tsar Berendyey. The first half ends with Benjamin Britten’s first work for cello, dedicated to the mighty Rostropovich and a friendship that would go on to become a long and fruitful musical partnership.
The recital’s second half draws a more intimate portrait of the cello and piano duo: here, settings of Schubert Lieder offer a cantabile counterpoint to Nadia Boulanger’s quicksilver Trois pièces. The pen and ink mood of this encounter is dispelled in a blaze of primary colour, with another pivotal work written for the great Rostropovich: Sergei Prokofiev’s singing, exuberant Cello Sonata in C.
Ivan Karizna | Cello
Aura Go | Piano
Claude Debussy
Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor
Leoš Janáček
Pohádka (Fairy Tale)
Benjamin Britten
Cello Sonata in C, Op. 65
Franz Schubert
Two Lieder
Nadia Boulanger
Trois Pièces for Cello and Piano
Sergei Prokofiev
Cello Sonata in C, Op. 119
SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2.30PM
The charismatic French pianist and composer Lucas Debargue makes his UKARIA debut. Since his sensational appearance at the 2015 Tchaikovsky competition, where he was awarded the prestigious Moscow Critics Award, Debargue has forged an international career as a virtuosic soloist and sought-after chamber musician. To regular performances as a soloist in Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, he adds chamber music collaborations with artists including Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer and Renaud Capuçon. As a Sony Classical recording artist, Lucas Debargue has released five solo albums, with a sixth to appear in early 2026.
His majority-French program speaks in part to this recording history: both Fauré’s monumental Theme and Variations and Ravel’s equally demanding and atmospheric Gaspard de la nuit feature in Debargue’s discography. The program’s second half profiles a contemporary French compositional voice: the gently colourful world of eminent composer Stéphane Delplace’s Intermezzo VI and Ground is contrasted with the bold hues of George Gershwin’s classic Summertime Variations – here arranged by Lucas Debargue himself, and performed in celebration of his soon-to-be-released Gershwin album.
Gabriel Fauré Thème et variations
Maurice Ravel Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55
Stéphane Delplace
Intermezzo VI and Ground
Lucas Debargue / George Gershwin
Summertime Variations
SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2.30PM
German cellist Maximilian Hornung presents a program uniquely suited to our intimate space. Hornung’s sophisticated musicality and virtuosity have enabled him to forge a unique career path. Following his 2007 win of Germany’s prestigious ARD competition (with his Tecchler Piano Trio), Hornung served for four years as principal cellist of Munich’s hallowed Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, before leaving the post to devote himself to solo and chamber music repertoire. A former protégé of Anne-Sophie Mutter, Hornung appears regularly with orchestras such as the Berlin and London Philharmonics, and counts Vilde Frang, Daniil Trifonov and Mutter among his chamber music partners.
His program exclusively comprises music for solo cello. Bookended by Bach suites, the program is otherwise characterised by contemporary compositional voices. British composer Mark Simpson’s Un Regalo (a gift), was written for cellist Guy Johnston in celebration of his remarkable 310-year-old Tecchler instrument. Simpson’s wide-ranging piece converses with German composer Hans Werner Henze’s Serenade for Solo Cello – the instrument that held most meaning for this composer.
In the second half, American composer Caroline Shaw’s in manus tuas – based on a sixteenth century Thomas Tallis motet – evokes a ‘secular solo cello compline service, held in a dark, candlelit nave’, in preparation for a final return to the eighteenth century, and Bach’s singular, eloquent voice.
Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G, BWV 1007
Mark Simpson Un Regalo
Hans Werner Henze Serenade for Solo Cello
Caroline Shaw in manus tuas
Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011
The Garden Terrace is a beautiful gathering place, and the ideal setting to augment your concertgoing experience.
Details about the dining option on offer for each concert are available at the end of each event page on our website. Offerings include:
Light lunches ($17)
Afternoon concerts
Wood-oven pizza banquets ($44)
4 Feb | 18 April
Antipasti platters (serves two, from $33)
Evening concerts
Buffet meals ($54)
15 March | 2 May | 18 July
The bar is open ninety minutes before each performance and during interval, where you can enjoy a glass of wine or barista coffee. A variety of sweets are also available to purchase.
Due to catering requirements and limited capacity, please pre-book the dining option in advance, and note that all food offerings are in addition to the cost of the concert and require a separate booking. Book via www.ukaria.com/events or contact us on (08) 8227 1277.
Our bus service from Adelaide to the Cultural Centre costs $22 return for all concerts. Please see page 65 for more information.
SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2.30PM
‘A violinist in a class of his own.’
– The Times
Superstar Canadian violinist James Ehnes joins forces with his longtime duo partner, the celebrated American pianist Orion Weiss, to present a recital of duo repertoire. Ehnes is one of the great violinists on the global stage: a fixture as concerto soloist with orchestras like the New York and London Philharmonics and the Boston Symphony, and recitalist at Carnegie Hall, Verbier Festival and other venues across Europe, Ehnes is a two-time GRAMMY Award-winner with an extensive discography. Weiss is one of the most sought-after concert pianists in the US: a regular soloist with LA and New York Philharmonics, he is renowned for his ‘powerful technique and exceptional insight’. For their recital at UKARIA, Ehnes and Weiss offer a rare opportunity for Australian audiences to experience two star soloists in an exceptionally intimate setting.
The lush extravagance of Korngold’s Suite from Much Ado About Nothing is answered with a different kind of cantabile in Brahms’ tender, intimate G major sonata: sometimes referred to as the Regenlied (Rain song) sonata, its first listeners described the work as possessing an atmosphere of ‘resigned reconciliation’.
Following an interval, Ehnes and Weiss travel in time in order to contrast French and Norwegian takes on the violin-piano duo. While the first world war raged, French composer Claude Debussy published his only work for this instrumentation, a sonata he described as ‘full of tumultuous joy’. Mercurial, dream-like, laced with an ardent optimism, the sonata would become Debussy’s last composition. Edward Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano is also the last chamber work the composer penned. Alternating between brooding darknesses and a light-strewn slow movement, the Sonata ends in a jubilant C major –Grieg anticipating Debussy’s ‘joy’.
James Ehnes | Violin
Orion Weiss | Piano
Erich Korngold Suite from Much Ado About Nothing, Op. 11
Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G, Op. 78
Claude Debussy Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, L. 140
Edvard Grieg Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
SUNDAY 28 JUNE 2.30PM
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed vocal ensemble made up of some of the UK’s most esteemed consort singers. The group, who are lauded for their ‘imaginative programming and impeccable blend’, has toured around the world and records exclusively for Hyperion Records (their tenth album was released in August 2025). Following their residency at the 2023
A Cappella Academy, The Gesualdo Six returns to UKARIA with a program that traces the evolution of the vocal consort tradition. From Renaissance motets by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons, to arrangements of British folk songs, to contemporary compositional responses to poetry by Christina Rossetti and Kathleen Jamie, this concert program forges fresh connections between old and new. With their trademark imagination, The Gesualdo Six suggests a consort tradition that is alive and flourishing in our very hearing.
Owain Park | Director
Guy James | Countertenor
Alasdair Austin | Countertenor
Joseph Wicks | Tenor
Joshua Cooter | Tenor
Simon Grant | Baritone
Please visit the UKARIA website for full program details.
SUNDAY 12 JULY 2.30PM
Perfect Imperfections is a bold reimagining of the flute as an instrument of power, soul, and raw humanity. This journey takes us into the emotional landscapes of each listener, inviting us to find beauty within imperfection, connection through vulnerability, and uplift through music.
Internationally-renowned flautist Joshua Batty pushes boundaries with all new works, including three world premieres, and deeply personal collaborations: a powerful improvised dialogue with William Barton, one of Australia’s leading First Nations artists; Harry Sdraulig’s intimate concerto fragment born of fifteen years of friendship; Aristea Mellos’ Song Without Words, a tribute to family legacy; and Lee Bradshaw’s reimagining of Prokofiev’s iconic Flute Sonata. Leading concert pianist and composer Sir Stephen Hough contributes Cherish This Night, a passionate meditation on love and loss.
Joined by some of Australia’s top musicians – the acclaimed Chroma String Quartet, concert pianist Konstantin Shamray, and guest artist William Barton – this landmark debut of an all-Australian vision celebrates art’s power to challenge, transform, uplift, and profoundly connect.
Joshua Batty | Flute
Konstantin Shamray | Piano
William Barton | Didgeridoo
Chroma Quartet
Harry Bennetts | Violin
Victoria Bihun | Violin
Elizabeth Woolnough | Viola
Eliza Sdraulig | Cello
Stephen Hough
Cherish This Night : Nocturne for Flute and Piano
Aristea Mellos
Song Without Words for Flute and Piano (World Premiere)
Sergei Prokofiev
Sonata for Flute and Piano (arr. Lee Bradshaw for flute and strings)
William Barton
Solo Didgeridoo
Harry Sdraulig
Cantilena for Flute, Strings and Piano (World Premiere)
Harry Sdraulig
Piano Quartet
William Barton
Dialogue for Alto Flute, Voice / Didgeridoo and Strings (World Premiere)
SATURDAY 18 JULY 5.30PM
‘The Holy Grail of trio playing – three individual characters, but perfectly blended.’
– Edinburgh Music Review
The Sitkovetsky Trio is one of the pre-eminent piano trios at work on today’s global stage. Formed by classmates at the UK’s Menuhin School over twenty years ago, the trio performs regularly in venues such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and London’s Wigmore Hall, and their extensive discography for BIS Records has won numerous awards.
In this first of two concerts, the Sitkovetsky Trio opens with the neglected music of French composer Cécile Chaminade, once the darling of Paris salons. Dispensing momentarily with the piano, the program turns to the music of Chaminade’s contemporary, Maurice Ravel, and his mercurial, playful Duo for Violin and Cello.
In the program’s second half, the Trio introduces music written for the group and premiered during their residency at the Beethovenfest Bonn in 2024: Bucha is Ukrainian composer Lena Sierova’s searing tribute to the victims of the 2022 Bucha massacre. The dark turbulence with which Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor opens is a bridge to an evolutionary journey that spans despair, tenderness and wit, before the fourth movement ushers in a concert finale of rare, unbridled joy.
Cécile Chaminade
Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor, Op. 34
Maurice Ravel
Duo for Violin and Cello
Lena Sierova
Bucha
Robert Schumann
Piano Trio No. 3 in G minor, Op. 110
SUNDAY 19 JULY 2.30PM
For their second concert, the Sitkovetsky Trio is joined by Australia’s own Stefanie Farrands, Principal Viola of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, in a program of distinctively Hungarian flavour. The scene is set with Haydn’s Hungarian-influenced Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, written during one of Haydn’s ‘liberating’ sojourns in London and dedicated to his student and intimate confidant Rebecca Schroeter. The Hungarian Ernő Dohnányi’s Serenade for string trio represents a composer finding his voice. Here, Brahmsian sensibility melds with overt Hungarian folk idioms, heralding the renewed interest in folk music styles that was to characterise the first half of twentieth-century music-making. In the program’s second half, Brahms’ G minor piano quartet – a product of his innovative twenties – references the nod to Hungarian musical styles established by Haydn. Brahms’ expansive, dramatic work marries symphonic generosity with chamber music intimacy before ending with a raucous dance ‘alla zingarese’.
Joseph Haydn
Piano Trio No. 39 in G, Hob. XV:25 Gypsy
Ernő Dohnányi
Serenade in C, Op. 10
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor
Alexander Sitkovetsky | Violin
Isang Enders | Violoncello
Wu Qian | Piano
Stefanie Farrands | Viola
SUNDAY 26 JULY 2.30PM
Andrea Lam is one of Australia’s most recognised concert pianists. The host and star of hit ABC TV series The Piano, Andrea is a passionate advocate for her instrument, introducing a new generation of Australians to its expressive power and possibility. In demand as concerto soloist with Australia’s major orchestras, and following a celebrated US career, Andrea returns for her first solo recital at UKARIA with a nuanced, wide-ranging program that showcases her interpretative sensitivity.
Schubert’s Sonata in A lies at this recital’s heart: moving and turbulent, the work was written in the last months of its young composer’s life, and represents a very particular challenge for a pianist’s artistry. Bach’s wistful Aria from the Goldberg Variations follows Schubert’s sonata as a simple, tender elegy.
Other notable highlights of Andrea’s recital include two pairings of composers who knew one another intimately.
Clara Schumann’s heart-wrenching Romanze, written during a difficult period following her husband Robert’s hospitalization, is offered bittersweet consolation by Robert Schumann’s passionate, jubilant Widmung, composed as a wedding present to his young wife. In a second pairing, brother and sister converse: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Songs Without Words were precursors to her brother’s famous contribution to the genre.
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata No. 20 in A, D. 959
Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Melody Eötvös Bachram
Clara Schumann
Romanze in A minor, WoO 28
Robert Schumann Widmung (arr. Franz Liszt)
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
Song without Words
Felix Mendelssohn
Song without Words
Enrique Granados
The Maiden and the Nightingale from Goyescas, Op. 11 No. 4
Alberto Ginastera
Suite de danzas Criollas, Op. 15
SUNDAY 2 AUGUST 2.30PM
Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Attacca Quartet is one of the most fearless and opinionated young quartets at work today. They make their UKARIA debut with a recital that exemplifies the ensemble’s unique character and programming style.
Renowned in the US and Europe for the deft blending of old and new compositional voices, the Quartet’s first half is designed as a spirited exchange. The protagonists are young American composers of the moment Caroline Shaw and Paul Wiancko, Ravel’s String Quartet (featured in Attacca’s latest album) and an arrangement of Radiohead by the Quartet’s violist Nathan Schram.
The second half is a study in contrasts, and an opportunity to hear the Attacca Quartet present their account of a canonic staple: Beethoven’s ground-breaking late Op. 132 Quartet. This 200-year old quartet, written in the last years of the composer’s life, features the revered Heiliger Dankgesang movement, the ‘hymn of thanksgiving’ for recovery after a serious illness. This recital is an opportunity to hear a trailblazing ensemble present their take on one of the most venerated works in the chamber music repertoire.
Amy Schroeder | Violin
Domenic Salerni | Violin
Nathan Schram | Viola
Andrew Yee | Cello
Caroline Shaw Entr’acte
Paul Wiancko
Part I: The Thousandth Encounter from Benkei’s Standing Death
Radiohead
2+2=5 (arr. Nathan Schram)
Caroline Shaw
Second Essay (Echo) from Three Essays
Maurice Ravel Allegro moderato from String Quartet in F, M. 35
Caroline Shaw Root from The Evergreen
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 2.30PM
Internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation, Paul Lewis’ cycles of core piano repertoire by Beethoven and Schubert have received universal critical acclaim. For his latest project beginning in 2026, Paul turns his attention to Mozart:
‘For many years I’ve wanted to spend some time focusing on Mozart’s piano sonatas and have long felt sceptical of the broadly held view that these remarkable works are the poor siblings of his piano concertos –less original, inspired, and engaging than their symphonic counterparts.
This series aims to challenge that idea by juxtaposing the many facets of this rich corner of the piano repertoire with works by other composers, presenting both contrasts with and, perhaps less obviously, connections to Mozart’s piano writing. From the transparency, discretion, and humour of Poulenc, through the vocal and operatic world of Chopin and Weber, to the development of variation form and, ultimately, the dramatic tension of Beethoven’s musical language – all of these threads are traceable to, and audible in, the piano sonatas of Mozart.’
– Paul Lewis
Presented in association with Musica Viva Australia.
This concert is part of a four-part series devised by Paul Lewis for his 2026/2027 global concert season. In Australia, Program Two in 2026, and Programs Three and Four in 2027, are presented exclusively by UKARIA.
Musica Viva Australia presents Mozart+ Program One as part of their national season from 4–15 October 2026.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Sonata No. 17 in B flat, K. 570
Carl Maria von Weber
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A flat, Op. 39
Frédéric Chopin
Polonaise in C sharp minor, Op. 26 No. 1
Nocturne in B, Op. 32 No. 1
Nocturne in A flat, Op. 32 No. 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Sonata No. 13 in B flat, K. 333
FRIDAY 4–SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
‘Although all the musicians with whom Morrison played were world-class virtuosi, the atmosphere was relaxed and intimate.
It felt as if it were mere coincidence that all of these musicians were gathered in Mount Barker; as if they had decided to play together on a whim, with the resulting energy producing remarkable results.’
– InReview, James Morrison’s Realising a Dream, UKARIA 2024
Following his sold-out Collaboration weekend in September 2024, legendary trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist James Morrison returns for the third edition of his ever-astonishing Jazz Weekend.
This platform of three diverse concerts once again offers James the freedom to stretch the boundaries of jazz, exploring new sounds and combos with a star-studded cast of jazz musicians from around the world.
Tickets, artist line up and full program will be released in Autumn 2026.
FRIDAY 2–SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER
Being the first vocal curator of Chamberfest is an honour which resonates deeply with me.
When I was invited, I found myself asking: what makes a singer – whose instrument is born in their throat – distinct from previous instrumental curators? The most obvious answer is of course: our relationship to language and text, lyrics and poetry. And the diversity of human vocal timbre. We all have a larynx, and yet some voices develop the power to raise goosebumps, or make your heart space feel like it might burst.
While shaping my plans for Chamberfest 2026, I’ve been reflecting on the many roles music plays in society:
Music as a measurer of time and marker of history; as teacher of origins and alternate perspectives.
Music as storyteller, transporting us from moments of mundanity to starlit magic.
Music as philosopher and gentle provocateur: comforting and challenging us, all at once.
Music which elevates and expands our intelligence, developing our CQ (Curiosity Quotient) and MQ (Metaphor Quotient).
Music as bias-breaker and community builder; grower of empathy and spark of resplendence.
It is a joy to be sculpting a weekend of music for you, which shines light on both human and instrumental voices: examining the textural beauty of language, its rhythm and flair. I’ll be bringing some of my closest collaborators out from Europe and can’t wait to introduce them to the wonders of UKARIA and Australia, and to you!
Best wishes from Berlin. I hope to see you in October 2026...
Tickets, artist line up and full program will be released in Autumn 2026.
‘I feel privileged to be a tiny part of the good ship UKARIA. Every time I look at the walls and ceiling, and the front of the auditorium from the outside, I find myself thinking of a wooden galleon – a trading ship galleon, carrying precious musical cargo.’
– Melissa Raven, 2025 Donor
Gifts to the UKARIA Foundation can be directed to:
• The Endowment Fund: The corpus is invested and the interest earned supports the cultural program and concert experience for musicians and audiences in perpetuity.
• The Music Program: Supports outstanding artists in the forthcoming season.
Alternatively, you may like to leave a bequest, which can be directed to either fund above. For more information, please start a conversation with our CEO, Alison Beare, or request a brochure.
Visit www.ukaria.com/donate or phone (08) 8227 1277
UKARIA reserves the right to change artists, programs, venue opening and/or performance times if necessary. Prices are correct at time of print and subject to availability. UKARIA reserves the right to remove or amend price types during the sales period.
We do not issue printed tickets – instead, please simply quote your booking name to our front-of-house team upon entering the auditorium.
At the time of purchase, you will receive a digital copy of your booking confirmation to your nominated email address (please check your spam folder if needed).
If you misplace your booking confirmation, you can log in to your UKARIA account using your email and password and view your booking (for concerts, meals and bus service).
If you have credit on your account, this will show up on the online payment screen. You can simply apply the credit to pay for any tickets in your shopping cart.
Due to the intimacy of the venue, concerts regularly sell out, so we keep a waiting list. To add your name to the waiting list, please sign up via the links on our website, or contact us on (08) 8227 1277
All sales are non-refundable once the order has been finalised, except as required by law, or as outlined in the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (if an event is cancelled, rescheduled or significantly relocated).
Tickets are transferable to family or friends if you’re unable to attend – we do not require a name change, so they can just quote your booking name at the door.
Requests for credit must be made by email or phone at least 14 days before the date of the event – this includes concert tickets, bus service bookings, meals and light meals.
We do not offer refunds except as required by law, or as outlined in the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (if an event is cancelled, rescheduled, or significantly re-located).
To view UKARIA’s full Terms and Conditions, please visit www.ukaria.com/tcs
If you require easy-access seating, please let our team know at least one week prior by phoning the office on (08) 8227 1277. Accessible seats are located on the ground floor of the auditorium.
Please note that due to the small size of UKARIA’s auditorium, we can only offer limited accessibility seating. If you book with a larger group, we would be grateful if able-bodied members of your group would consider sitting in the row behind so that our team can accommodate as many mobility-impaired patrons as possible.
The cost of a bus ticket is a flat fee of $22 return for each day, and we do not offer a reduced price for one-way travel. If you arrive after the departure time and miss the bus, your concert and bus ticket are non-refundable. Tickets for the bus service will be taken off sale at 5.00pm on the Wednesday prior to the concert date.
While there is ample parking available on site, please take care when parking close to other vehicles. Please use the carpark markers as your guide, and be considerate of fellow patrons by not parking across multiple spaces.
All seating is General Admission (there is not a bad seat in the house!) and doors to the concert hall usually open thirty minutes prior to the concert start time.
We welcome photography inside the main hall before or after the concert, or at interval if applicable. During performances, all unauthorised photography and recording of the artists is strictly prohibited.
To abide by SA Health regulations, consumption of food and drink that has not been purchased on our premises is not permissible.
For more information, please visit www.ukaria.com/busservice
The 2026 Season is proudly presented by UKARIA.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ulrike Klein AO | Founder
Rob Brookman AM | Chair
Rod Cornish
Amanda Harkness
Paul Kildea
Sam Saunders
Mathew Trinca AM
Mary Vallentine AO
UKARIA FOUNDATION BOARD
David McKee AO | Chair
Susanna Anderson
Amanda Harkness
Diana McLaurin
Kirsty Roderick
Alison Beare | Chief Executive Officer
Paola Niscioli | General Manager, Operations
Emma van Lierop | Business Manager and Artist Liaison
Liam Taylor | Venue and Production Manager
Céline Rittner | Food and Beverage Manager
Rachel Bruerville | Senior Communications Coordinator
Tahlia Lamey | Communications Coordinator
John Carter | Facilities Manager
Emma Quinn | Ticketing and CRM Manager
Vernon Schulz | Bookkeeper
UKARIA consists of a small, dedicated team of core staff (FTE 6.6)
Concert descriptions | Brigid Coleridge, Tahlia Lamey and Rachel Bruerville
Design | Orange Fridge
Photography | Cover and inside cover by Randy Larcombe
Our contemporary concerts are generously supported by
Season Partner
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