Sydney Camerata Lunchtime Chamber Recital

Members of Sydney Camerata perform a free lunchtime concert at St James’ King Street on Remembrance Day this week.

Violinist Dan Russell and cellist Mathisha Panagoda perform a chamber recital of music by Mozart, JS Bach and Handel in the serenely beautiful and acoustically brilliant surroundings of one of Sydney’s oldest sacred buildings.

Also enjoy 2 coffees for the price of 1 at the Coffee Cart at the east end of the church after the concert, upon presentation of the concert programme.

Dan Russell studied under respected violin teachers Paul Wright and Alan Bonds and has had lessons and masterclasses with prominent violinists and teachers such as Mincho Minchev, David Takeno and Prof. Sylvio Krause in Essen, Rostock and London. He has worked with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia, was the Concert Master of The Metropolitan Orchestra (2011-2012) and others. He travels abroad with the Kammer Philharmonie Köln, having performed with them in Europe and the Antipodes as first violinist and soloist. Dan is also a member of the Australian Art Quartet. He currently performs on a violin by Sibylle Fehr-Borchardt (Cremona, Italy, 2009).

Mathisha Panagoda was born in Sydney and began playing the cello at the age of four.  He completed his tertiary studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music graduating with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and a Juris Doctor in law from the University of Sydney. With the assistance of a BBM Award and Ars Musica Australis Fellowship he pursued further musical studies in the UK, Germany and Canada. In Australia he has performed with the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras and toured with numerous bands including the Hilltop Hoods, Tina Arena, Marcia Hines and Angus & Julia Stone. In 2008 he founded the Sydney Camerata, recipients of the 2010 Sydney Eisteddfod Musica Viva Award for Chamber Music and Musica Viva’s 2012 ‘Rising Stars’. Mathisha has toured internationally with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, Britten-Pears Orchestra, YouTube Symphony Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. He has performed at a number of festivals throughout Asia, Europe and North America and has undertaken two solo residencies at The Banff Centre in Canada.

The Sydney Camerata was formed in 2008 and has since performed throughout Sydney at venues including the City Recital Hall, Sydney Conservatorium, Seymour Centre, Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and the Independent Theatre. Mostly recently in 2013 the Sydney Camerata Quartet performed on the ABC’s Sunday Live with Nicholas Russoniello and the Sydney Camerata Chamber Orchestra collaborated with the Sydney Chamber Choir to perform MacMillan’s Seven Last Words at Sydney University’s Great Hall. The ensemble is highly versatile and aims to provide important performance opportunities for aspiring young professional musicians. It supports young composers through its annual composition fellowship program and endeavours to bring classical music to new audiences.

The programme:

MOZART Duo KV423 Mvt 3 – Rondeau – Allegro

BACH Chaconne from Partita for solo Violin No. 2 in D minor

HANDEL Passacaglia (transcribed by J. Halvorsen)