Utzon Music Series Returns In 2025 With New Director
The Utzon Music Series returns to the Sydney Opera House in 2025 under the direction of renowned arts advocate, performer, composer and recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey. In its 18th edition, the year-round series will showcase a collection of the world’s leading chamber musicians and renowned soloists from diverse classical traditions in the breathtaking Utzon Room.
Lacey’s vision for Utzon Music 2025 celebrates curiosity and discovery, welcoming a cast of 28 talented international and homegrown musicians to perform music from Australia and other cultures.
Over 10 Sundays from February to November, the series will feature several Australian debuts, unique first-time collaborations, six vibrant duos, a solo cello recital and three larger ensembles. Amongst them are performances from Latvian sisters violinist Kristīne and cellist Margarita Balanas, Scottish mezzo-soprano and Cardiff Singer of the World Catriona Morison, Australian guitarist Slava Grigoryan, Lacey herself with Scottish-Australian classical accordionist James Crabb, as well as Vahideh Eisaei’s Persian classical collective, all-female German a capella group Sjaella, and a spellbinding finale featuring the Hardanger fiddle’s great contemporary player, Norwegian Benedicte Maurseth and her epic group.
Utzon Music 2025 features:
• Balanas Sisters || Sunday 16 February – Latvian-born siblings Kristīne (violin) and Margarita Balanas (cello) make their Australian debut with works by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks, excerpts of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Anne Cawrse’s Sanctuary.
• Catriona Morison & Aura Go || Sunday 16 March – Scottish mezzo-soprano and Cardiff Singer of the World Catriona Morison joins forces with Australian pianist Aura Go performing music by Brahms, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Scottish and English folk songs and piano solos by Swedish composer Hélène Tham.
• Marshall McGuire & Simon Martyn-Ellis || Sunday 6 April – A collaboration between harp and theorbo blending baroque and contemporary compositions, including duets and solos by seventeenth-century maestros Froberger, Leonarda and Kapsberger as well as modern composers.
• Bronzewing: Katie Yap & Donald Nicolson || Sunday 18 May – Violist Katie Yap and harpsichord master Donald Nicolson will perform Nicolson’s own arrangements of melodies by von Bingen and Strozzi, ans music by Telemann, Couperin and modern works celebrating the glories of the Australian landscape.
• Genevieve Lacey & James Crabb || Sunday 22 June – Scottish-Australian classical accordion maestro James Crabb traverses musical centuries with Australian recorder virtuoso and Utzon Music 2025 curator Genevieve Lacey playing early music by Ortiz, Palestrina, Bach, and specially commissioned pieces culminating in a lively set of Scottish folk tunes.
• Sjaella || Sunday 13 July – Female German a capella ensemble Sjaella presents a program of music for voices by Purcell, Janequin, Shaw, traditional folk songs from Northern Europe, and a new work by young Sydney composer Alice Chance.
• Emily Sun & Slava Grigoryan || Sunday 17 August – Violinist Emily Sun returns home in a new collaboration with multi-ARIA-winning guitarist Slava Grigoryan. The performance will include the world premiere of a new work by Sydney composer Andrew Holmes, with pieces by Piazzolla, Paganini and more.
• Timeless: A Journey in Persian Classical Music || Sunday 28 September – Iranian-Australian storyteller and qanun player, Vahideh Eisaei presents a shimmering journey through classical Persian music, featuring traditional and new laments, lullabies and hypnotic dance tunes. Joining her are fellow Australian-based musicians Pegah Kheirdoush (kamancheh and ghaychak) and Sohrab Kolahdooz (percussion), along with distinguished Tehran-based artists Saba Pashaee (voice) and Hamid Khansari (oud) in a tender celebration of the exquisite sounds of the ever-evolving Persian culture.
• Annie Jacobs-Perkins || Sunday 12 October – Berlin-based American cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins makes her Australian debut for Utzon Music with a solo recital featuring works by eighteenth century Italian composer and cellist dall’Abaco, Madsen, Marais, Salonen, Norman and Bach.
• Norwegian Tradition Reimagined || Sunday 23 November – Benedicte Maurseth and her ensemble reimagine traditional Norwegian music, blending ancient traditions with modern atmospheric soundscapes. Featuring the rich tones of the Hardanger fiddle, a stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway with piano, bass and percussion. This performance brings to life Maurseth’s haunting new album Mirra, inspired by the landscapes of her northern Norwegian homeland.
SEASON DETAILS
WHAT: Utzon Music 2025 / WHEN: February – November 2025/ WHERE: Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
TICKETS: Standard $99.90, Under 30s $69.90, Student $25.90, Buy 2 $84.90, Buy 3 or more $79.90 + booking fee
ONSALE: Insiders: Tuesday 19 November, 9am AEDT/ What’s On: Wednesday 20 November, 9am AEDT/ General public: Friday 22 November, 9am AEDT
Book early and save for a limited time only. 15% off full price single tickets, 20% off 2 performances and 25% off 3+ performances. Offer expires Monday 16 December 2024 11:59pm.
