Brisbane Music Festival

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  • 2021 Performances
    • Songs of Love and Death
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    • Shepherd on the Rock
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    • Francis Atkins, Piano (BMF Young Artist)
    • Antonia Barnett-McIntosh, Composer
    • Shaun Brown, Baritone
    • Sarah Butler, Trumpet
    • Adam Chalabi, Violin
    • Anna Colville, Viola
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    • Rebekah Hall, Violin (BMF Young Artist)
    • Jordon He, Arranger
    • Julia Hill, Violin (BMF Young Artist)
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    • Monika Koerner, Flute
    • Shuhei Lawson, Cello (BMF Young Artist)
    • Liza Lim, Composer
    • Tabatha McFadyen, Voice
    • Patrick Murphy, Cello
    • Jonny Ng, Violin
    • Luke Paulding, Composer
    • Andre Oberleuter, Bassoon (BMF Young Artist)
    • Orava Quartet
    • Katherine Philp, Cello
    • Alex Raineri, Artistic Director / Piano / Harpsichord
    • Laura Raineri, Voice (BMF Young Artist)
    • Jenna Robertson, Soprano
    • Thea Rossen, Percussion
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    • Jak Scanlon, Film Maker
    • Dario Scalabrini, Clarinet (BMF Young Artist)
    • Karin Schaupp, Guitar
    • Elaine Seeto, Associate Producer
    • Jane Sheldon, Soprano
    • Leonardo Silva, Composer
    • Bethany Simons, Voice / Actor
    • Jeremy Stafford, Guitar
    • Katie Stenzel, Soprano
    • Harrison Swainston, Viola (BMF Young Artist)
    • Donica Tran, Violin (BMF Young Artist)
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Orava Quartet

Orava Quartet (Dylan Evans – Courtesy of Universal Music Australia)

The Orava Quartet, founded in 2007 by brothers Daniel Kowalik (violin) and Karol Kowalik (cello), Thomas Chawner (viola), and joined in 2011 by David Dalseno (violin), is one of the most exciting string quartets of its generation. Known for their passionate and engaging performances, they have been hailed by The Australian as, “the future of Australian Chamber Music, the real deal.”

Orava Quartet has been invited to perform in Canada, the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Philippines, as well as for Queen Sofia of Spain and Pope Benedict XVI. As graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Colorado (USA), they had the privilege of working closely with the world-renowned Takács Quartet from 2012-2014. During this time the Quartet were selected to be part of the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York City, and toured extensively in the US including at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.. The Quartet also made their debut at the Sydney Opera House for VIVID Festival (in PLANETARIUM: Sufjan Stevans, Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly) and won two major awards at the 2013 Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition in Melbourne, including the Musica Viva Australia Tony Berg Award for ‘Most Outstanding Australian Ensemble’.

Since returning to Australia, the Orava Quartet has continued its impressive and rapid rise to national attention, earning a reputation for consistently excellent and thrilling performances. Alongside performances for Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, where they are Quartet-in-Residence, they have performed at major festivals which include return engagements at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and Huntington Estate Music Festival; the BBC Proms Melbourne (for which they were named one of the ‘2016 Arts Highlights of the Year’ by arts luminary, Robyn Archer); Queensland Music Festival, Melbourne Festival (where they were again one of the ‘Top 10 Picks’ of the Festival, in the Herald Sun), the Musica Viva Festival, Brisbane Baroque, and more.

2018 heralds the release of Orava Quartet’s debut album for Universal Music, for worldwide release on a major classical label in February, alongside performances for New Zealand Festival, Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Music Series, Melbourne Recital Centre, Canberra International Music Festival, Darwin Entertainment Centre and more.

In addition to the University of Colorado, and Camerata, the quartet has held residencies at the Banff Arts Centre in Canada, the Bundanon Trust in Australia, and studied with members of the Jerusalem, Emerson, St Lawrence, Schoenberg, Julliard, Brentano and Goldner String Quartets. Mentored during their undergraduate studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music by Uzi Wiesel, Janet Davies and Ole Böhn, the quartet regularly collaborate with musicians such as harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, trumpet soloist Paul Merkelo, the Goldner Quartet, pianists Piers Lane, Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Olga Kern; singers Katie Noonan, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, and guitarists Slava Grigoryan and Karin Schaupp.

Orava Quartet is grateful for the support of private sponsors and the University of Colorado, the Australia Council for the Arts, Australian Music Foundation, Musica Viva, Ian Potter Cultural Trust Dame Joan Sutherland Fund, PPCA Performers’ Trust Foundation, Ernest Llewellyn Scholarship and Ars Musica. Daniel, David and Thomas play on instruments by contemporary American luthiers David Gusset and Ryan Soltis, and Karol on a French, 19th century cello.

Visit Orava Quartet’s website.

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Meet BMF young artist and recent winner of the QSO Young Instrumentalist prize @andreplaysbassoon who features as concerto soloist and recitalist in two upcoming performances ‘Celestial Spirits’ on April 24th and ‘Shepherd on the Rock’ on April 25th.
BMF followers will recall @trishello and her stunning performance of Rachmaninoff and Brahms in last years streamed series. Trish is once again featured in this years festival and takes to the live stage of St Mary’s on Friday 23rd of April for a full cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas for Cello and Piano with AD @alexplaysthepiano 🎶
Meet our incredible cohort of 2021 young artists; Jemima Drews (flute), Dario Scalabrini (clarinet), Andre Oberleuter (bassoon), Laura Raineri (music theatre performer), Julia Hill (violin), Rebekah Hall (violin), Donica Tran (violin), Harrison Swainston (viola), Shuhei Lawson (cello) and Francis Atkins (piano).
In our first ever socials takeover, BMF young artist @dario_scalabrini takes the reins on April 13th. Stay tuned 🔥🎶👌 #takeover #clarinet #darioscalabrini
BMF followers will recount the stunning performance of @jennarobertsonartist in our 2020 streamed series. Jenna is back in 2021! She will feature in ‘Celestial Spirits’ on April 24th with an extract from a new opera of her own creation ‘Spirit Orphan’ and also in ‘Shepherd on the Rock’ on April 25th singing Schubert’s famous song of the same name.
Meet composer @bon_music who has written the music for ‘Spirit Orphan’, an Australian opera in development an extract of which features in ‘Celestial Spirits’ on April 24th 🎶

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