Remarkable talent invited for Newcastle Music Festival

The 2024 festival features brilliant locals and inspiring guests, performing classical music, jazz, opera favourites, musical theatre and more.

The festival opens on August 8 with Opera Australia singers Genevieve Dickson and Iain Henderson performing Mahler's extraordinary Das Lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth).

On August 9, there are two exciting concerts: Fanfare - Organ and Trumpet, featuring Andy Fiddes on trumpet, in recital with organist David Drury, in Christ Church Cathedral at 1pm.

The evening of August 9 brings Opera Cocktails to The Barn at Stanley Park, on the shores of Fullerton Cove, with emerging artists Benjamin Caukwell and Angela Hogan, thrilling young soprano Eden Shifroni and acclaimed pianist Claire Howard Race.

Saturday, August 10, sees two very different concerts at Harold Lobb Concert Hall at the Conservatorium of Music.

In the afternoon, Nexas Quartet, featuring four saxophone players, perform French music written specifically for the instrument, play a concert, A Saxophone in Paris.

On the night of August 10 star of stage and screen Ben Mingay appears with the multi talents of Heather Price and Sue Carson, with pianist Bev Kennedy, in a celebration of these Newcastle-born performers. Their repertoires range from jazz to opera, to musical theatre and classics.

The Festival Choir, an integral part of the festival calendar, brings together singers from throughout the region to perform on Sunday afternoon ,August 11, in Christ Church Cathedral, with pianists Peter Guy and Erin Sweetman. Interested choir participants will be able to sign up on the festival's website.

The second Rising Stars Recital takes place later that day at Adamstown Uniting Church. Young performers are encouraged to start preparing their audition programs - four recitalists will be chosen.

The festival resumes on Thursday, August 15, for Dungeon Big Band's concert, Destination Swing, exploring the influences of cities where jazz has grown and flourished for the last 100 years - New York, New Orleans, and more. The concert will feature a new composition by Andy Fiddes written especially for Dungeon Big Band, celebrating Newcastle itself as a source of musical inspiration.

One of Australia's finest pianists, Simon Tedeschi, returns this year to play two concerts, the first on August 16 with jazz violinist George Washingmachine playing Gershwin and More, and the second concert on August 17 with exciting young violinist Cedar Rose Newman.

On Sunday, August 18, Christ Church Camerata and pianist Erin Sweetman team up to perform the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, in what is traditionally the festival finale concert. David Banney, director of music at the Christ Church Cathedral, who retired from the position of artistic Director of the festival at the end of 2023, conducts the concert.

A special event will end the festival.

Following the coronation ceremony of King Charles III last year, Ross Fiddes, who has taken on the role of artistic director for the festival with artistic consultant Christopher Allan, contacted one of the most impressive of the performers at the coronation, baritone Roderick Williams OBE.

Williams sang during the ceremony, and contributed some of his compositions. Fiddes invited Williams to perform at the festival if he was ever in Australia - and Williams said he would be here and attend the festival.

Williams will play a festival encore performance with associate artist, pianist Claire Howard Race, on Friday, August 23. The program will include favourites of English art song, including music by Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Rebecca Clarke, Benjamin Britten, and George Meredith.

This will be Williams' only NSW concert.

Williams will also conduct a masterclass on August 23 for invited singers.

Tickets for all festival events are on sale now.