Musical Treats Across the Country

Wonderful music will echo around Hepburn Springs, Townsville and Nagambie this year with stunning performances in dramatic scenery.

Renaissance Tours is hosting trips to a range of performances including Music by the Springs in  Hepburn Springs, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville and a Festival of Chamber Music in Nagambie.

 

Music by the Springs

When: 9-12 July 2021.

Enjoy Australian chamber music in idyllic Hepburn Springs in country Victoria with a boutique festival curated by acclaimed pianist Stewart Kelly.

There will be five intimate concerts over the weekend by renowned Australian artists including violinists Jenny Khafagi and Francesca Hiew, viola player Caroline Henbest and cellist Michael Dahlenburg.

See these acclaimed musicians perform works by Schubert, Handel, Brahms and Mendelssohn alongside lesser-known composers.

Benefit from the insights of music aficionado and tour leader Phillip Sametz and enjoy the best of the region’s fine dining and local wines.

The Renaissance Tour features:

Five intimate chamber music concerts curated by Stewart Kelly in the exquisite surroundings of country Victoria’s central highlands.

Delight in performances by acclaimed Australian artists.

Benefit from exclusive informative pre-performance talks by classical music broadcaster and specialist Phillip Sametz.

Indulge in gourmet meals made from the best of Victoria’s local produce.

 Tour Leader

Phillip Sametz is a writer, editor, presenter, tour leader, tutor, vocalist and arts administrator.

In recent years, on ABC Classic, he presented Screen Sounds, Sunday Recital, Classic Breakfast and many live concert broadcasts.

His history of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Play On!, was published by ABC Books, and his annotations and articles appear regularly on ABC Classics albums and in the program books of Victorian Opera and the Australian symphony orchestras.

He tutors the Words About Music course at the Australian Youth Orchestra’s National Music Camp and is the Director and vocalist of the Sydney-based swing band The Mell-O-Tones.

 

Australian Festival of Chamber Music

When: 23-27 July 2021

The 30th annual internationally-acclaimed Australian Festival of Chamber Music in picturesque Townsville, will feature some of the finest international and Australian musicians.

In the company of performing arts specialist Mary Jo Capps, be exhilarated by the festive atmosphere of the North Queensland city during one of Australia’s major performing arts celebrations under the stewardship of Kathryn Stott.

Attend performances over the first four days of the festival, including the exciting opening night concert, and benefit from private daily talks and analysis of the program.

Enjoy superior accommodation in a waterfront resort-style hotel as you soak up the tropical warmth of ‘winter’ in North Queensland.

Nestle in among the best seats for performances.

Enrich your festival experience with enlivening pre-performance talks and analysis with your tour leader, music specialist Mary Jo Capps.

Relax in comfort with four nights’ accommodation in a superior, resort-style hotel located on the Townsville waterfront and one of the main bases of the Festival performances.

Tour Leader

Mary Jo Capps has worked in the Australian cultural industry for more than 30 years after graduating with an MA in Musicology from the University of Toronto, Canada.

She has been a consultant to major Australian arts companies and orchestras such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Company B Belvoir Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

In her time as CEO of Musica Viva, she worked towards broadening the access to and understanding of fine music throughout Australia, supported by strong community partnerships.

The Renaissance Tours Festival of Chamber Music 2021

When: 20-23 September 2021.

Fill your senses on Renaissance Tours’ inaugural festival of chamber music, hosted and directed by leading performer and seasoned festival director Stewart Kelly.

Crafted exclusively for Renaissance Tours patrons, enjoy five distinct concerts over three glorious days and nights in the scenic springtime surroundings of Mitchelton winery, situated near Nagambie on the Goulburn River in country Victoria.

Take a journey through the music of Schubert, Dvořák, Beethoven, Schumann, Janáček, Enescu, Hindemith and Britten, with an introduction to each performance.

The festival features acclaimed Australian musicians, including violinists Sophie Rowell and Markiyan Melnychenko, violist Caroline Henbest, cellist Josephine Vains, pianist Stephen Emmerson, tenor Samuel Sakker and soprano Rachel Wolseley.

An array of gourmet meals and the winery’s fine wines will be served between concerts in unique spaces across the wine estate.

The tour includes

Attending five intimate concerts of instrumental and vocal works performed by renowned Australian musicians.

Benefit from pre-performance introductions by pianist, broadcaster and producer Stewart Kelly

Enjoy gourmet lunches and dinners paired with the best of Mitchelton’s signature wines

Stay in comfort in the winery’s on-site luxury boutique hotel

Tour Leader

Stewart Kelly,  is a sought-after pianist, broadcaster, producer and artistic director. Based in Melbourne, he is on the staff of the Melbourne Conservatorium and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.

He is artistic director of the annual Music by the Springs Festival in Hepburn Springs in Victoria, and has previously directed the Melbourne International Festival of Lieder and Art Song, and the C on Brio concert series at the Arts Centre Gold Coast.

As a pianist, he works with many of Australia’s leading instrumentalists and singers. He is a regular performer in the ‘Local Heroes’ series at the Melbourne Recital Centre and has performed in many leading Australian venues, including at festivals in Townsville, Brisbane, Tasmania and Victoria, and in New Zealand, China, Italy and the USA.

Stewart is a graduate of the Queensland University of Technology, the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and the Australian National Academy of Music. In 2014 he was a Fellow of the Australian National Academy of Music, Australia’s most prestigious music training institution.

For details visit

https://renaissancetours.com.au/