[CANCELLED] Veils: Delicacy, Mystery, Intimacy

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

A veil does not obliterate a thing completely; it allows that thing to suggest itself to us, gently. We can gradually perceive what we believe it to be through the texture of our emotional world and imagination. Yet veils also protect—both the concealed and the one who perceives. The three works in this program each emerge from a composer’s particular need to veil his deepest truths, whether from himself, from society, or from the devastating clarity of direct exposure.

PROGRAM

Beethoven: Piano Sonata Op 27 No. 2 in C# minor Quasi una Fantasia (15')

Brahms: Viola Sonata Op 120 No. 1 in F minor (23')

Interval

Shostakovich: Cello Sonata Op 40 in D minor (28')

THE ARTISTS

Bernadette Harvey, piano

"Gifted with a rare physical control… and Horowitz-like virtuosity" (Neville Cohn), Bernadette Harvey is an acclaimed international pianist, Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium, and Co-Artistic Director of the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival. A recipient of the Centenary Medal (2000) and the ABC 'Young Performer of the Year' award, she is a renowned champion of contemporary repertoire. Bernadette established "The Sonata Project" to commission new works, notably premiering pieces by composers such as Jane Stanley and Melody Eötvos. She is also the primary interpreter for Ross Edwards, having recorded extensively for Tall Poppies and Rylstone Records. In chamber music, she performs with the Streeton Trio and maintains a celebrated duo with oboist Diana Doherty. Bernadette holds a DMA from the Eastman School of Music.

Simon Cobcroft, cello

Simon Cobcroft enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician. He served as Principal Cello with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (2014–2023) and previously held positions with the Queensland Symphony and Malaysian Philharmonic. A founding member of the award-winning Lyrebird Trio, Simon has performed at major festivals including Aldeburgh, Pacific, and Salzburg. He has appeared as a guest with the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Philharmonic, and as guest principal with the Tasmanian and Singapore Symphony Orchestras. In 2016, he won the Adelaide Critics Circle Prize for his performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto. A dedicated educator who has taught at the Elder and Queensland Conservatoriums, Simon is a graduate of ANAM and plays a Thomas Kennedy cello made in 1840.

Tobias Breider, viola

German-born violist Tobias Breider began his studies in Cologne, later training in New York with Michael Tree and in Lübeck with Barbara Westphal. Before joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2011, he held principal positions at the Rhine Opera Düsseldorf, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Hamburg Philharmonic. He has also appeared as guest principal with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Berlin and Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestras. As a soloist, Tobias has performed at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Centre. He is a member of Ensemble Q and is a highly sought-after chamber musician, collaborating regularly with artists such as Kathryn Selby, Brett Dean, and Wilma Smith. Tobias teaches at the Sydney Conservatorium and is a guest teacher at the Australian National Academy of Music.