Bundanon is pleased to announce the Boyd Music Series, a concert series showcasing a collection of the world’s leading chamber musicians and renowned soloists from western and eastern classical traditions, including Australian debut performances. Presented in collaboration with Sydney Opera House and performed at Bundanon’s award-winning Boyd Education Centre from May until November 2025, the concerts will showcase a rich landscape of sounds.
An important new partnership between Bundanon and Sydney Opera House, the Boyd Music Series is curated by Utzon Music Series Curator Genevieve Lacey. It represents a unique opportunity to experience musical excellence by renowned Australian and international artists surrounded by Bundanon’s natural landscape, with sweeping views of the Bangli/Shoalhaven River. Shaping the future of contemporary classical music, artists include ARIA Award winner Slava Grigoryan, London-based violinist Emily Sun, contemporary German a capella group Sjaella, and Norwegian folk musician Benedicte Maurseth.
On Saturday 17 May the series will open with a performance by Bronzewing, a duo comprising two of Australia’s foremost period musicians; Hobart-based modern and baroque violist Katie Yap and Melbourne-based harpsichordist and pianist Dr Donald Nicolson. Using ancient instruments to create modern soundscapes, they weave together old and new influences, from baroque improvisation to 80s synth pop. For their performance at Bundanon, Bronzewing will play arrangements of Hildegard von Bingen’s Ave Generosa, Barbara Strozzi’s Che si puo fare, Francois Couperin’s Les Baricades Misterieuses, Emily Sheppard’s Aftermath and co-compositions by the artists themselves.
Saturday 5 July will see a special performance by the German a cappella ensemble Sjaella, comprising six ethereal women voices; Viola Blache, Marie Fenske, Franziska Eberhardt, Marie Charlotte Seidel, Luisa Klose and Helene Erben. Having performed together since they were children, the internationally acclaimed sextet possess a unique bond and synergy resulting in soul-stirring vocals. Sjaella have performed in iconic halls and cathedrals around the world, at major international festivals and collaborated with numerous prestigious orchestras, earning them the reputation of one of the most captivating a cappella ensembles of our time. At Bundanon, Sjaella will perform pieces by Henry Purcell, Clément Janequin, Caroline Shaw, arrangements of Norwegian, Irish, Icelandic, German and Finnish traditional songs, and a work by young Sydney-based composer Alice Chance.
A highlight of the series sees four-time ARIA Award winning classical guitarist Slava Grigoryan perform for the first time with celebrated London-based violinist Emily Sun on Saturday 16 August. These much-loved Australian musicians will take audiences to the heart of musical romanticism, playing masterful works by Niccolò Paganini, Astor Piazzolla, Pablo de Sarasate and Pietro Locatelli, and a world premiere by rising Sydney-based composer Andrew Howes. Returning home for the series, Sun is a recent custodian of the rare 250-year-old Italian violin, ‘The Adelaide’. Sun is a Violin Professor at the Royal College of Music in London, with notable performances including London’s Buckingham Palace, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, and the Royal Palace of Brussels in the presence of the King and Queen of Belgium. Grigoryan, who was signed to the Sony Classic Label at the age of 17, has released over 30 solo and collaborative albums, taking him across the globe with orchestras and festivals in Europe, Asia, and North America.
On Saturday 27 September a new collaboration brings together five young musicians continuing the ancient traditions of Classical Persian music. The group will perform vocal radif cultivated over centuries, remaking them in contemporary compositions, and offering personal contributions to an ever-evolving culture. The collaboration will be led by Melbourne-based Iranian-Australian qanun player Vahideh Eisaei and renowned Tehran-based oud player Hamid Khansari, alongside Sydney-based Australian-Iranian musicians Pegah Kheirdoush and Sohrab Kolahdooz, and Tehran-based vocalist Saba Pashaee. The performance marks the first time Hamid Khansari and Saba Pashaee will perform in Australia.
In the final performance of the series, celebrated Norwegian composer-performer Benedicte Maurseth will play alongside three esteemed collaborators from Norway’s music scene, Morten Qvenild, Mats Eilertsen, and Håkon Stene, on Saturday 22 November. Fusing traditional music and contemporary evocations, the group, performing in Australia for the first time, will take audiences on a musical journey through their Nordic heritage. Maurseth is an accomplished hardanger fiddle player whose performances are renowned for their poetic storytelling and contemporary reinterpretation of Norwegian folkloric traditions. This special performance at Bundanon will celebrate her new album Mirra, inspired by the inspired by the country of her childhood – far northern mountains and plateaus, and the sounds and survival patterns of reindeer.
Rachel Kent, CEO, Bundanon, said: “We are delighted to announce this ambitious new chamber music series at Bundanon, and we look forward to bringing the work of these incredible musicians to the Shoalhaven for the first time. Set within the award-winning Boyd Education Centre, with views of the mountains and river, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting for these captivating listening experiences.”
Genevieve Lacey, Utzon Music Series Curator, Sydney Opera House, said: “I am thrilled to support the expansion of chamber music across New South Wales with this dynamic program of performances, offering audiences the opportunity to experience world-class music in truly unique settings, across both the Sydney Opera House and Bundanon.”
2025 BOYD MUSIC SERIES DATES
Saturday 17 May – Bronzewing: Katie Yap & Donald Nicolson
Saturday 5 July – Sjaella
Saturday 16 August – Emily Sun & Slava Grigoryan
Saturday 27 September – Vahideh Eisaei, Hamid Khansari, Pegah Kheirdoush, Sohrab Kolahdooz and Saba Pashaee
Saturday 22 November – Benedicte Maurseth with Morten Qvenild, Mats Eilertsen, Håkon Stene
IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
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Media Contacts
To request interviews, further information or imagery please contact Articulate:
Siân Davies sian@articulatepr.com.au 0402 728 46
Sasha Haughan sasha@articulatepr.com.au, 0405 006 035
Rae Begley, Head of Marketing & Communications, Bundanon, rae.begley@bundanon.com.au.
