BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE When Dr Diana Tolmie was involved in a terrible accident, one of the first thoughts in her mind was: “The show must go on.” After all, the woodwind instrumentalist was scheduled to perform in an event that night. It couldn’t stop for her broken neck — could it? It took an incident this extreme for Diana to rethink her approach to her music career, and start to observe parallels between her performance work and the research she was doing into other musicians’ lives — highly skilled professionals who were using their music education and training to work in roles within and b ..read more

BY CUTCOMMON Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto is not an uncommon work. But owing to the relative scarcity of this orchestral instrument, you’re unlikely to hear it programmed as commonly as a violin or piano concerto. This month, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is bringing its principal bassoon Jack Schiller into the spotlight, and he will perform this “youthful, joyous, and sincere work” for audiences in Melbourne, Geelong, and Bendigo. The concert also features Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 — one of Jack’s favourites — led by conductor Han-Na Chang. Jack tells CutCommon what it’s like to prepare for th ..read more

BY JEFFREY CHARLES PALMER, UNITED STATES CORRESPONDENT This Be Her Verse Golda Schultz and Jonathan Ware Princeton University Concerts Alexander Hall, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 8 April On Monday, 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse was visible across a band covering parts of North America. I was on my way to hear South African soprano Golda Schultz give a recital in Princeton, New Jersey when the moon passed between the earth and the sun just before half past three that afternoon. I safely pulled over and put on my protective glasses as the light dimmed all around me, casting an eerie glow ..read more

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE A few years ago, Australian pianist Andrew Rumsey took an overnight train to Melbourne. He had no idea that this trip would land him in the right place, at the right time — and that it would inspire him to launch a new business bringing a rare instrument to the country. Andrew and his family founded Harmony Harp to introduce the Veeh Harp to players and listeners in Australia. The German stringed instrument was invented to make music more accessible: its designer Hermann Veeh spent years creating prototypes before finalising a harp that Andrew explains could be “played by ..read more

BY DIANA TOLMIE, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY See the word “musician” on a resume and you might not immediately think “stellar employee” or “exceptional leader”. Perhaps the word evokes the image of a rock star, in trouble for chucking a television out of a hotel room window. Or else someone struggling along in life, who should have picked a “real job”. But is there more to the profession than meets the stereotype? It is well known many musicians work simultaneously in arts and non-arts roles, often to create some income security. Less understood is just how well the extensive skillset developed in mu ..read more

BY CUTCOMMON Christoffer Sundqvist is a leader in his field. As a soloist, he’s performed with the world’s major orchestras. As a member of the orchestra, he takes the role of principal clarinet with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, he teaches clarinet from Helsinki to Australia. But as a chamber musician, Christoffer prefers to take a step back from the limelight, becoming just one of the talented artists who will perform with Australian National Academy of Music players. Because to Christoffer, “in chamber music, everyone’s voice is unique and important”. Christoffer i ..read more

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE The name of Andrea Lam’s concert is amusingly candid. Why would you want to listen to a program filled with Sad Piano music? Funnily enough, the pianist reckons that’s exactly what you want to hear. And she’s right: open a streaming platform, and you’ll find endless albums and playlists with the term ‘sad piano’ in their titles. The surprising popularity of this genre is one reason Andrea has curated a program of solo works to celebrate the theme. The other reason is that Andrea loves sad piano music, too. “Whenever I’m by myself and with the piano, and I sit down and pla ..read more

CONTENT COURTESY PIANO+ Back by popular demand, Grammy-nominated Korean pianist Joyce Yang returns to Australia this 10-14 May, kicking off Piano+’s must-see 2024 International Recital Series, featuring four of the world’s leading international piano superstars.    Renowned for her extraordinary range, Yang was described as a “A knockout” by The New York Times, and lauded by the Washington Post for her “poetic and sensitive pianism”. Yang’s tour of the East Coast will feature a program of works by Tchaikovsky (selections from The Seasons, Op. 37a), Rachmaninoff ..read more

BY LILY BRYANT Writing in the last few months of his life, it’s likely Franz Schubert knew he would never hear his majestic String Quintet in C Major performed. In the final months of 1828, the great composer was bedridden, having finished the most monumental works of his career. He had expressed fears that his long-term ill health was further deteriorating, showing signs of mercury poisoning. Five days before his death, he would be visited by a string quartet of friends, who would grant him a final musical wish and perform at his bedside. He would have been able to smell the rosin on the bow ..read more

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE When was the last time you performed a gig, or taught a student how to play that challenging piece they’re working on? When was the last time you practised a scale, or sent an email about your next project? As arts industry workers, it can feel like we’re constantly on the go. But here’s a question that might yield a more confronting response: When was the last time you stopped, sat down with a cuppa, and spent a decent amount of time just checking in with yourself? Classical musician and arts industry mentor Susan Eldridge wants you to do exactly that — and she’s written ..read more