Sydney Opera House presents Utzon Music 2024

Sydney – The Sydney Opera House’s cherished music series Utzon Music returns in 2024 for a triumphant 17th year. Set in the intimate Utzon Room – with the exception of one very special detour to the Concert Hall – the year-round series showcases an incredible collection of the world’s leading chamber musicians and renowned soloists from western and eastern classical traditions.

The striking 2024 program will include 10 performances from March to November featuring more than 35 celebrated international and homegrown artists, including Afghan-American rabab master Qais Essar; American string quartets, JACK Quartet and Brooklyn Rider; award-winning piano trios, Trio Karénine and Trio Gaspard; audience favourites LA Philharmonic Wind Quintet and VOCES8 with Jack Liebeck; Australian soprano Siobhán Stagg; South African-British pianist Nico de Villiers and more.

Curator of Utzon Music 2024, Casey Green said: “Looking to 2024, there’s so many reasons to remain connected to and immersed in music. Total immersion is best experienced in the Utzon Room, where – mere metres away – audiences can experience the world’s finest musicians gathering to play music that will uplift the spirt and soothe the soul. One special exception sees superstar UK vocal ensemble VOCES8 return to the series to perform in the sublime acoustic of the renewed Concert Hall, which I know will be life affirming. Now in its 17th year and going strong, I can’t wait for audiences to meet our incredible, generous artists this season, and get in on the Sydney Opera House’s best kept secret: Utzon Music.”

UTZON MUSIC 2024 PROGRAM

Brooklyn Rider || Sunday 3 March – One of America’s most exciting string quartets, Brooklyn Rider is renowned for thrilling programs and rockstar performances. They will present a diverse repertoire spanning 20th century masterpieces by Shostakovich and a work by the quartet’s own violinist that is based on American folk songs collected by Ruth Crawford Seeger. The concert concludes with Osvaldo Golijov’s arresting Tenebrae, written at the turn of the 21st century.

Lisa Moore || Sunday 17 March – Returning to Australia from New York, visionary concert pianist Lisa Moore’s recital will celebrate the music of birds and bugs from the Romantic period to the 21st century. Dubbed “a natural and compelling storyteller” by The New York Times, Moore pairs classics of the 19th and 20th centuries with music by living composers: from Robert Schumann’s tranquil Forest Scenes to the legendary Philip Glass’s Kafka-inspired Metamorphosis II.

JACK Quartet || Saturday 6 April – New York’s Grammy-nominated JACK Quartet will perform an exhilarating program of contemporary string quartet music, including Johnny MacMillan’s experimental 2022 Songs from the Seventh Floor – which tips its hat to the music of the Renaissance. The foursome will also present two new works written for the group by American composer and pianist Amy Williams, and Australian composer Liza Lim.

Trio Karénine || Sunday 5 May – Award-winning French ensemble Trio Karénine makes its Opera House debut with a stunning program of French and Spanish masterpieces. Named for Tolstoy’s iconic heroine Anna Karenina, the piano trio formed in 2009 before going on to win the top prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 2013. The ensemble will perform a repertoire ranging from Camille Saint-Saëns’ breezy work to French composer Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor.

VOCES8 with Jack Liebeck || Sunday 23 June – Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 returns to the Opera House with special guest violinist Jack Liebeck for this season’s only performance in the Concert Hall. Famous for their crystalline sound and wide-ranging repertoire, the ensemble will perform a varied program including the world premiere of Effortlessly by American composer Taylor Scott Davis, Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence, English Renaissance composer Orlando Gibbons’ joyous O Clap Your Hands and the iconic 1977 James Bond theme song, alongside music by Nat King Cole, Kate Rusby, Don McLean, and more.

Siobhán Stagg and Nico de Villiers || Friday 26 July – Internationally acclaimed Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg returns with South African-British pianist Nico de Villiers for a captivating night of music that explores the echoes of inspiration between Dutch-American composer and conductor Richard Hageman, German composer Richard Strauss and French composer Henri Duparc.

Trio Gaspard || Saturday 17 August – The award-winning German trio makes their highly anticipated Opera House debut with a ravishing program that is both ethereal and dance-like, spanning master of the classical period Joseph Haydn’s piano trios to 19th-century showpieces and the music of today.

LA Philharmonic Wind Quintet || Sunday 22 September – Following their Utzon Room performance in 2019, these five elite musicians from one of the world’s greatest orchestras return to the Opera House with an entertaining, dance-infused program of music for wind quintet. The group will perform treasures by French master Jean Françaix, beloved Australian composer Ross Edwards’ Incantations, inspired by the sounds of the Australian summer, to selections from Leonard Bernstein’s iconic music for West Side Story.

Qais Essar || Sunday 27 October – Award-winning rabab master, contemporary composer, instrumentalist and producer Qais Essar is known for his spellbinding performances that fuse classical music and ancient folk songs from Indian and Afghanistan with the music of today. A virtuoso on the rabab – the 2,500-year-old lute-like national instrument of Afghanistan – Essar is joined by Murtaza Damoon on tabla for a melodic program featuring Indian classical raga alongside folk songs from across Afghanistan.

Konstantin Shamray || Sunday 24 November – Virtuoso pianist Konstantin Shamray returns to the Utzon Room for an exhilarating recital of solo piano repertoire. In 2018, the Russian-born, Australian-based pianist became the first pianist to win both First Prize and the People’s Choice award at the Sydney International Piano Competition – as well as an astonishing six other awards.

SEASON DETAILS
WHAT: Utzon Music 2024
WHEN: March – November 2024
WHERE: Utzon Room & Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
TICKETS: From $75 + booking fee // sydneyoperahouse.com // +61 2 9250 7777
ON-SALE: 
Multi-packs                                                              Single tickets

Insiders: Tuesday 21 November, 9am                     Insiders: Tuesday 12 December, 9am

What’s On: Wednesday 22 November, 9am            What’s On: Wednesday 13 December, 9am
General Public: Friday 24 November, 9am             General Public: Friday 15 December, 9am