A coming together of two acclaimed improvisers, this intercontinental duo finds common ground between Clare's Chinese guzheng and Jean-Philippe's mixing desk, lo-fi microphones, electroacoustic devices, and localised speaker system, producing a blend of acoustic delicacy and electronic disruption.

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Basel/Berlin-based Australian cellist James Morley works largely as a soloist and chamber musician, catering to all styles from early music to experimental improvisation.

Eden Lonsdale: Aurora
Helmut Lachenmann: Pression
Marco Stroppa: Ay, There's the Rub
Kaija Saariaho: Spins and Spells
Rebecca Saunders: Solitude
John Luther Adams: Looking Toward Hope
Salvatore Sciarrino: Ai limiti della notte

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7pm: Peter Farrar - saxophone; Shota Matsumura - trumpet; Rory Brown - double Bass, trumpet, violin; Matt Earle - percussion
8pm: Jim Denley - saxophone/winds; Gabriella Hill - Tenor Saxophone; Uma Volkmer - Trumpet; Nick Dan - percussion/electronics
9pm: Toecutter (live set)

The Blue Mountains Void Observance League present Vacuus Rituale III, a night of esoteric noise and soundscapes, featuring:
Lucas 'Granpa' Abela (fka Justice Yeldham) has been performing their signature instrument; amplified shards of glass for over twenty years now.
Naomi Oliver's sound practice drifts between noise and melody.
Most Ominous Mystic https://www.instagram.com/most_ominous_mystic

Cyrus Meurant performs his music alone at the piano. The program will include selections from the ballet Au revoir mon ami and the album Monday to Friday (composed for people living with dementia), alongside a recent composition Distant Cities, inspired by Rimbaud’s Illuminations.

Sortie, Pas de deux, Mneme, Distant Cities (Book I), Monday III

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

This intimate event brings together community, supporters, and music lovers to learn more about the Festival’s vision, hear directly from the organisers, and enjoy a live performance by CozyMinimal, and connect over nibbles and afternoon tea.

CozyMinimal is a Sydney-based ensemble formed in 2022, weaving Persian musical traditions with the contemplative aesthetics of minimalism.

xNoBBQx
T R A C T
batemans bay
DJ Disruptive Patterns

To commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026, the Italian Cultural Institute Sydney is hosts the duo Diana Höbel (actress) and Federico Nicoletta (piano) for a moving and passionate musical reading based on writings by Primo Levi. Music by Claudio Rastelli.

NikNaK is an electronic musician who merges immersive soundscapes with dynamic movement-based performance and audio-reactive visuals.

NOF is a two-piece project by Anousheh St-Germain and Solomon Barbar.

Improvisational band Water celebrate the diversity of the creative culture in Sydney.
Jay Dahzen - Baglama, Melodica, Voice; Oren Janiv - Didgeridoos; Jon Jugueta - Percussion; Michael Trifunovic - Guitar; Valerios Calocerinos - Double Bass

Durrant/Gallio Duo
Phil Durrant (UK) - electric mandolin & electronics, Christoph Gallio (CH) - saxophones. Veterans of the international ‘free improvised music’ scene who have been involved in notable projects that have shaped the development of the music.

The trio of Sonya Holowell (voice), Mel Herbert (violin) and Jim Denley (wind instruments) is a new grouping of three of Sydney's most experienced improvising musikin.

Chloe dedicates the final year of her 20s to a deeply personal and creative journey. Throughout 2025, she will focus each month on learning, growing, and creating, sharing her process through monthly performances.

These performances are RSVP only. To reserve your spot and receive event details, please email chloekim12months@gmail.com

Ustad Mustafa Faizi (b. 1967, Kabul) is one of the leading Afghan classical vocalists of his generation. Steeped in the Patiala Gharana tradition of Indian classical music, he began singing at the age of fourteen under the guidance of his father, himself a devoted student of the legendary Afghan maestro Ustad Mohammad Hussain Sarahang. This lineage shaped Ustad Faizi’s musical path: his vocal style, emotional depth, and technical command all reflect the influence of Ustad Sarahang’s artistry while carrying his own distinct voice.

An exclusive preview of VOLANT's forthcoming second album!
Matthew Ottignon - saxophones
Lauren Tsamouras - piano
Hannah James - acoustic bass
Hayley Chan - drums, cymbals

Shakuhachi grandmaster Riley Lee joins koto grandmaster Satsuki Odamura in a landmark cross-cultural performance with the Chroma Quartet.

Diverse program spanning music by Japanese koto master Michio Miyagi to Australian composers Ross Edwards, Anne Boyd and Lachlan Skipworth, alongside Debussy’s classic String Quartet. 

A mini festival with the Main Room and Gallery Room full of exploratory electronic music.

Defektro, Arketek, Selkie and the Sinewaves, Synth Primitive, Niamh McCool, Jocelyn Ho, Riki Wells, Aidan Eccleshall, Tim Gruchy, Freya Schack-Arnott …and many more

US experimental metal trio SUMAC will make their Australian debut. Formed by Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom), Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), and Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch), SUMAC have carved a reputation as one of the most uncompromising and visionary acts in modern heavy music. Their sound merges colossal sludge, free-form improvisation, and avant-garde exploration—constantly shifting between structured heaviness and total sonic freedom.

Melbourne’s own Convulsing will join SUMAC on all Australian dates.

7:15 BUCK / SPENCE
Tony Buck, drums
and Alister Spence, piano

8:30 BELIEVE
Peter Farrar, saxophones and percussion
Novak Manojlovic, piano and percussion
Clayton Thomas, double bass and percussion
Laurence Pike, drums and percussion

Developed over three years across residencies, tours, and periods of deep listening, “Your Whistle Tells of Landscape” finds Australian sound artist Alexandra Spence continuing her investigations into the perceptual entanglements of sound, place, memory, and imagination.

Opening DJ - JWPaton

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Schkeuditzer Kreuz - Industrial synth crust from the blue mountains in Australia
Chlorine Gargoyle - Darkwave from Sydney
Restrukture - Australian industrial music
Cheap Coffins - One-man alternative/industrial band from Dharawal/Wollongong

Internationally acclaimed trombonist and bandleader brings his trio to Australia for the first time.

Samuel Blaser (Swiss) trombone
Marc Ducret (France) guitar
Peter Brunn (Denmark) drums

Susie Bishop - Violin, Maharshi Raval - Indian Tabla, Elsen Price - double bass

The Mesos Trio perform a mix of Western Folk, Indian classical music, plus a few little detours in a fun musical tapestry. They all met and played for the first time during their recording session for their self-titled EP. As a trio they've since been playing around Sydney with many heads turning to their fun, virtuosic and passionate mix of musical creations.

Music in the Wild showcases flute and piano, presenting contemporary works interspersed by Scriabin’s tenth piano sonata and concludes with a work discovered in an attic many years after Escher’s death.

PHILLIPE GAUBERT Fantasie for flute and piano (1912)
XU YIFAN Tumbleweed (2022)
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN Piano Sonata No. 10 Insect Sonata (1923)
SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER Parallel Play (2019)
RUDOLF ESCHER Sonata (1976)

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Ground Patrol are a Brooklyn/Sydney guitar-and-drums duo whose sound emerges from live improvisation, evolving loops, and interlocked rhythmic cells.
Kyle Sanna (guitar) and Alon Ilsar (drums) create slowly shifting sonic landscapes that reward deep listening.

Opening the night are HELU, bringing their transcendent strain of instrumental rock.

The Quartet uses microtonal scales and Anatolian modes in intricate rhythmic music, where contemporary sensibilities meet tradition.
• Metin Yilmaz – Bilûr/Kaval (Traditional Flute)
• Jodie Michael – Drums
• Matt McMahon – Piano
• Stephen Elphick – Double Bass

Vinay Desai, visiting from the USA, who received guidance from the legendary Padma Bhushan Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, the pioneer who introduced the Santoor to the global stage.
Abhijit Dan - tabla.

Alex Jasprizza is a Sydney based saxophonist and composer known for creating immersive live performances that meld field-recordings with ambient soundscapes and electronics. Alex will be bringing together some of the city’s most accomplished improvisors, with an ensemble featuring Hinano Fujisaki, Felix Bornholdt and Holly Conner.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

An intimate, unplugged night performing selects from the album ‘V’ and more - rearranged for a chamber trio.
Simeon Bartholomew - guitar
Peter Hollo - Cello
Monique Turner - Viola + Violin

w/ special guests Wartime Sweethearts.

Puscha x Aarti Jadu is an exploratory interplay between synthesis and vocals. An on-and-off collaboration between two artists from Naarm/Melbourne. Puscha creates hypnotic, post-ambient auditory spaces and musical impressions. Aarti Jadu is known for creating a hybrid of cinematic compositions and bass music laced with disparate vocal arrangements.

Opening DJ - Index

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Chloe dedicates the final year of her 20s to a deeply personal and creative journey. Throughout 2025, she will focus each month on learning, growing, and creating, sharing her process through monthly performances.

These performances are RSVP only. To reserve your spot and receive event details, please email chloekim12months@gmail.com

Spartak is the duo of Sia Ahmad and Evan Dorrian spartakmusic.bandcamp.com
Systemet deploys its sound through self-built portable synthesizers, usually in natural environments such as mountaintops and riverbeds, or urban non-places, contextualizing its art in a psychogeographical manner. systemet.bandcamp.com
dprk will be the trio of Richard Fielding, Nick Dan and Juke Wyat.

Sydney art music trio Polymorphic Orkestra perform an intimate concert at the fabulous Church Street Studios in Camperdown. Having recently released their 6th album, this is a rare chance to catch Polymorphic Orkestra live.
Lee McIver - Trumpet | Flugelhorn | Laptop | Effects
Ed Goyer - Vibraphone | Mallet Kat | Percussion
Ed Rodrigues - Drums | Samples | Percussion.

AARON CASSIDY 27. Juni 2009 (2021) for E♭ clarinet
EINAR TORDI EINARSSON Zone of proximity: (and the weakly interacting particles) (2023) for recorder and violoncello
EVAN JOHNSON Contemptus Mundi (2021) for clarinet in C and piano
RICHARD BARRETT instar (2015-16) for soprano recorder
LIZA LIM Ghosts make form (2024) for violoncello and piano

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

For almost five decades now, Tokyo based artist Merzbow has held the undisputed position as the iconic forefather of noise music. His work catapults the listener into an utterly unfamiliar but wholly compelling cosmos of sound, a full spectrum eruption, a pyroclastic cloud of sound.

Lawrence English is known for work that tests at the edges of harmonic ambience and low energy sound pressure.

Fabulous Contraption combine metal, jazz and fusion in unpredictable musical forms.

Godswounds deliver alt-prog pop, angular grunge and cinematic noise.

Basil’s Kite perform microtonal math-rock with sharp, precise shifts.

Shanghai blend film-rock and prog exotica with brassy, protean compositions.

Life Forms is the latest album from trumpeter Niran Dasika and his Melbourne-based trio featuring legendary pianist Andrea Keller and virtuoso bassist Helen Svoboda.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

BENJAMIN BETELLI String Quartet no. 3

SAMUEL ADAMS String Quartet no. 3 Alma

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

AnSo, an interdisciplinary South Korean artist and performer residing and creating on Dharug land, blends their Korean culture with contemporary performance in their practice. For this performance at Phoenix Central Park, AnSo will be collaborating with harpist Isabella Rahme, as well as choreographers and movement artists Emmy Harkins, Risako Katsumata, Alana Searles, and Amara Shin. 

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Ronan Apcar is a pianist, musician, and composer with a love for music across many styles – jazz to the avant-garde, contemporary art music to house music.

JOHANNES BRAHMS Fantasies, Op. 116 No. 4; Fantasies, Op. 116 No.5; Fantasies, Op. 116 No. 6; Fantasies, Op. 116 No. 7
LEO ORNSTEIN Suicide in an Airplane
GERARD BROPHY Abraço
FREDERIC RZEWSKI Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

In Hand to Earth, Yolŋu song keepers Daniel and David Wilfred recontextualise their 40,000 year old song tradition in a resolutely contemporary setting with Korean-born vocalist Sunny Kim, trumpet and electronics maestro Peter Knight, and woodwind virtuoso Aviva Endean.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

In:Flux is an improvised, electroacoustic, ambient performance by jazz musician Gary Daley on accordion and composer/improviser Fiona Hill on electronics and gestural controllers.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Melbourne/Naarm-based On Diamond take an anomalous look at alternative pop. Their sound relies on an interactive group dynamic and is inspired by folk, noise, rock, jazz, and improvised music, with lyrics that are personal and poetic. The current ensemble features Lisa Salvo (vocals), Scott McConnachie (guitar and synth), Myka Wallace (drums), Jules Pascoe (bass), and Duré Dara (percussion).

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Switzerland-based Australian cellist James Morley plays:

SALVATORE SCIARRINO Ai limiti della notte
GIUSEPPE COLUMBI Chiacona
GYÖRGY LIGETI Sonata for solo cello
JANE SHELDON The Unfolding Hour
DAVID FULMER Star of the North - Requiem for Zhanaozen
FERGUS HALL Adrift
LIZA LIM Spirit Weapons I
BRETT DEAN Eleven Oblique Strategies
HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER Passacaglia

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

The concert includes both new and reimagined songs from Greenwell’s extensive catalogue of performing arts and concert works, made especially for this piano trio.

The program will include pieces set to lyrics by leading Australian and international contemporary writers such as Jordie Albiston, Fiona Benson (UK), Alison Croggon, Katy Didden (US), Ross Gibson, Maryanne Lynch and Felicity Plunkett. The concert also features the world premier of Katie Liu’s Shorebird Suite.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Pianist Ronan Apcar and saxophonist Alice Morgan join forces to present a contemporary take on saxophone playing

PAUL STANHOPE phoSpheric Variations
ELIZABETH JIGALIN New work World premiere
EINOJUHANI RAUTAAVARA Notturno
KEVIN JUILLERAT L’Étang du Patriarche
ANDREW HOWES The Eyes of the Earth
GERARD BROPHY trois tableaux

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Guitar Club brings together Hamburg-based guitarists Danica Hobden and Pouya Abdi with Sydney musicians Hinano Fujisaki and Alex Inman-Hislop.

DANICA HOBDEN Gamelan; Pescatarian; Sleepwalker; Warmbluetig; Brouwer’s Will

POUYA ABDI Facereader; Kunterbunt

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Jon Rose and Erik Griswold are two of Australia’s foremost improvising experimentalists. Unnamed Road engages two violins: one an amplified tenor violin, and keyboards — a regular piano and a MIDI keyboard hooked up to samples of prepared piano - in free improvisation.  

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Jordan Chung presents a new set of original music for solo piano. Drawing from an array of influences, the performance will explore the freedom of improvisation.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

O Mensch! transforms 21 poems by Friedrich Nietzsche into a series of musical declarations in major living French composer Pascal Dusapin’s intimate song cycle.
Mitchell Riley - baritone and Jack Symonds - piano.

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

The Mesos Trio is an Australian Folk/Indian classical ensemble featuring Susie Bishop (violin), Maharshi Raval (tabla) and Elsen Price (double bass). They perform unique arrangements of Folk music from the broader European community and Indian Classical inspired improvisations. 

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

Laura Chislett - flute
Satsuki Odamura - koto
Brad Gill - percussion

This performance will consist of structured improvisations: Kaze, Flung Ink, Crossways, Murmuration

Tickets: Free, by ballot only

An intimate winter gathering in the Blue Mountains, bringing together Dungeon Synth and Dark Ambient artists.

Tir
Lurid Orb
Most Ominous Mystic
Atavus Infectum
Mythscribe
Aniseed Shroud