3MBS Interviews

Sophia Hans and Mitchell Casey from Waterfall Baroque speak in the studio with Annie Martin. Schubert and Saint-Saëns: On the River will be performed on Friday the 25th of September at 7pm at St John’s Anglican Church in East Malvern. For tickets and more information, see: https://events.humanitix.com/schubert-and-saint-seans-on-the-river  

Frances Cameron speaks with Annie Martin about her upcoming concert An Evening at the Piano on Friday the 18th of September at Tempo Rubato in Brunswick. The concert begins at 8.00pm, with the bar open from 7.00pm. Tickets are $30, with concession tickets $22. For tickets and further information, visit the Tempo Rubato website at: https://www.temporubato.com.au/tempo-concerts/frances-cameron-an-evening-at-the-piano  

David Field speaks with Annie Martin about the Melbourne Welsh Male Choir Contest and Concert to be held at Federation Estate in Ringwood on the 12th September at 12.30pm, and the Final, which will be held at Carey Baptist Grammar School on the 3rd October.  Tickets for both of these events are available from Trybooking or via  melbournewelshchoir.com.au.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Sarah Clark, a manager with the Melbourne Youth Orchestras (MYO), about the Orchestras’ Big Busk, at the Queen Victoria Markets on Saturday the 19th of September from 8 am till 4 pm. Hundreds of young musicians will be playing, with large ensembles on the main stage and smaller groups scattered around the stalls. To learn more about the MYO Big Busk, go to: https://myo.org.au/the-myo-big-busk-2026/ If you would like to make a donation to one of the ensembles, go to: https://www.mycause.com.au/events/myobigbusk  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with vocalist Ben Hjorth, who will be performing in the Alchemy Consort’s next concert, called ‘Out of the Deep’ at the Castlemaine Gaol on Saturday the 12th of September, and at the Old Melbourne Gaol on Tuesday September the 15th. For tickets and more information about the program: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1630538 To learn more about Alchemy Consort: https://alchemyconsort.com/

Sue Kaufmann speaks with artist, Elspeth Noxon, who will be exhibiting 200 works at Main Ridge Community Hall, 441 Main Creek Road, in Main Ridge, from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday the 13th of September. John Noble and students from his string quartet program, ITET will be playing there. Entry is free; and visitors are welcome to make an offer for a work they’d like to take home, with all proceeds going John Noble’s string quartet music program, ITET. For more information send an email to elspethnoxonart@gmail.com. 

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Daniel Brinsmead, who will be conducting the Australian Children’s Choir for its 50th anniversary concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre on 5 September. For more information and tickets go to: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whats-on/current-productions/australian-childrens-choir-50th-anniversary  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Katia Mestrovic, who will giving a series of solo harp recitals in and around Melbourne over the next two months. The first Melbourne concert is taking place on the 5th of September at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. For more information and tickets for all these events go to the Aus Harp Fest website at: ausharpfestsoloseries.carrd.co

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Katia Beaugeais, whose first piano concerto is having its Melbourne premiere at the Melbourne Youth Orchestra’s next concert, Time Unbound, at the Melbourne Recital Centre this Sunday, the 30th of August.   For more information and tickets go to the  Melbourne Recital Centre’s website.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with the Jussen brothers, who will be giving a duo recital at the Melbourne Recital Centre on the 24th of August, and performing with the MSO on the 10th and 12th of September. For information and tickets to their recital at the Melbourne Recital Centre, search for Lucas and Arthur Jussen on the Recital Centre’s website. For details and tickets to their concert with the MSO, Jussen Brothers play Poulenc, search for Jussen Brothers on the MSO’s website.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with founding director of The Crossing Machine, Marianne Rothschild, about their debut album, “The Juliet Letters by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet”. The Juliet Letters is available on Bandcamp, with the full album selling for $13.99. To find out more about the album or make a purchase, go to https://thecrossingmachine1.bandcamp.com/album/the-juliet-letters-by-elvis-costello-and-the-brodsky-quartet

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Lyle Chan and Alex Raineri about their new album, ‘Untitled: Solo Piano’, just released on the Decca label. To get more information about the album and purchase the music go to Lyle Chan’s website at: https://lylechan.lnk.to/UntitledSoloPiano  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Carlos del Cueto, who will be conducting Stonnington Symphony’s next concert, ‘Sea, Myth & Memory’ on the 30th of August at the Malvern Town Hall. For more information and tickets go to the Humanitix website and search for ‘sea myth and memory’: https://events.humanitix.com/sea-myth-and-memory

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Zoe Knighton ahead of the Flinders Quartet’s next concert series, called “New Light”. They’ll be performing at the Montsalvat Barn Gallery, St John’s Southgate and the Primrose Potter Salon from the 6th to the 9th of September. For more information and tickets for all these concerts go to: https://www.flindersquartet.com/whats-on

Doug Beecroft speaks with Australian soprano Helena Dix, who stars in Melbourne Opera’s Il Trovatore which opens at the Athenaeum Theatre next weekend. You can see Il Trovatore at: · 2:30, Sunday, 23 August; · 7:30, Wednesday, 26 August; · 7:30, Friday, 28 August; or · 2:30, Sunday, 30 August. Tickets are available through the Melbourne Opera website.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Ian MacDonald, who will be conducting the Maroondah Symphony Orchestra in their ‘Romance and Rhapsody’ concert on the 30th of August at Yarra Valley Grammar’s Performing Arts Centre in Ringwood. For more information and tickets, go to https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1597766  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with violist Benjamin Roskams, who will be playing in Ensemble Q’s next concert, ‘Ensemble Q plays Bartok and Brahms’, on the 22nd of August in the Primrose Potter Salon. For more information and tickets go to the link: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whats-on/current-productions/ensemble-q-play-bartok-and-brahms  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with pianist Kenji Fujimura from Trio Anima Mundi about their upcoming concert, ‘The Muse’, where they’ll be playing French trios written during the ‘golden’ years before the first world war. The Trio’s performing The Muse at The Geelong College on the 15th of August, and at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in East Melbourne on the 16th. For more information go to the Trio’s website at trioanimamundi.com.  You can get tickets on Humanitix or try your luck at the door.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with harpist Marshall McGuire, who will be performing with beloved recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey in a concert entitled ‘Bowers’ on Sunday the 16th of August at the Peninsula Music Centre in Mornington. For more information and tickets go to the Peninsula Music Society’s website

Nicholas Dinopoulos speaks in the studio with Annie Martin. Performances of London Calling will be on Friday the 14th of August at Geelong, on Saturday the 15th of August at Daylesford, and on Sunday the 16th of August in Brunswick.  To purchase tickets, use the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/au/event/1566237 Image credit: Albert Comper

Peter Bandy speaks with Wilma Smith, Chair of the jury for the Championship Finals of Musica Viva’s Strike a Chord Competition. The finals concert will be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre at 2pm on August the 29th and livestreamed on 3MBS Melbourne. For tickets or more information, go to the Melbourne Recital Centre website, or visit the Musica Viva Australia Strike a Chord webpage.

Scots' Church Associate Organist, Jennifer Chou, speaks with Annie Martin about the Scots' Church Organ Series taking place in August and September.  The first recital is on Saturday 15th August at Scots Church in Russell Street.  Details of this and all subsequent performances can be found on the website:  ScotsChurch.com/music-event.  Admission to all recitals is free, and everyone is warmly welcome.  

Rising musical stars violinist Hanuelle Lovell and pianist Rueben Tsang speak with Susie May about the origins of their musical collaboration and their excitement in curating their upcoming concert, Evolving Perspectives, before they take up Post Graduate study overseas. They describe the varied pieces they have chosen to perform which celebrate the transformation of sound worlds from the last 150 years, highlighting diverse voices in the violin-piano repertoire. The performance will take place at Tempo Rubato 34 Breese St, Brunswick VIC 3056 on 14 August at 8pm. Tickets and program details are available through: https://www.temporubato.com.au/tempo-concerts Tickets can also be purchased at the door, dependent on availability. Tempo Rubato is a cashless venue.

Susie May speaks with flautist, Katie Kim about the upcoming performance, Pandora’s Box, a collaboration with renowned musical polymath Kenji Fujimura who will play the piano. The program will include the most popular yet monumental flute and piano works from the Romantic and modern eras. The performance will take place at - Capital Theatre, Bendigo - 7 August at 7pm Tickets are available at https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/arts-culture-theatres/event/pandoras-box Alternatively, for tickets phone 03 5454 6100.

Doug Beecroft speaks with Danielle de Niese, star of the MSO’s Winter Gala on Thursday the 30th of July and Saturday the 1st of August at Hamer Hall,  when she’ll sing favourite songs from classic musicals by Gershwin, Bernstein, Cole Porter and Jerome Kern. For more information and tickets go to the MSO’s website at  https://www.mso.com.au/performance/2026-winter-gala --- Music track: Bernstein – Wonderful Town:  A Little Bit in Love. Danielle de Niese, sop., London Symphony Orch/Sir Simon Rattle  

Julie Houghton speaks with Tracy Mann about the dazzling new Australian remake of the production Steel Magnolias, the play that inspired the iconic film. They discuss her role as Clairee and her story of change and close friendship, set in the intimacy of a hairdressing salon. Full of pink, Steel Magnolias is a feel good play that remains popular 28 years after its first Australian production.  Steel Magnolia will be playing at the Athenaeum Centre in Melbourne from 23 July - 16 August. For tickets, visit: https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/artist/909545

Sue Kaufmann speaks with cellist Zoë Barry, who will be presenting her solo performance, The Nervous Atmosphere from the 12th to the 15th of August at the Gasworks Theatre in Albert Park. For more information and tickets go to the Gasworks website at https://gasworks.org.au/whats-on/the-nervous-atmosphere/

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Katie Noonan, who will be performing in Alone but all one on Saturday the 1st of August at the Melbourne Recital Centre. For more information and tickets go to the Recital Centre’s website at https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/ Image Copyright: Blue Murder Studios

Julie Houghton speaks with Robert Dora, Artistic Director and conductor of the Australasian Orchestra and composer, Hugh Crosthwaite about their 2026 Winter Concert, Prelude & Tragedy featuring the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Prélude l’Après-midi d’un fauna (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun) by Claude Debussy and a brand new orchestral suite written for the orchestra by Hugh Crosthwaite, entitled The Island of Dr Moreau. 2pm SUNDAY 26th July 2026, at James Tatoulis Auditorium, Methodist ladies’ College, 207 Barkers Road, Kew, Vic. For tickets or more infomation, go to Trybooking.com

Sue Kaufmann speaks with cellist, Trish Dean, about Ensemble Q's performance, featuring ABC Classic presenter and writer Ed le Brocq, and a newly commissioned work by Anne Cawrse, inspired by le Brocq's deeply moving story Sonam & the Silence, a meditation on the transformative power of music. The concert is on Friday, July 24 at 7pm, at Melbourne Recital Centre. For more information and tickets go to the Melbourne Recital Centre website.

Susie May speaks with Grayson Rotumah, co-director, University of Adelaide Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music, about The Health Songbook. This exciting new resource includes 20 original songs from 14 Indigenous language groups and artists, to be used with music therapists and healthcare practitioners working with Aboriginal patients. The Health Song Book Project can be accessed via the website at healthsongbook.com.

Susie May speaks with Daniel Sinfield about the Lyster Opera’s upcoming performance of Otto Nicolai’s: The Merry Wives of Windsor, the resonance of the story line with today’s audiences and what he has learnt from his role as both performer and director. The performance will take place at Irene Mitchell Studio, St Martins Lane, South Yarra – 18 July at 2pm. Tickets and program details are available through: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1495373  

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Yasmin Rowe, who will be giving a solo recital, Quite the Liszt, on the 10th of July and collaborating with Horn player, Roman Ponomariov, for Duo in Dialogue on the 24th at the Lauriston Chapel in Bendigo. For more information and tickets, google Keys of Gold Festival and click on the Humanitix website.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Yasmin Rowe, who will be giving a solo recital, Quite the Liszt, on the 10th of July and collaborating with Roman  Duo in Dialogue on the 24th at the Lauriston Chapel in Bendigo. For more information and tickets go to: https://events.humanitix.com/keys-of-gold-festival Image credit: Agatha Yim

Susie May speaks with Andrea James, artistic director and co-CEO of Ilbijerri Theatre Company about the inspiration behind Gunawarra Re-Creation and what she hopes audiences of the performance will enjoy, feel and reflect on. The production will take place at The Lawler, South Bank Theatre, Melbourne, 8-11 July and Geelong Arts Centre - 17-18 July Tickets  and program details are available through: https://www.ilbijerri.com.au/event/gunawarra-re-creation/

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Gerald Keuneman OAM, who will be conducting the Whitehorse Orchestra’s children’s concert, The Sign of the Seahorse, on Saturday the 11th of July at Kingswood College. For more information and tickets go to: https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/whitehorseorchestra Image credit: Lawrence Pinder

Sue Kaufmann speaks with soul singer Emma Donovan about her collaboration with the MSO under the baton of Aaron Wyatt to present Take me to the River at Hamer Hall on Friday the 10th of July and at the  GARMA Festival on the 1st of August. For more information and tickets go to: https://www.mso.com.au/media-centre/press-releases/2026-emma-donovan-take-me-to-the-river  

Sarah Cabrol-Douat is an Australian-born pianist, now based in Paris. She speaks with Sue Kaufmann about her early training, which took her from Launceston to Moscow, and her upcoming solo recital on Friday the 3rd of July at Tempo Rubato. For more information and tickets go to: temporubato.com.au

Michael Napthali A.M., CEO of Omega Ensemble speaks with Annie Martin.  Omega Ensemble's next Melbourne concert, "Inner Landscapes" will be held at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Monday the13th of July at 7pm.  Tickets are available from Melbourne Recital Centre Web page or the Omega Ensemble Webpage.  Tickets are from $64 with a significant price reduction for those under 30 years of age.

Violist and Artistic Director of the Malvern East Chamber Music Festival, Lucas Levin, speaks with Annie Martin.  The Malvern East Chamber Music Festival will run from Thursday the 9th of July to Sunday the 12th of July at St John's Anglican Church in Malvern East.   Tickets can be purchased from Malvern East Chamber Music website, mecm.com.au, where you will also find further information about their 4-day festival.

Harpist Emily Granger speaks with Annie Martin about the upcoming launch of her album “A Thing of Beauty” which is to be held at the Primrose Potter Salon in the Melbourne Recital Centre on Tuesday the 7th of July.  Tickets are available from MelbourneRecital.com.au.

Jake Baxendale speaks with Annie Martin about the upcoming performance of his album, Waypeople.  Waypeople will be performed on Wednesday the 1st of July at the Primrose Potter Salon at the Melbourne Recital Centre.  Tickets are available from MelbourneRecital.com.au, and the album can be purchased at the show or through Bandcamp.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with pianist Sean Kim, who will be presenting a two-piano recital, Restless Forms, with Luke Zhang in on the 24th of June at St Johns, Malvern, and on the 27th of June at Tempo Rubato. For more information and tickets go to Trybooking.com and search for “Restless Forms”

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Victoria Purman, whose latest novel, The Marriage Trap, published by Harper Collins, was launched here recently. For more information and book sales go to: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781867290636/the-marriage-trap-the-new-2026-story-of-rebellion-and-freedom-from-the-bestselling-author-of-the-radio-hour-for-readers-of-lessons-in-chemistry/ 

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Warwick Stengaards, one of the judges  for the Hopkins Bradford Youth Concerto Competition. The six finalists are performing on Saturday the 20th of June at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Mornington. For more information and tickets go to: https://www.fso.org.au/event-details/concert-3-the-wand-of-youth

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Bangarra Dance Theatre choreographer Glory Tuohy-Daniell about her first choreographic work, Keeping Grounded. Keeping Grounded is one of three works featured in Sheltering, showing at Melbourne’s Arts Centre from the 18th to the 27th of June.   For more information and tickets go to: https://my.bangarra.com.au/events?k=mel; and https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2026/dance/sheltering

Nick Tolhurst speaks with Lawrence Power, Director, Violin & Viola with the Australian Chamber Orchestra about their forthcoming concert Isles of Light at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. Two performances, Sunday the 14th of June at 2:30 pm and Monday the 15th of June at 7:30 pm. For more information and to book, go to aco.com.au

Susie May speaks with renowned Australian clarinet player, Lloyd Vant' Hoff, about his upcoming concert with the London based Doric String Quartet and the story behind the new basset clarinet he'll be playing. The concert will take place at: Melbourne Recital Centre on Tuesday 16 June at 7pm. Program details and tickets are available through the link: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whats-on/current-productions/mva-doric-string-quartet-lloyd-van-t-hoff

Susie May speaks with Willem van der Vis, main Music Director of the Maroondah Symphony Orchestra for 30 years, about the musical highlights of the upcoming concert, The Virtuoso and the Storm which will feature Raistlin Chan, an acclaimed Australian violin soloist. The concert will take place at : The Knox School Auditorium, 220 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South 3152 on Sun, 14 Jun, 2:30pm - 5pm. Tickets are available through: events.humanitix.com/maso-2026-06-14

Bellringer Sarah Stancombe speaks with Susie May about the communal benefits of bellringing, its links to mathematics, and the upcoming Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers’ Annual Bellringing Festival. For details of the festival and where to hear bellringing in Melbourne and Victoria visit: Anzab.org.au/anzab2026/public