3MBS Interviews

Australian cellist, composer and vocalist Ceridwen McCooey speaks with Annie Martin from her home in New York about her debut album Forget Me Not, which will be released on the 20th of March. You can find more details about the album, her music and performances at ceridwenmccooey.com.  

Nick Dinopoulos,conductor ofHop, Skip and Jump speaks with Susie May about the next concert in the Daylesford Christ Church Concert series on Saturday 14 March, 2026 at  2:30 PM - 3:50 PM at Stanbridge Hall, Christ Church Anglican, 54 Central Springs Road, Daylesford VIC 3460 Tickets are available through : https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/christchurchconcerts

Skye McIntosh, Artistic Director of the Australian Haydn Ensemble speaks with Susie May. Their concert, Mozart’s Spring takes placeonWednesday the 11th of March 2026 at 7:00pm at the Primrose Potter Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre. Tickets are available through the Melbourne Recital Centre, melbournerecital.com.au

Elaine Kelly, conductor and defining interpreter of the short operas, Mary Motörhead & Trade, speaks with Susie May. The double-bill will be performed by the Australian Contemporary Opera Company in the Beckett Theatre at the Malthouse in Melbourne from Friday 6 March to Friday 13th March, 2026  Tickets are available through: acoco.org.au/

Claire Edwardes OAM speaks with Annie Martin about Dual Attractor, her seventh solo album, to be released digitally by ABC Classic on Friday the 6th of March. The live album launch will be on Wednesday the 18th of March at the Melbourne Recital Centre, where physical CDs will also be available. Tickets can be booked via melbournerecital.com.au.

Arts philanthropist Michael Aquilina, and composer Joe Chindamo OAM – speak with Amanda Smith. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performs “Stravinsky and Chindamo” – on Thursday 19 March, and Saturday 21 March – both concerts at 7:30pm, at Hamer Hall. Benjamin Northey is conducting, and for Joe Chindamo’s work, Are There Any Questions?, Warren Trevelyan-Jones will lead the MSO Chorus. 

Alta Collective Artistic Director Renee Heron speaks with Annie Martin.  Baltic Landscapes - Songs of Nature, Folklore and the Baltic Spirit will be performed at the Immigration Museum on Friday the 13th of March. Tickets are available on the Immigration Museum website. 

Sue Kaufmann speaks with local composer and pianist Josh McCusker about three new collections of original piano works released this year: Minipiano; Piano Works and Piano Works 2 (February 2026). The albums are available on Bandcamp and mainstream digital platforms.  For more information about his work go to https://joshtaylor2.bandcamp.com/music.

Sue Kaufmann speaks with singer Mahalia Barnes, who’ll be appearing with her band The Soul Mates at Bird’s Basement on Saturday, the 7th of March.  For more information and bookings go to:  Bird's Basement Jazz Club - Intimate shows for true fans

Sue Kaufmann speaks with Melbourne-based composer and harpist Katia Mestrovic about her upcoming concert of harp solo and trio music, Australian harp fest: solo and trio, with fellow harpists Melina van Leeuwen (LAYVEN) and Gemma Tong at Tempo Rubato on Saturday, the 28th of February. For more information and bookings go to https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1523799.

Chris Howlett, Director of Classical Music Australia speaks with Annie Martin about the Grammy Award winning King’s Singers.  They will be performing one concert only in Melbourne on Wednesday the 4th of March at St Paul's Cathedral, the corner of Flinders and Swanston Street.  Tickets are available from Humanitix.

"A Breath of Fresh Air" is the official theme for the 2026 Yarragon Studio Festival, an annual event showcasing high-calibre music, food, and wine in Gippsland, Victoria. Australian-based Dutch saxophonist Niels Bijl from the Yarragon Studio Festival speaks with Annie Martin about what is in store. Tickets are available from website yarragonstudio.com.au.  Photo: Liam Davidson

Annie Martin speaks with William Barton, renowned yidaki artist, who will be collaborating with the renowned British string quartet, the Brodsky Quartet, for a night of musical fusion, “Barton and Brodsky” - a unique evening combining Indigenous Australian soundscapes with classical and traditional repertoire. Elizabeth Murdoch Hall on Wednesday 25 February. Tickets are available online from the Melbourne Recital Centre. 

Elyane Laussade speaks with Annie Martin.  Her performance “The Illusion of Time” will be at the Brunswick Uniting Church on Friday evening the 20th of February as part of the Brunswick Beethoven Festival.  Tickets can be purchased through her webpage elyane.laussade.com.au or the Brunswick Beethoven Festival website, brunswickbeethovenfestival.au     

Annie Martin speaks with violinist Wilma Smith about the first concert of the 2026 Wilma and Friends series.  This concert sees the return of Melbourne piano trio, Rock Paper Scissors (Wilma Smith, violin, Yelian He, Cello and Yasmin Rowe, piano) with a program of Hummel, Beach and Mendelssohn on the 19th and 26th of February.  For tickets and more information got to Wilma and Friends.

Gwyn Harper from the Male Welsh Choir speaks with Annie Martin.  The Choir will be celebrating St David’s Day on Sunday 1st March at the Ian Woolf Auditorium, Carey Grammar School in Kew.  The concerts starts at 2:30pm and tickets are available from Melbourne Welsh Choir.Com.Au.

David Elton from Omega Ensemble speaks with Annie Martin about the Starburst national tour.  This performance will ‘burst’ into the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 7pm.  Tickets are on sale now at www.omegaensemble.com.au.

Meg Cohen, violinist from Wattleseed Ensemble speaks with Annie Martin about the upcoming Sanctuary concert series.  Performances will be on Thursday the 12th of February at St John’s East Malvern and Friday the 13th of February at the Athenaeum Library in Melbourne. Tickets and more information can be found at WattleseedEnsemble.com.

Nick Tolhurst speaks with pianist Dejan Lazić who joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra in their opening concert for 2026. Three performances coming up: Saturday the 7th and Monday the 9th of February at the Melbourne Recital Centre — both concerts at 7:30.  A matinee performance will be given at Hamer Hall on Sunday the 8th of February at 2:30 pm. For more information and to book go to aco.com.au, melbournerecital.com.au, or artscentremelbourne.com.au

Howard Penny, Co-Director with Chris Howlett of the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival, speaks with Susie May about the exciting  mix of International and Australian musicians involved in 2026, the musical highlights and the charm of Bendigo as a venue. The Bendigo Chamber Music Festival runs from Wednesday the 4th of February to Sunday the 8th of February and details can be found on their website, bendigochambermusicfestival.com.au/

Susie May speaks with multi-award winning Japanese-Australian pianist, Rieko Makita about why she has chosen to dedicate her life to music and her upcoming piano recital, which will explore the beauty of the night through works such as Ravel’s Ondine, which conjures an oceanic night filled with mystery. The concert is on at Tempo Rubato this Friday the 30th January @8pm and program details and tickets are available through trybooking.com

Susie May speaks with acclaimed musician and Mezzo Soprano, Juliarna Clark,  whose ensemble will be performing a range of magical duets and arias in the intimate surrounds of the Duneira Estate, this Wednesday the 28th of January between 5pm and 7pm.

Susie May speaks with internationally acclaimed clarinettist and Artistic Director of the Omega Ensemble, David Rowden. The ensemble will perform three concerts in Melbourne during 2026, featuring new music by Australian composers including Lachlan Skipworth and Paul Stanhope. The concerts will be at Melbourne Recital Centre in February, July and September, 2026 Tickets are available through the Omega Ensemble’s website:   https://www.omegaensemble.com.au

Susie May speaks with violinist Patrick Galvin about his upcoming concert with pianist Jennifer Hou called Dear Camilla, a program of narrative and music by Sibelius, Chopin, Sarasate, Chausson, Pärt, and Beach, paying tribute to his teacher Camilla Wicks.  It’s on at Tempo Rubato on Friday the 16th of January.  For tickets go to temporubato.com.au

Lisa Sullivan, Senior Curator at the Geelong Gallery speaks with Susie May about the celebrated multi-disciplinary artist Richard Lewer and his upcoming exhibition, I Only Talk to God When I Want Something, which aims to make biblical stories relevant to our understanding of the contemporary world.  The exhibition runs from Saturday 15 November 2025 to Sunday 1 March 2026 @ the Geelong Gallery, 55 Little Malop St, Geelong.

Susie May speaks with renowned pianist and composer Joe Chindamo about his love of both classical and jazz music, and the composers who have influenced him. The upcoming performance with his jazz trio is on : Thursday 11 Dec @7.30pm at Bird’s Basement, 11 Singers Lane, Melbourne Tickets are available through : birdsbasement.com

ABC Classic have just released a new recording of all Chopin’s Études, together with  the composer’s stirring and passionate Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 ‘Heroic’, played by Jayson Gillham. The internationally acclaimed Australian-British pianist spoke with Susie May about his deeply personal and joyous journey as he engaged with the genius of Chopin.

Nick Tolhurst speaks with Co-director of The Australian Chamber Choir, Elizabeth Anderson about this season’s Baroque Christmas concerts. Three concerts coming up: Church of the Resurrection in Macedon on Saturday the 6thof December Our Lady of Mount Carmel  Middle Park on Sunday the 7thof December and Sterling Place Community Centre, Dunkeld on Saturday the 13thof December To book go to auschoir.org 

Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra present Handel’s Messiah for the world record 246th time since 1853. Renowned conductor Andrew Wailes speaks with Susie May about conducting Handel’s famous choral work, Messiah and the outstanding Australian and international line up of soloists, joining him for the upcoming performance. The performance will take place at the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday 7th December @ 5pm Tickets are available through Trybooking

Susie May speaks Daniel Brinsmead, Musical Director of Choristry, about  A Choristry Christmas, the upcoming concert which will celebrate the festive season through a dynamic mix of classic greats and contemporary Australian composers. Sun 30 Nov at 3pm, St John’s Anglican Church, Malvern East and Sat 6th Dec at 7:30pm, Church of All Nations in Carlton Tickets are available through Trybooking.com

Meg Cohen, Co-Artistic Director and Violinist from The Wattleseed Ensemble speaks with Susie May about the unusual range of sound effects that have been created to evoke The Orchid and The Wasp, a new composition by Jakub Jankowski evoking the beauty of the South Australian coastline. The string trio’s upcoming concert will also include works by Bach and Bulgarian and Scandinavian folk music.  Go to https://www.wattleseedensemble.com for tickets and more information.

Damien Eckersley, Deputy Artistic Director of The Australian National Academy of Music speaks with Susie May about the end of year ANAM Chamber Music Festival celebrating French culture and history through music.  The festival runs from Thursday the 27th to Saturday the 29th of November.  Go to anam.com.au/what’s-on for tickets and more information.

Celebrated yidaki (didgeridoo) virtuoso, William Barton speaks with Susie May about the new work ‘Treaty’ by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO. This piece will be played, as part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s New Worlds concerts, which will also include Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony. The concerts will be held at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on November 27the and 29th and at Costa Hall Geelong on November 28th. For tickets and more information, go to mso.com.au.

From Intermezzo, Wednesday Nov 19. Peter Bandy speaks with Associate Conductor of the Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Jessica Zuk, about their next concert on Saturday November 29.  With soloist Richard Narroway playing the Elgar Cello Concerto, Emilie Mayer's Faust Overture and Brahms Symphony No. 3, it promises to be a feast of orchestral delights.   For tickets and more information go to zelman.au

Jennifer Kirsner, artistic director of Genesis Baroque, speaks with Susie May about the upcoming concert with The Choir of Trinity College, a radiant program of Baroque masterworks which will feature Vivaldi’s Gloria, described as ‘Bursting with sunlit joy and dancing rhythms’.  The concert will take place at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday 26th November  @7:30pm

The musical director of The People’s Choir,  Bettina Spivakovsky speaks with Susie May about its new musical comedy, SING SING SING, to be performed on Tuesday 25 November at 7pm at Stonnington Community Uniting Church, 59 Burke Road, Malvern East.

David Greco, baritone, returns to the 2026 Peninsula Summer Music Festival on 6 January with British conductor-pianist Chad Kelly for Schumann: Dichterliebe at Moorooduc Estate – a spellbinding recital of art songs from the 19th-century’s greatest musical couple Robert and Clara Schumann alongside works by Kurt Weill for contrast. David speaks with Matthew Toulmin. Peninsula Summer Music Festival - tickets and information  

Kate Millet, Director and Founder of BK Opera speaks with Susie May about Darkness Descends, and her vision for Verdi’s Macbeth. See it the Kensington Town Hall on Friday 21st, Sunday 23rd and Tuesday 25th November.  Don’t miss out on BK Opera’s daringly chilling and immersive experience.  Tickets can be booked at humanitix.com.

Susie May speaks with Lorraine Hook, from the first violin section of MSO about the upcoming MSO concert, Respighi’s Rome. It's on Friday 21st November at 11am in Hamer Hall, with a pre-concert talk in the foyer from 10:15am.  Tickets are available through the MSO website, or through Arts Centre Melbourne.

Susie May speaks with harpsichord solist and director, Donald Nicolson, about the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s next concert, Nightingale.  With a series of performances including Pakenham, Geelong and the Melbourne Recital Centre, it’s not to be missed.  For tickets and more information, go to mco.org.au, trybooking.com (Geelong) or melbournerecital.com.au.

Flautist Maria Zhdanovich speaks with Susie May about Kaleidoscope of Joy, a visual and sound feast at the Immigration Museum in which live music accompanies visual installations evoking ‘Joy’. See it on Saturday the 15th of November at 1pm and 3pm.  Tickets are available through the Immigration Museum website.

Shanti Michael, the Director of Music and Founder of Chorus Ecclesiae speaks with Susie May about the sacred madrigals and motets written by Palestrina, one of the Renaissance’s greatest composers, which will be performed in two upcoming concerts to celebrate the composer’s 500th Birthday. Performances: Saturday 15 November, 3:00pm, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Mentone AND Sunday 16 November, 3.00 pm – St John's, East Malvern For more information and to book go to : https://www.chorusecclesiae.org.au/ 

Ali McGregor, soprano singer, cabaret performer and Program Director of the Fluxus Opera Lab was speaking with Susie May about this exciting new initiative. Ali explored the program which encourages writers and composers of all genres, interested in pushing the boundaries of what opera can be, to apply to the Lab for support including mentorship, collaboration and financial support. For more information or to submit interest, visit: https://www.fluxus.com.au/operalab Submissions Open – 28 October 2025 Submissions Deadline – 10 February 2026

Directed by Douglas Lawrence and Elizabeth Anderson, ACC performs Gordon Kerry’s Requiem, a choral feast dealing with themes of life and death while using the oldest instrument on the planet: the human voice. the requiem itself is composed to be performed as a set of interposlations between Renaissance choral music, both sacred and secular.  Susie May speaks with Elizabeth Anderson. Program: Works by Gordon Kerry, Morten Lauridsen, Tomkins, Victoria, Tallis, Morley, Byrd, Gibbons, Schütz, Aleotti, Dowland Dates & Times: Saturday November 8th at 2.30pm Venue: Peninsula Community Theatre 91 Wilsons Rd Mornington Tickets: Trybooking

Kathryn Sunderland, Artistic Director of Bottled Snail Productions speaks with Annie Martin. The Melbourne Lawyers Choir and Melbourne Lawyers Big Band will be performing the Australian premiere of Nils Lindberg's Requiem on Saturday the 8th November at 7:00pm at the Williamstown Town Hall. Tickets are available through Humanitix.

Wednesday Night at the Opera's Nigel Simpson spoke with Bass-Baritone James Young side of stage at Melbourne Recital Centre, immediately after his winning the 101st Herald Sun Aria on Sunday, October 26th.

Joe Hisaishi is one of the world’s most prolific and beloved composers for film.  Andrew Pogson speaks with Annie Martin about The Music of Joe Hisaishi, which will be performed at Hamer Hall on the Thursday the 6th November, Friday the 7th, and two concerts on Saturday the 8th November. Tickets are selling fast and are available from the MSO website.

Ed Chan Ern Theng, Musical Director of The Voices of Asia Choir, speaks with Annie Martin. The Choir will be performing ‘Beginnings’ on Sunday the 2nd of November at Upstairs@Floridia in Flemington. Tickets are available at the door or online at humanitix.com. 

An ensemble of 12 of Australia’s leading cellists sounds intriguing.  This is exactly what is set for the stage in a hugely varied night of works from Mahler to Jimi Hendrix, Sollima to Lady Gaga Mashups and more!   Cellist Belinda Liew from 12 Cellos spoke with Annie Martin. 12 Cellos will perform at North Melbourne’s Meat Market in on Friday 31st October 2025 @ 7pm.  Tickets are available from Trybooking.com.    Doors open from 6pm.

The Flinders Quartet celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a concert that examines themes of Identity. The program features Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Bungaree, Bryony Marks' Australia Fair?, and Dvořák’s String Quartet No.14. Flinders Quartet founder and cellist Zoe Knighton spoke with Annie Martin. Photo by Agatha Yim