Hayes Street Studio is thrilled to present pianist and composer Joseph Havlat in a rare recital that features a newly composed works by Australian composer Lisa Illean: her piano Sonata in ten parts.  Commissioned by Wigmore Hall, the 19-minute work premiered in 2024 in London and is the composer’s first work for solo piano.  Sonata in ten parts sits alongside and speaks to Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Each of its sections began as an improvisation on a pattern derived from a moment – often little more than a bar – in Beethoven’s set of 33 variations. Following the spirit of this form, Illean transformed the patterns while also drawing disparate starting points into a common nocturnal atmosphere. This mood is explored in movements of preternatural stillness and delicacy, while others feature darting, quicksilver figuration with a more animated character. Alongside this work, Joseph will perform a section from Bent Sørensen's "12 Nocturnes". 

Hayes Street Studio presents Korean-Australian violinist Suyeon Kang with Australian pianist Laurence Mattheson in recital. In a rare opportunity for Australian audiences, Suyeon returns to Sydney from her current home base in Berlin, where she enjoys versatile international performance career, having been recently appointed as the newest member of the renowned Belcea Quartet. Suyeon has been praised for her "incredible maturity…more than mere playing of the music but an appreciation and understanding its possibilities, and brought out qualities of ecstasy, pathos and introspection – at times appearing to be a human, animal or avian presence, intruding into the landscape or soaring above it.’ (National Business Review, NZ). She is joined by pianist Laurence Mattheson, one of Australia’s most exciting young musicians, who is in demand across the country as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist.

Hayes Street Studio presents Korean-Australian violinist Suyeon Kang with Australian pianist Laurence Mattheson in recital. In a rare opportunity for Australian audiences, Suyeon returns to Sydney from her current home base in Berlin, where she enjoys versatile international performance career, having been recently appointed as the newest member of the renowned Belcea Quartet. Suyeon has been praised for her "incredible maturity…more than mere playing of the music but an appreciation and understanding its possibilities, and brought out qualities of ecstasy, pathos and introspection – at times appearing to be a human, animal or avian presence, intruding into the landscape or soaring above it.’ (National Business Review, NZ). She is joined by pianist Laurence Mattheson, one of Australia’s most exciting young musicians, who is in demand across the country as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist.

Hayes Street Studio presents Principal Clarinetist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Benjamin Mellefont in recital with Sydney-born pianist Vatche Jambazian. The duo will present an eclectic program of music for clarinet and piano. 

Benjamin Mellefont was born in Sydney, Australia. He was appointed Principal Clarinet of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019, having previously held the same position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed with both orchestras as a soloist. He regularly appears as Guest Principal with many of the orchestras in the UK and Australia, and at festivals such as Salzburg, Edinburgh and Aldeburgh. A keen proponent of contemporary music, Benjamin has been a core and founding member of Explore Ensemble since 2012, with whom he has been involved in numerous premieres and commissions, including play/ directing the UK premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Figura for Solo Clarinet and Ensemble. He has also appeared with other chamber groups such as Ensemble 360 and London Sinfonietta.

Hayes Street Studio collaborates with Bach in the Dark for a special event. Cellist Rachel Scott joins pianist Lee Dionne and flautist Rosie Gallagher for a program featuring music for flute, cello and piano. 

Rachel Scott studied with David Pereira in Canberra and Robert Cohen in London. She has played as a soloist and chamber musician in the United Kingdom, Serbia, Albania, Finland, Hungary and Germany. Rachel is the founder of the highly successful and innovative ‘Bach in the Dark’ concert series, through which she presents regular concerts with some of Australia’s best chamber musicians, actors and visual artists. She is known for her unconventionality – in programming, choice of artists, hair style, venue choices and delivery in concerts. She believes that concerts are a time of celebration – of listening, sharing and enjoying. Under the ‘Bach in the Dark’ label she has released three CDs, all regularly played on Australian Classical radio stations.