Armidale Events

About Face: How to Read Portraits - Alice Foster (Oxford University, UK) Portraits are complex to produce and quite distinct from other categories in art in the way they are made, the nature of what they represent and how they work in terms of display.  Oxford (UK) university lecturer and historian Alice Foster will discuss portraits from the symbolic to images where concern with identity opens the areas of character, personality, mood, status, costume, occupation, gender and age.

To Paint World War I - Richard Travers The Australian artists of World War 1 approached their subject personally in ways that reflected their experience of the war.  Australian historian Richard Travers will follow them as they leave Australia in search of inspiration and fame in London and Paris and respond to the international crisis.  

Petra and the Nabateans: The Arabs Before Islam - Sue Rollin (UK) United Kingdom archaeologist and tour guide, Sue Rollin will trace the history of the enigmatic Nabateans, desert dwellers of Arabian origin, who grew fabulously rich on trade in incense and aromatics from South Arabia and established their capital city at Petra, hidden away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea.

Art Deco in Sydney - A persistent presence (Claudia Chan) Claudia Chan Shaw, well known Australian designer and presenter will provide an exploration of Art Deco Sydney, a visual culture defined not only through architecture, but also through graphic and interior design, the decorative arts and photography.

Fiori Musicali presents Misa a Buenos Aires, the Tango Mass, by Argentinian composer and conductor, Martín Palmeri. Misa Tango is a choral mass using Tango sounds and the same movements as a mass in classical Latin, in which the harmonics and syncopated rhythms of tango are mixed. The performance includes Leanne Roobol as soloist, and an ensemble featuring James Chen, India Smith, Alma Kanety, Stephen Tafra, Arlene Fletcher and Robyn Bradley.

Recital of Operatic Arias and German Lieder (approximately 45 min of music, 20 min interval). Refreshments available from the Hoskins Centre Bar. After a year abroad in Germany and Canada, Armidale native baritone, Ziggy Harris, has returned to town for a short time, and will be conducting a recital of operatic arias and German lieder. Retaking the concert stage with Ziggy is the orchestrally-minded, magnificent pianist Dr Robert Manley. This recital is to showcase his work and development thus far […]

Ticket also available at door. The first concert of its NSW Regional Tour will feature the Sydney Male Choir with guest artists from the Armidale Choral Society - concert not to be missed. The Sydney Male Choir (SMC), in existence since 1913, is a group of entertainers who love to sing and has an extensive repertoire,including favourites from music theatre, jazz, pop, folk and spirituals. The Choir's recent concert in Sydney Town Hall got rave reviews. The Armidale Choral Society […]

Acclaimed guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan have created a suite of music inspired by objects personally selected from the National Museum of Australia’s vast collection tracing Australia’s diverse and complex history. Incorporating all their influences from classical to jazz and contemporary music, performed on a variety of guitars (electric, 8 string tenor ukulele, 12 string and classical), audiences will see and hear the Grigoryan Brothers like never before.

Conserving Beauty: Technical Insights of Australian Impressionist Paintings – Michael Varcoe-Cocks (Australia - NGV, Melbourne) Technical art history is the examination of artworks using scientific equipment to reveal layers of information that offers unique insights into the artistic methods and materials found in each work. This evidence-based approach has yielded some of the most remarkable stories in Australian art. This lecture will discuss the examination and conservation of iconic works from the Australian Impressionist movement by Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton […]

St John Passion performed by Fiori Musicali Chamber Choir and Orchestra - Elias Wilson (Evangelist), Aidan O'Donnell (Christ), Ziggy Harris (Pilate), Sarah Adeney (soprano), Rowena Moon (alto), Leanne Roobol (alto) with Bruce Menzies (conductor).

For many years, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book Lord of the Rings swept aside any suggestion that it was based on Richard Wagner’s four-opera Ring cycle.  Tolkien himself scoffed at the idea.  Yet, in the wake of Peter Jackson’s blockbuster film trilogy, more and more people saw Lord of the Rings as a profoundly Wagnerian blend of epic myth and powerful music.  This talk, incorporating video clips and recorded excerpts, will explore the fascinating links that connect Richard Wagner, the […]

Artist J M W Turner lived at a time of great social and scientific change.  More than anyone else he recorded, in thousands of works of art, the transition of Britain from a rural to an industrial society.  He was a fascinating character – secretive, driven, alternately penny-pinching and generous, chaotic in his private life and fiercely patriotic.  He is rightly regarded as one of the world’s greatest nineteenth century painters.  His likeness appears on the twenty pound note – […]