2021 Concert Season
VAN DIEMEN’S BAND CHRISTMAS
VDB Christmas concerts return featuring some of the most gorgeous Christmas music from throughout the ages, with your best-loved Christmas carols in a family-friendly celebration.
6pm, Thursday 16 December 2021, Town Hall, Cygnet
6pm, Friday 17 December 2021, St David’s Cathedral, Hobart
Supported by Allport Bequest.
2pm, Saturday 18 December 2021, The Holy Trinity Church, Launceston
3pm Sunday 19 December 2021, Spring Bay Mill, Triabunna
VAN DIEMEN’S BAND & LUKE PLUMB | OCTOBER
Best-known for its world-beating performances of Baroque music, this time around VDB is also taking a stylistic tour through the sounds of Vivaldi’s Venice, traditional Jewish melodies, the ecstatic visions of medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen, and popular folk dances.
6pm, Friday 22 October 2021, Palais Theatre, Franklin
6pm, Saturday 23 October 2021, Portland Memorial Hall, St Helens
3pm, Sunday 24 October 2021, Mechanic Institutes Hall, Scottsdale
6pm, Monday 25 October 2021, Latrobe Memorial Hall, Latrobe
6pm, Tuesday 26 October 2021, Town Hall, Stanley
6pm, Wednesday 27 October 2021, The Paragon, Queenstown
HOMEWARD with Van Diemen’s Fiddles
FOREST GIN WALK | MONA FOMA
Fancy a stroll on kunanyi, accompanied by the Van Diemen’s Fiddles and not-infrequent stops for gin cocktails? Good.
6pm, Wednesday 20 January 2021
6pm, Thursday 21 January 2021
1pm & 6pm, Friday 22 January 2021
1pm & 6pm, Saturday 23 January 2021
4pm & 7pm, Sunday 24 January 2021
Walk commences at Fern Tree Tavern
MUSICA VIVA | FEBRUARY
Van Diemen’s Band presents some of the eighteenth century’s most enduring chamber music jewels featuring the mellow sound of organ bass continuo. From the early masterpieces of Corelli’s stunning Opus 3 and Caldara, to later works by Mozart, we travel through France, Italy, Austria and Germany.
7.30pm, Wednesday 24 February 2021
Hobart Town Hall Ballroom
Information and bookings here
Presented by Musica Viva
VAN DIEMEN’S FIDDLES | WHISPERING WALLS
Portland Memorial Hall will be transformed into a portal blending present and past through this live multimedia event.
Van Diemen’s Fiddles are three of lutruwita/ Tasmania’s finest musicians – Julia Fredersdorff, Emily Sheppard and Rachel Meyers. They will make music inspired by dances, stories, people and the land, alongside electronics and visuals from Mac40Media’s Caleb Miller. This world premiere has been curated in response to the communities of St Helens and its surrounds.
When you attend the concert, you will unlock an exclusive audio walk created by the musicians. This geolocated walk will guide you along the Georges Bay foreshore with a soundtrack inspired by the region, including stories of the area shared by locals.
Fri 12 March 2021 7:00 pm
Sat 13 March 2021 2:00 pm
Portland Memorial Hall, 39 Cecilia St, St Helens, Tasmania
Book your tickets here.
Presented by Ten Days on the Island.
VAN DIEMEN’S FIDDLES | HOMEWARD
Before recorded music, fiddlers were the most portable of musicians, and the keeper of the tunes. Van Diemen’s Fiddles explore nostalgic folk tunes from all around the world, including original arrangements of works from the manuscript of Scottish fiddler Alexander Laing, who exported some of the first fiddle music to Tasmania. The walls of the Ross Town Hall will reverberate with nostalgic folk tunes from around the world.
Date: Sunday 14 Mar 2021, 4pm
Ross Town Hall, 12 Bridge St, Makala, Ross, Tasmania
Price: from $30
Book tickets here.
Presented by Ten Days on the Island.
THE HARMONIC INSPIRATION | JUNE
Van Diemen’s Band is terribly disappointed to announce the cancellation of the long-planned State-wide tour of our all-Vivaldi program The Harmonic Inspiration, due to ongoing state border restrictions imposed in response to the current COVID-19 situation in Victoria and NSW.
State regional tour to Hobart, St Helens, Launceston, Scottsdale, Burnie, and Tullah*
Van Diemen’s Band hits the road for the first time since 2019, showcasing the music of Antonio Vivaldi! Audiences in regional Tasmania will be treated to a selection of concertos from Vivaldi’s celebrated L’estro armonico, a collection which dazzled 18th-century Europe and continues to hold listeners spellbound today.
* Please note, our planned Zeehan concert at the Gaiety Theatre will now be held at Tullah Lakeside Lodge due to urgent repairs being made to the theatre. We hope to return to the Gaiety Theatre on another occasion.
7pm, Thursday 24 June 2021
Hobart Town Hall
Tickets: $20 | $42 | $50 | $60
6pm, Friday 25 June 2021
Portland Memorial Hall, St Helens
Tickets: $10 | $30 | $35
6pm, Saturday 26 June 2021
Theatre North at the Princess, Launceston
Tickets: $20 | $42 | $50 | $60
3pm, Sunday 27 June 2021
Mechanics’ Institute Hall, Scottsdale
Tickets: $10 | $30 | $35
6pm, Monday 28 June 2021
Uniting Church, Burnie
Tickets: $10 | $30 | $35
6pm, Tuesday 29 June 2021
Tullah Lakeside Lodge, Tullah
Tickets: $10 | $30 | $35
2021 LUNCHBOX SERIES
11.30-12.10pm and 1.05-1.45pm, Tuesday 20 April 2021
BACH, HANDEL AND MORE
Calvin Bowman organ
Van Diemen’s Band
Renowned organist Calvin Bowman pulls out all stops on the grand and beautiful organ in Hobart Town Hall, which celebrated its sesquicentenary last year. This varied concert features music by Johann Sebastian Bach and includes Handel’s Organ Concerto Op 7 No 1, in which Calvin Bowman will be joined by Van Diemen’s Band.
1.05-1.45pm, Tuesday 27 April 2021
HARTZ PIANO TRIO
Natalya Bing violin
Alexandra Békés cello
Dianne Legg piano
A new and exciting arrival on the Tassie music scene, the Hartz Piano Trio brings together the wonderful talents of Natalya Bing, Alexandra Békés and Dianne Legg. Hear them perform the ravishing Piano Trio No 1 in B, Op 8, by Johannes Brahms.
1.05-1.45pm, Tuesday 4 May 2021
KLEZMERFEST
Meyers & McNamara
Meyers & McNamara, the combined talents of violinist Rachel Meyers and accordionist Dave McNamara, offer Klezmer and other Jewish music traditions together with experimental instrumentals and original compositions. This Lunchbox comes with extra spice!
1.05-1.45pm, Tuesday 11 May 2021
MUSIC FOR VOICE AND PIANO
Tom Flint bass-baritone
Tom Rimes piano
Two of Hobart’s finest musical talents – both recently repatriated from Europe – Tom Flint and Tom Rimes perform Gerald Finzi’s song cycle, Let Us Garlands Bring, and an arrangement of one of the best loved of all madrigals, The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons.
1.05-1.45pm, Tuesday 18 May 2021
ONE PIANO, FOUR HANDS!
Karen Smithies piano
Jennifer Marten-Smith piano
Discover the full range of what the piano can do when there’s not one pianist at the helm, but two! Karen Smithies and Jennifer Marten-Smith will take you on a dazzling journey through music for four-hand piano.
1.05pm Tuesday 24 August
BRIAN RITCHIE QUINTET
Brian Ritchie shakuhachi, Thomas Rimes pipe organ, Tim Jones tuba, Blaise Garza contrabass saxophone, Konrad Park percussion
Brian Ritchie teams up with some of Hobart’s most intrepid musicians for a program spanning traditional Japanese music, Western classical, jazz and improv. This East meets West lunchbox is a multifaceted musical banquet.
1.05pm Tuesday 31 August
THE RED VIOLIN
Emma McGrath solo violin
Emma McGrath, Concertmaster with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, performs a captivating program of works written for solo violin including music by Ysaÿe, Prokofiev and the ‘Red Violin Caprices’ by John Corigliano.
1.05pm Tuesday 7 September
TASMANIAN STRING QUARTET PERFORMS BEETHOVEN
Emma McGrath violin, Jennifer Owen violin, Doug Coghill viola, Jonathan Békés cello
In a short space of time, the Tasmanian String Quartet – four outstanding musicians from the TSO – has won legion fans and admirers. In this concert the TSQ performs one of the most celebrated of all quartets, the third and final ‘Razumovsky’ (Op 59 No 3) by Ludwig van Beethoven.
1.05pm Tuesday 14 September
PIANO VIRTUOSO
Alexey Yemtsov piano
Originally from Ukraine and now calling Hobart home, concert pianist Alexey Yemtsov has appeared as soloist with orchestras all around the world along with the major Australian orchestras. Discover his brilliance for yourself as he performs works by Liszt, Brahms, Ravel and Rachmaninov.
1.05pm Tuesday 21 September
THE LUMINOUS HARP
Meriel Owen harp
Meriel Owen, Hobart’s star harpist, proves beyond doubt that the harp is an amazing instrument. She performs a truly heavenly program including works by Handel, Fauré and Debussy.