Where Song Began | Melbourne Recital Centre

Name: Where Song Began | Melbourne Recital Centre
Start: 2026-06-06T09:30:00+10:00
Location: Melbourne Recital Centre

Schedule

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026 at 09:30 am

UTC+10:00

Location

Melbourne Recital Centre | Melbourne, VI

A cinematic concert celebrating songbirds in stunning Elizabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
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https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whats-on/current-productions/where-song-began
Where Song Began
Saturday 6th June 2026 - 7:30pm
Duration: 1 hour 20 mins (no interval, including a Q&A). Please note, running times are approximate and subject to change.
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Described as 'spectacular' by Limelight Magazine in a 5-star review, Where Song Began is an iconic celebration of songbirds. The mesmerising program of music spans 300 years, from Bach and Schmelzer to Arvo Pärt and new commissions, enhanced by a film of evocative visual projections and immersive soundscapes.
Performed more than 100 times throughout Australia and internationally to rave reviews, this concert marks the long awaited Melbourne debut of The Bowerbird Collective, and celebrates the 125th birthday of BirdLife Australia.
Where Song Began offers audiences an unforgettable and deeply moving evening filled with the beauty, colour and sounds of the Australian landscape. Brought to life by virtuosic, passionate performers with extraordinary multimedia staging, this concert shines a light on our unique and precious birdlife and the evolution of song.
'A delicate and beautiful fusion' - BirdLife Magazine
'Like being sung to by the country' - Audience member
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Artists:
The Bowerbird Collective
Simone Slattery violin
Anthony Albrecht cello
The Bowerbird Collective makes art for nature. Their work has received international acclaim, and earned an APRA AMCOS Luminary Award in 2024. Their ARIA-nominated albums of threatened bird, frog and mammal calls, 'Songs of Disappearance', reached the top of the ARIA Album Charts ahead of Adele, ABBA and Ed Sheeran. Violinist Simone Slattery holds a PhD in Music Performance, has been awarded Churchill, Create SA and ANAM Ian Potter Fellowships, and performs regularly with Australia's finest ensembles. Cellist Anthony Albrecht was Australia's first graduate of The Juilliard School's Historical Performance program, holds a PhD in Conservation Biology, and enjoys an international performance career.
Program:
Arvo Pärt
Fratres for solo violin, 1977
Sarah Hopkins
Reclaiming the Spirit, 1993
Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending, 1917
Chris Williams
bird, songs, seas, 2017
Ross Edwards
Ecstatic Dance No.2, 1990
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Cucu Sonata, 1664
J.S. Bach
Prelude from Cello Suite No.1, c.1720
David Lang
Anthochaera carunculata (Red Wattle Bird), 2017
Ngarra Burra Ferra
Traditional Indigenous hymn