Women of Note - Winter Harmonies

Women of Note presents “Winter Harmonies” at St Paul’s Cathedral, followed by a delightful afternoon tea.

Under the guidance of Music Director Anne Begg, and accompanied by pianist Merle Hopman, experience a performance that celebrates the diverse sounds of 20th-century music.  From themes of sunshine and rain to the joy of singing and songs of peace, enjoy a musical journey reflecting aspects of “Sun, Rain, Love, and Peace”.

As a non-auditioning community choir, WoN meets weekly to foster friendship through song, singing a wide-ranging repertoire including traditional songs from around the world, classical, folk, jazz and popular music.

They perform at community events and host their own concerts, often inviting Victorian choirs to join them, as they did for their choral spectacular “Come to the Music” in May 2023.  They have sung at festivals overseas in Africa, USA and New Zealand and will be performing at Hobart’s Festival of Voices in July.

Joining them in this concert are the Castlemaine Chamber Players and Naroman - Melbourne Timorese Community Choir, adding to an enriching musical experience.

Castlemaine Chamber Players

Formed in 2014, Castlemaine Chamber Players bring together professional musicians from Central Victoria to play masterworks of the string quartet repertoire, plus quintets and sextets with guest performers. Composed of violinist Sasha Bronshtein and Heather Cummins, violist Frances Gall, and cellist Elisabeth Anderson, they are joined by guest first violinist Lizzy Welsh, one of Australia's leading early music performers. The ensemble will perform Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K.465 ("Dissonance").

Naroman – Melbourne Timorese Community Choir

Naroman (“to bring light") is an amateur choir established in 2023 to provide music for the inaugural Timor-Leste Community Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in November of that year. The choir comprises members of the Timorese community in Melbourne, and they recorded three traditional songs to support the first-ever Timorese artist exhibition at the Venice Biennale in April 2024. Music and singing are central to their oral culture, serving as the means through which they share their stories, reflecting both the good and bad times, and embodying their hopes and dreams. Naroman will be performing traditional songs from Timor-Leste that have helped define their journey.