Now in its 3rd edition, Sydney Chamber Choir’s much-loved concert series fusing classical, jazz and popular song returns – this time welcoming Spring & celebrating the beauty of the changing seasons.
Presented in the intimate surrounds of The Neilson at Walsh Bay on Pier 2/3 by the harbour, this program invites audiences to experience the year’s cycle through music of warmth, reflection & joy.
Led by Sam Allchurch as well as Naomi Crellin and Nick Begbie (from the award-winning a cappella ensemble The Idea of North), the Choir joins forces with a superb jazz trio to explore the shifting moods of nature and time.
Benjamin Britten’s radiant The Succession of the Four Sweet Months and Joe Twist’s On the Night Train capture the poetry of the natural world in timeless choral writing. These are paired with imaginative arrangements of beloved favourites, including the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, the Beach Boys’ Their Hearts Were Full of Spring, Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy and Bess, and the jazz classic Autumn Leaves, made famous by Nat King Cole.
Blending elegance, swing and lyrical beauty, Time & Tide offers a captivating evening where genres meet, voices shimmer, and the turning of the year is celebrated in music of light, colour and grace.
Artistic director and conductor Sam Allchurch said the choir had hugely enjoyed bringing audience a new way of experiencing the Sydney Chamber Choir in jazz-infused programs brought together by the ‘incomparable’ Naomi Crellin.
“Time and Tide is our latest instalment, exploring the different seasons of our lives in the intimate atmosphere of the Nielson on Pier 2/3. Naomi has arranged some of the best jazz classics with witty and beautiful twists which sit alongside some moments of a cappella stillness.”
Naomi Crellin added: “This program is close to my heart as it marries my first love of classical choral harmony with my evolution into the lush expression of jazz harmony. The repertoire demands a deeper connection to lyric and intent, and gives the choir the freedom to express itself on a different level. Having the opportunity to direct this fine ensemble and be trusted to guide them outside their comfort zone is a great privilege.”
Artists
Sydney Chamber Choir | Sam Allchurch, Conductor | Naomi Crellin Co-Director | Nick Begbie Co-Director | Kevin Hunt Jazz Trio
Program includes
Benjamin Britten: The Succession of the Four Sweet Months
Dan Forrest: Good Night, Dear Heart
George Gershwin: Summertime
Dave Grusin/Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman (arr. Crellin): When Summer Turns to Snow
George Harrison (arr. Crellin): Here Comes the Sun
Joseph Kosma/Johnny Mercer (arr. Connolly and Crellin): Autumn Leaves
Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein: It Might as Well Be Spring
Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein (arr. Crellin): Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
Bobby Troup: Their Hearts Were Full of Spring
Joe Twist: On the Night Train
Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman (arr. Crellin): Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
Sydney Chamber Choir: Sessions on the Pier – Time & Tide Sat 19 Sept 5pm & 8pm at The Neilson, ACO on the Pier, Pier 2/3 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay Tickets: $30-$110 | Bookings: www.sydneychamberchoir.org.au
Big Band brilliance meets Hollywood glamour! BBD Entertainment presents a lavish evening of classic standards, live orchestral sweep and the kind of vocal interplay that made Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s collaboration so beloved. Two Melbourne dates this spring offer audiences the chance to hear the Great American Songbook delivered with warmth, wit and a 20 piece band.
Tony & Gaga: An Opulent Big Band Experience pairs powerhouse vocalist Sarah C with style icon Dom Bagnato for a show built around the songs that defined an era of sophisticated pop. Sarah C, known to Australian audiences from Dancing With The Stars and X Factor, brings vocal depth and presence to every standard, while Bagnato adds charm and stage charisma to match. Together, they recreate the chemistry that made Bennett and Gaga’s duet albums so appealing.
Behind them stands the Mojo Orchestra, a 20 piece ensemble delivering the lush arrangements these songs demand. Strings, brass and rhythm section fill the room with the kind of live orchestral sound that streaming cannot replicate. The setlist draws from the Great American Songbook, the body of classic standards that both Bennett and Gaga championed throughout their celebrated partnership.
The production plays two Melbourne venues this spring. Frankston Arts Centre hosts the first show on Saturday 5 September at 7.30pm, offering a seated theatre setting for audiences in the southern suburbs. A month later, on Friday 9 October at 7.30pm, the show moves to Birds Basement, the intimate jazz room beneath the city where the orchestra and vocalists will be close enough to touch.
Each venue offers a different way into the material. Frankston’s theatre brings scale and sweep; Birds Basement brings proximity and atmosphere. Both promise an evening of polished vocals, a full live band and songs that have never really gone out of style.
Tickets for both performances are on sale now. For an evening of classic standards, vocal chemistry and a 20 piece orchestra in full flight, book your seats at Sarah C Shows.
Tony & Gaga: An Opulent Big Band Experience Rating
★★★★★
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Most know the late Tony Bennett and the much younger pop icon, Lady Gaga, who shared a musical partnership and a friendship for decades. Both were Italian singers with a mutual respect for each other, as well as two collaborative jazz albums.
After first meeting at the 2011 Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City, when Bennett told Gaga, “Lady, you are a jazz singer”, later that year Gaga recorded “The Lady Is a Tramp” for Bennett’s Duets II album.
So successful, they then released the chart-topping jazz record Cheek to Cheek in 2014 and the Cole Porter tribute album Love for Sale in 2021.
What many don’t know is the mutual impact and support they shared revitalized Gaga’s love for music when she was considering quitting the music industry. Their partnership was that profound.
For the amazing Tony & Gaga tribute show in Melbourne last Friday, acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Sarah C, (Dancing with the Stars, X Factor) teamed up with debonair Melbourne fashion icon, Dom Bagnato, to sing the unforgettable hits of the American Songbook.
Arguably, some of the best songs ever produced in our history, some nearly 100 years old, these timeless tunes fit somewhere into our lives emotionally, still today.
When I last reviewed Sarah’s ‘Soul Divas’ show, I met Dom in the audience, excited about doing this new show with Sarah C.
This had developed when Sarah and Dom had sung together at the birthday of Dom’s daughter when they realised they had some great musical mojo together. Now, the rest is history.
No coincidence, the 20-piece band backing Sarah and Dom on Friday night were named the Mojo Orchestra and, the chemistry between Sarah and Dom with this great band, was an absolute treat to behold.
Dressed in dinner suits and bow ties, the Mojo Orchestra stage setting was reminiscent of the halcyon days of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Mojo had the same musical precision Miller’s band was famous for – when to come in loud and when to pull back – without anyone knowing how they timed that.
The first song of the night, sung by backing singers Cathy Moloney and Julie Kemelfield, was ‘Summertime’, from the musical Porgy and Bess. They were there to warm us up so, we had no idea how opulent our experience was about to be.
I had just flown in Friday morning from a friend’s “007” wedding in Greece and a week in Thailand’s relaxed humidity, straight into Melbourne’s frosty Friday night to do this review, so ‘Summertime’ seemed serendipitous.
I was ready for the warmth of “crooner” tunes, when Musical Director, Peter Foley, introduced us to Sarah C and Dom Bagnato as Gaga and Bennett and their first duet, the classic, ‘The Lady is a Tramp’. It is a playful song about a woman who hates strict social rules, made famous by singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, celebrating being free and real. What more could one want?
Sarah C, always so glamourous – was wearing a leopard print blazer, diamante brooch and a Fedora hat, the first of her many changes – showed us her vocal versatility with some matching Beebop, (first developed in the 40s by legends like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.).
The band sounded romantic and fabulous and the audience couldn’t wait to hear what more was in store for their evening.
Next, Sarah and Dom performed ‘Heaven’ with Sarah’s tone reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, she always sings so brilliantly; followed by ‘Night and Day’, composed by Cole Porter in 1932 for the Broadway musical, Gay Divorcee; and ‘Under my Skin’, also by Cole Porter in 1936 and adopted by Sinatra as one of his signature hits.
Dom bantered happily with our audience like he knew us all personally.
“When I travel, I like to sing, especially this one’, ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’. He sang a very apt tribute to Tony Bennett, who originally recorded and popularized the song in 1962, when it quickly became Bennett’s signature song.
Dom then chose the Sinatra hit, ‘The way you look tonight’, originally sung by Fred Astaire and, Mojo’s trombones were exquisite.
Then, another Sinatra hit with an arrangement by Quincy Jones from 1964, ‘Fly me to the Moon’ – later becoming tied to NASA’s Apollo space missions.
The Mojo band excelled during this number with their eight saxophones especially synchronised, powerful and melodic.
Sarah C returned to the stage in a long pink satin dress to sing us ‘La Vie ‘en Rose’ (Life in pink), in French. A wonderful tribute to Edith Piaf’s 1945 version, which later became a hit in the USA in the 50’s.
Next was ‘At Last’, originally recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday in 1941. Most know Etta James’ 1960 soul version. Sarah C’s smoky depth gave us a little mix of both, Sarah taking full advantage of her exquisite 20-piece orchestra at that moment.
The audience was invited to take a break and on return, Dom treated us to a Sinatra and Dean Martin medley: ‘Come fly with me’, ‘All of me’, ‘You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you’ and finally, ‘My Way’, which Dom sang with all his heart and soul, totally winning over the audience and causing us all to stand and cheer.
Sarah C in her a beautiful, long pink gown, tied in a huge bow – designed by Ella Atkins – paired with a stunning Halo diamante Tiara, sang one of my all-time favourite songs – once recorded by Sammy Davis Junior, John Coltrane, Michael Buble, and, most famously, the irrepressible Nina Simone – the very cool and extremely groovy, ‘I’m feeling good’.
To hear this classic sung by Sarah in an intimate band room, performed live by the magnificent Mojo orchestra, was spine-tingling.
As were the following hits, ‘Orange coloured Sky’ originally by Nat King Cole; ‘My Baby just cares for me’; ‘I get a kick out of you’; Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald’s, ‘Don’t mean a thing if you ‘aint got that swing’ and finally, ‘New York. New York.’
By this time, the audience was singing along loudly and with joy.
Brunswick Ballroom is one of Melbourne’s live music gems. Not only does it host live original and cover bands of every genre on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays – and some weekdays – on this marvellous night, it opened at 6.30pm for dinner before the show starting at 8.30pm.
Who doesn’t love a dinner and show?
This was something different – An opulent big band experience, everyone dressed up to the nines in an intimate ballroom, hosting a 20-piece orchestra behind two powerhouse voices, two good friends, who, like the real Tony and Gaga re-igniting these classics, had a camaraderie and talent too good to miss.
A time of chivalry, respect, romance and joy. Melbourne needs more of this.
Don’t miss your chance to see this great show. Upcoming dates are:
Frankston Arts Centre – Saturday, 5th September, 2026.
Discover the next generation of Japan’s thriving jazz scene with Japan Jazz Nights, a touring jazz program that will take place in seven Australian cities in October 2026. Touring Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, this exciting lineup features four groundbreaking Japanese artists at the forefront of the contemporary jazz scene: BIGYUKI, STEREO CHAMP, Tenors In Chaos and Misaki UMEI.
While Japanese jazz has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity worldwide, the current generation of contemporary Japanese jazz artists remain largely undiscovered by global audiences.
Featuring solo shows, group performances, collaborations with local Australian artists and more, Japan Jazz Nights gives Australians the rare chance to experience firsthand the creativity, diversity and vitality of Japan’s contemporary jazz scene.
Presented by The Japan Foundation (JF), Japan Jazz Nights is being held in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia. Through the universal language of music, this initiative aims to foster meaningful connections between Japan and Australia and strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
For both longtime jazz lovers and newcomers to the genre, Japan Jazz Nights is an unmissable opportunity to experience these musical icons, as they showcase the beauty of their craft and shape the future sound of modern jazz.
Further performance details to be announced mid-August.
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