A 2008 recording of ‘Variations on an Epitaph’ composed by Chloé Charody and performed by myself alongside pianist Lindsay Gilroy has been selected for inclusion in the upcoming ‘Music for the Journey Home – As Heard on Classic Drive’ compilation, to be released on ABC Classics (Australia) on February 6.
More details here.
Performing tonight alongside some extraordinary musicians for Igudesman & Joo’s NYE show at the Vienna Konzerthaus. I will be performing excerpts from my ‘PyroViolinist’ fireshow as well as some acrobatics and other violin madness. Should be a fun night!
I have been told this is the first time in the 101 year history of the Konzerthaus that there has been a fire performance of this kind so I am very honoured. Huge thanks to the management of the Konzerthaus, Igudesman & Joo and the production team for allowing this to happen.
I have to say that fire performance cannot be done alone. So a special thanks to my duo partner Lisa Chou for being such an amazing fire assistant.
Thrilled to announce that one of my projects – ‘Spiegel Duo’ (with pianist/multi-instrumentalist Lisa Chou) – has been awarded a Konservatorium Wien ‘Fidelio’ Prize for 2014! Special thanks our donor HFP Steuerberater and congrats to the other competitors and awardees.
Also pleased to report that this was achieved whilst rocking mohawks, neon leggings and Docs and playing a total of eleven instruments between us. Continuing to bring a touch of the circus and cabaret to classical music! 😉
Some footage from the ORF RadioKulturhaus, Vienna where we performed an excerpt of ‘Maninyas’ by Australian composer Ross Edwards as part of the prizewinners concert:
Super excited to be working with such amazing, multitalented Vienna-based musicians on my inter-disciplinary chamber orchestra! This project has had many forms, ever since I decided to learn to play violin upside down as a 10 year old. From Sydney Conservatorium days in the early 2000’s to here it has already been an incredible journey and I am so excited for the next phase! Documentary footage to come. 🙂
Very much looking forward to performing Richard Strauss’ ‘Metamorphosen’ for 23 solo strings with Concertino Wien (chamber orchestra of the Wiener Symphoniker) at the Konzerthaus this weekend! Have been wanting to play this piece for quite a while. 🙂
Program also includes Mozart Symphony no.2 and Haydn Cello Concerto in D with soloist Sebastian Bru. Info & tickets here.
Excited to be making my Vienna fire debut performing parts of my ‘PyroViolinist’ show alongside some extraordinary singers and instrumentalists for the season opening of the wonderful Mosaïque!
Also includes my ‘Flamekeeper’ roaming stilts act from ‘The Harlequin Court Orchestra‘ and some violin playing too of course… 😉
7. October at brick-5, Vienna.
Doors 6:30, starts 7:30pm. More info and tix here.
The Classical Revolution movement, originally started in San Francisco, has made it to Vienna! The organisation aims to put on chamber music performances in unusual settings. Was awesome to join some great musicians (including Vienna chapter instigator Emer Kinsella) for last week’s session at Cafe Weidinger. Tonight 3 June we will be playing in Bruno Keisky Park after the Science Fiction film festival. To stay in the loop on further dates here is the Facebook group.
Great time in Krakow with some wonderful musicians I met while playing in Nigel Kennedy’s Orchestra of Life.
Recording tracks beautifully arranged by Alicja Śmietana for a project very dear to our hearts – ‘FRIENDS’ an album of the music of the late, great Polish guitarist Jarek Śmietana to be released in the next few months.
So happy to be joining the amazing Wiener Symphoniker playing Stravinsky’s masterpiece ‘The Rite of Spring’ in the Musikverein Großer Saal, Vienna for the next 3 nights! This has been on my bucket list for a while now…
Program also includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Piano Concerto no. 3.
Back at the Musikverein, Vienna this week, performing some chamber music works of Jörg Widmann on 9 May. Has been a great few days of rehearsals with the composer/clarinettist – always a pleasure to work with a living composer! Some awesome music with some very cool effects. More info and tickets here.
Stoked to have joined the ranks of Concertino Wien (chamber orchestra of the Wiener Symphoniker) for a tour of Germany with oboist Albrecht Mayer (Berlin Philharmoniker). Program included Wolf, Mozart, Haydn & Wolf-Ferrari. What an awesome group of musicians! Packed houses and trailing rave reviews across Germany… 😉
Wonderful evening last night opening the e-Luminate Festival in Cambridge, UK with the amazing Alicja Śmietana. The festival runs until 23rd Feb and features some stunning light sculptures and installations including an interactive noughts and crosses game on the Guildhall! More info here.
As always the freelance life yields some diverse and interesting engagements! In the next few months I’ll be appearing on stage with Michael Bublé, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the wonderful violinist Alicja Smietana, Alexey Igudesman and the Max Steiner Orchestra to name a few.
In between, background work is full steam ahead on a variety of other projects and maybe even a trip back home to Oz… More details to come soon!
‘The Carnival’ a circus opera (music & libretto by Chloé Charody, created and directed by Chloé Charody & Sonja Schebeck) is resident at Hamburg’s sublime Fliegende Bauten for October/ November.
What a spectacular cast, couldn’t be happier!
More pics here.
Super excited to be performing at the amazing St Prex Classics festival, Switzerland on 31 Aug & 1 Sept with Nigel Kennedy and Richard Galliano. What a privilege to witness two absolute masters of their craft in collaboration.
Also very humbled that we will be opening the show with my chamber arrangement (for solo violin, oboe, string quintet and piano) of Vaughan-Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’!
The incredible venue ‘LUNA’, purpose built for the festival, features a balloon like roof that lights up like a moon looking over St Prex. Some behind-the-scenes pics here.
Heading to Poland for a special night of chamber music with the amazing Alicja Śmietana & friends in the beautiful Dworek Gościnny in Szczawnica. And we are sharing the bill with one of Poland’s most famous mime-artists!
Honoured to have been a part of this unique and historic BBC Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 August – a never-before-heard rendition of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons featuring jazz, free improv and Arabic-inspired link sections with the very talented members of the Palestine Strings (ages only 13-23!).
Four and five star reviews rolling in from The Independent, The Guardian and The Times among others. Go Team! X
Excerpts from the concert can be seen here.
Following our ‘surprise’ appearance last night performing Czardas with the incredible Nigel Kennedy and his Band at Dworek Gościnny, Szczawnica, the Orchestra of Life Strings take the stage tonight at Muzyczna Owczarnia, Jaworki!
With very special guests Tomasz ‘Kukush’ Kukurba (Kroke) and Nigel Kennedy.
Program includes my arrangement of Vaughan-Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’ for solo violin and string orchestra. 🙂
Great vibes, gonna go off!
Honoured to be playing in a very special concert in Krakow on 17 June – ‘Music Inspired by Friendship’.
This concert features members of the original Orchestra of Life strings founded by Nigel Kennedy in 2010, who accompanied him on extensive tours across Germany, UK, Poland and Switzerland.
Program includes: E. Grieg – Holberg’s Suite, A. Vivaldi – Concerto for 4 Violins in b minor RV-580, J.S.Bach – Concerto for Violin and Oboe in d minor BWV 1060 (Alicja Śmietana, Mariusz Pędziałek), A. Vivaldi – Concerto for 2 Violins in A minor RV 522 (Alicja Śmietana, Sonja Schebeck), M. Karłowicz – Serenade for String Orchestra.
Funds raised will go towards medical treatment for the great Polish jazz guitarist and our dear friend Jarek Śmietana. If you are anywhere near Krakow please come along.
Wrapping up a MAMMOTH few months in Sydney, Australia developing ‘The Carnival’ circus opera with a very talented team of people. Fun times (and always a bonus to be at home in Sydney!!!)
Huge thanks to all involved and especially my wonderful parents for their endless help and support and for allowing their house become a temporary costume workshop/set factory/rehearsal space!
Music & libretto by Chloé Charody | Directed & created by Chloé Charody & Sonja Schebeck | Choreography by Rebecca Liu-Brennan & Allie Gunton | Costumes by Sonja & Luba Schebeck | Set by John Schebeck | Produced by Charody Productions, arts inc. creative & OutSide The Box
Behind the scenes pics here.
New trailer coming soon! 🙂
Last night I was lucky enough to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.1 (mvts 2 & 3) with a fantastic orchestra formed for the finals of the International Space Time Concerto Competition in Newcastle, Australia. And as a bonus, I won my category of the competition!! 🙂
Fun times. Congrats to the other finalists and category winners and huge thanks to all involved.
For more info about the competition check out www.spacetimeconcerto.com and an interview I did for the competition can be found here.
An arrangement of Vivaldi RV516 I did a while back (beautifully played here by Isidore Tillers and Ezmi Pepper) was used for this inspirational documentary.
SO excited to be on holiday back home in Sydney!!!
Had an awesome night playing at Kinetic Jazz 2012 (works by Richard Savery).
Also pumped to be sitting in with the brilliant Sydney Symphony Orchestra for the Finals of the Sydney International Piano competition and a little later this month, the premiere of Carl Vine’s Piano Concerto no. 2 at the Opera House! Nothing quite like playing at home. 🙂
Buzzed after premiering Australian composer Chloé Charody‘s “The Phoenix” violin caprice at the Musikverein (Gläserner Saal/Magna Auditorium), Vienna, Austria on 15 May. Aussie Aussie Aussie!
Guesting with Jazz Orchestra Tirol at this year’s TschirgArt Jazzfestival, Imst, Austria.
Back on the road for January with Nigel Kennedy and the Orchestra of Life for a tour across the UK, including Cardiff and Edinburgh among others! Program featuring Vivaldi: Four Seasons and Kennedy: Four Elements
Performing at the Vienna Konzerthaus on New Years Eve as part of the ensemble for The Igudesman & Joo UNICEF World Record of the Most Dancing Violinists! And a very good cause. Congrats all round!
Heading into Angel Studios, London with Nigel Kennedy and the Orchestra of Life for the recording of a new Vivaldi Four Seasons for Sony Classical. It is gonna rock!
Mathieu Gremillet’s documentary on the making of the opera-ballet ‘Magdalene’ (composed by Chloé Charody, libretto by Malcolm Rock, choreographed by Remi Wortmeyer), for which I was guest musician with the Dutch National Ballet earlier this year, screens at the international Cinedans Film Festival in Amsterdam on 3rd December. Program info here.
Straight back onto the road for a month-long tour of Germany with Nigel Kennedy and the Orchestra of Life. Featuring Vivaldi: The Four Seasons and Kennedy: The Four Elements. 22 concerts in November, bring it on!
Charody Productions UK and Kompani Malakhi team up to co-produce ‘The Carnival’s return to London’s West End.
A little behind-the-scenes footage at the beginning of this:
Performing at Red Bennies 21-25 September for ‘The Carnival’ Melbourne Fringe shows. Composed by Chloé Charody.
I will be doing some fire eating/taming as well as playing violin whilst flying. 🙂 Come on down!
An interview I did with Red Bennies:
http://www.redbennies.com/news/sonja-schebeck—the-carnival—21st-to-25th-september
Priveleged to be performing tonight at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam as guest musician with the Dutch National Ballet for the premiere of the opera-ballet ‘Magdalene’, composed by Chloé Charody, libretto by Malcolm Rock and choreographed by Remi Wortmeyer.
‘The Carnival’ (composed by Chloé Charody) will make it’s London West End debut at the Leicester Square Theatre on 18th March!
Featuring soprano Allegra Giagu, pianist Yulia Vorontsova and contortionist Delia du Sol.
Heading into the AMAZING Hookend Studios for the recording of Nigel Kennedy’s new ‘Four Elements’ album for Sony Classical.
Also my first experience doing score preparation for a major tour. Here goes!
The album EPK can be found here.
More info at http://www.nigel-kennedy.net/home
sonjaschebeck.com 