The repertoire of Australia’s leading recorder virtuoso, Genevieve Lacey, ranges from medieval manuscripts to cutting-edge contemporary commissions. She has a love of both the very old and the very new in music, performing on an instrument that has become a bridge between worlds that are centuries apart.

She discusses her remarkable journey, from growing up in Papua New Guinea, to her musically formative years in Ballarat, through to her career-defining encounters with ensembles like the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Along the way, she shares how the recorder became her voice, despite the prejudices attached to it as a schoolyard toy, and how she has carved out a career performing on an instrument that few master to this level.

Genevieve also reflects on her wider curatorial work, her passion for collaboration, and the role of arts and culture in shaping a healthy society. She reveals why the relative simplicity of the recorder continues to captivate her and audiences alike.

Genevieve Lacey joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra for A Musical Awakening, under the guest direction of ACO principal cellist Timo-Veikko Valve until 21 September.

Brett Weymark has spent over two decades as Artistic and Music Director of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, shaping the sound of one of Australia’s leading choral organisations. Along the way he has conducted every major Australian orchestra, worked with Opera Australia and Pinchgut Opera, and even brought his skills to the big screen conducting film scores including Happy Feet and Mad Max: Fury Road.

In this conversation, Brett reflects on his path from childhood singalongs to standing on the podium at the Sydney Opera House. He talks candidly about the mentors who inspired him, the challenges of leading volunteer singers to professional standards, and the joy and meaning he finds in the collective act of making music.

Warm, witty, and deeply insightful, Brett is a conductor who has dedicated his life to bringing voices together.

Brett Weymark conducts the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for Michael Tippett’s A Child of our Time, in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House at 2pm on Saturday 13 September.

Few musicians have expanded the horizons of their instrument quite like harpist Alice Giles. From winning the Israel International Harp Contest at just 21, to acclaimed performances across Europe and America, Alice has become one of the world’s most celebrated harpists — praised for her artistry, imagination and technical brilliance. But her journey has not always been conventional: she’s performed with the great orchestras, championed contemporary repertoire, and even carried her harp to Antarctica.

In this conversation, Alice reflects on her formative years and the mentors who shaped her, including the legendary June Loney and Alice Chalifoux. She shares the challenges and triumphs of building an international career, the delicate art of balancing music with family life, and what it means to her now to guide the next generation as both teacher and Chair of the World Harp Congress. With warmth, insight and a touch of adventure, Alice offers a portrait of a musician who has never stopped exploring what the harp can be – in sound, in colour, and in life.

Alice Giles performs with the Australian World Orchestra under chief conductor Alexander Briger for Mahler’s 4th and 5th Symphonies, at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Wednesday September 3, and the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on Thursday September 4.