Canberra Sinfonia: Apcar's Holland

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Join the Canberra Sinfonia and pianist Ronan Apcar to experience three pieces never performed before in Australia.

Ronan is rapidly making a name for himself as one of Australia's foremost contemporary specialists. He is well-known in Canberra for his performances at the CIMF and ANU School of Music. His 2021 debut album of solo piano music by Australian icon Dulcie Holland became an ABC Classic feature album. Now experience a world first as Ronan performs Dulcie Holland's Concertino for Piano and Strings - in what will be, incredibly, the premiere of this forgotten masterpiece.

Then turn your ears to the silver screen for the world concert premiere of Christopher Gordon's soundtrack to the 2020 film June Again. This is quite simply 20 minutes of some of the most beautiful music written this century. No wonder the sound track won the Best Feature Score at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, and was nominated for Screen Music Awards Australia's Best Feature Score.

Our performance opens with the Australian premiere of American composer Bobby Ge's The Light That Breaks Through. A meditation for piano and strings also written in 2020, it shows the joy that came out of a globally challenging year. Ge is already making waves as an emerging composer, with performances by the Minnesota Orchestra and Albany Symphony, and upcoming premieres at Carnegie Hall. Ge is currently pursuing his PhD at Princeton University as a Naumburg Fellow. 

If you enjoy film scores or contemporary music, this performance is for you! Or if you love the classics, this is the perfect opportunity to experience something new. 

Join the Canberra Sinfonia with conductor Leonard Weiss as we highlight some of the most amazing musicians in our National Capital.

Ronan Apcar is a young Australian pianist, composer, and musician best known for his work with contemporary classical and modern art music, particularly by Australian composers. His love for music across many styles – jazz to the avant-garde, classical to contemporary music – translates into his open-minded, exciting, and unique work as a musician. Though always striving to be a well-rounded musician, Ronan excels in modern and contemporary music. In 2021, he released his debut album, Dulcie Holland Crescent, which became one of ABC Classic’s feature albums.

Ronan has appeared in the 13th International Music Festival in Moscow and the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival. He graduated from the ANU School of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Performance/Composition), where he was awarded the Peter & Lena Karmel Anniversary Prize for being the top graduating student. He also received his LMusA with Distinction in 2020 and is the recipient of several other prizes, including the Shirley Paton Memorial Scholarship (2021), Erika Haas Prize (2020 & 2019), and Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Prize (2019).