Lunchtime Concert: Austral Harmony Bach Springtime Pastoral

Our instrumental trio arrangements are devised from J S Bach’s iconic cycle of cantatas composed in Leipzig. Several cantatas from the 1720s explore the theme of spring using the allegory of Jesus as a loving and protective shepherd. Featuring instruments of Bach’s orchestra including baroque violin, oboe, oboe d’amore, oboe da caccia & ‘cello.

LITTLE FLOCK
Allegro BWV 175 – Andante BWV 92 – Allegro BWV 79
LINGERING LIGHT
Andante BWV 6 – Siciliano BWV 85 – Andante BWV 176
SICILIENNE
Andante BWV 117
FLORA’S BEAUTY BWV 202
Springtime wafting breezes – Welling Springs – Bearing Flowers

Austral Harmony
Promoting historical instruments

Austral Harmony bring Historically Inspired Performance into mainstream awareness with Concerts and Bach-Akademies to stimulate future generations in a now rapidly burgeoning discipline of musical education. In particular they champion the extraordinary artistic legacy and creative imagination of Johann Sebastian Bach, performing at the Baroque Hall North Adelaide, Elder Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Brunswick Beethoven Festival, New England Bach Festival, Melba Hall, Glebe Music Festival, for recitals Australia, Australasian Double Reed Society National Conferences, Byron Music Society, Early Music Society Queensland, and Chamber Music Adelaide. Austral Harmony’s seasonal Grand Musical Circuits tour throughout Australian states and include an annual REMEMBER BACHfest.

Margaret Caley- baroque violin
Margaret Caley is a Brisbane-based violinist and music educator, specialising in Baroque violin performance, currently focussing on chamber music with the Arioso Chamber Ensemble. After completing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in violin performance in Australia with Spiros Rantos, Tor Fromyhr and Jan Sedivka, she studied baroque violin with Lucy van Dael at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. She has performed with orchestras and ensembles in Australia and Europe, and in live broadcasts for ABC Classic FM. Margaret has a Masters in Music (early French violin sonata repertoire) and completed a Graduate Certificate in Education at UniSQ. She was employed as an Instrumental Music Teacher (Strings) by Education Queensland from 2012 – 2025, and her current teaching focus is adult learners of violin and viola.

Jane Downer – baroque oboe
Jane has performed on historical oboes with the Oslo Barokkorkester, Concerto Köln, Academy of Ancient Music, English Baroque Soloists, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera, Adelaide Cantata Band and Canberra Bach Ensemble. She has appeared at the Innsbruck Early Music Festival, Valletta Baroque Festival (Malta), Canberra International Music Festival and the Bachfest Leipzig. Jane is the programme-note writer for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and contributes regular articles and reviews to music forums. As Artistic Director of Austral Harmony, Jane tours REMEMBER BACHfest concerts, workshops and lectures throughout Australian states.

Tim Blomfield – baroque ‘cello
Tim is co-director of the long-standing ensemble ‘Salut! Baroque’ and has recently performed in France with the ensemble ‘L’Enchantement musical’. He is also the titular organist at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Balmain, Sydney. As a natural extension of his work as a baroque cellist, Tim is Australia’s leading advocate for the bass violin. His fascination with the baroque cello began in 1983, whilst he was an undergraduate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Tim further developed this interest with Jaapter
Linden at the Rotterdam Conservatorium and the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague, the Netherlands. Furthermore, he performed in masterclasses with Anner Bijlsma, Hidemi Suzuki and Weiland, Sigiswald and Barthold Kuijken. In September 2025 and 2026, in Paris, Tim performed French sonatas for baroque cello with the Franco-American organist Carolyn Shuster Fournier. His other specialty is the production Urtext editions of previously unpublished compositions from the 17th and 18th centuries, many of which are used by ‘Salut! Baroque’ as well as other ensembles.