Music & Tea at WAG: Being Alive

MUSIC & TEA at WOLLONGONG ART GALLERY: EMERGING CONCERT ARTISTS SERIES

Exceptional young musicians curate programs that showcase their musical journey and offer audiences a glimpse of the artistic excellence cultivated through NSW music programs. Held at the Wollongong Art Gallery, these concerts allow the community to experience and share the joy of music-making in one of the town's most beautiful and friendly performance spaces.  

We respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Dharawal Country, Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Thursday, December at 11 am 

'Being Alive' with Molly Stewart & Joanna Li  - Sydney Parker, Jagger Leith & John Spence

Join us for the magical morning of musical theatre songs that celebrate 'Being Alive'. It's the perfect beginning to the Festive season. 

Music by Lloyd Webber/ Rice Minchin Richmond/Nell Benjamin Kerrigan/Lowdermilk & Sondheim and more.  

MEET OUR DECEMBER EMERGING CONCERT ARTISTS🎻🌟

Feature Artists: Molly Stewart has captivated audiences from a very young age with her voice and capacity to bring diverse characters to life.  

Originally from Wollongong, Molly is a Sydney-based performer undertaking a Bachelor of Music Performance (Music Theatre) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Molly trained with Karen Cummings before moving to study in Sydney. Molly received a Diploma in Musical Theatre from The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2020. She recently made her Hayes Theatre debut playing Mrs Segstrom in A Little Night Music and later joined the ensemble for An Evening With. In 2018, Molly was selected as one of the Top 30 Semi-Finalists for the 'Rob Guest Endowment Award'. Molly graduated high school, having ranked first in Music and Drama, and was a selected performer in Encore for her elective Music program. Her theatre credits include Cathy in The Last Five Years, Heather McNamara in Heathers, Hannah/Others in Puffs (Rising Arts), Rona in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Crystal Clear), Vivienne in Legally Blonde, Jan in Grease (So Popera), Sophie in Mamma Mia!, Rose in Dogfight, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Arcadians) and received CAT Awards for her performances as Elphaba in Wicked (AMTC) and Little Red Riding Hood in Into The Woods (So Popera).

After winning many accolades as a soloist in her youth, Joanna Li has chosen to focus on collaborative piano studies for her master's. She studies with Jeanelle Carrigan. She has received multiple scholarship awards and prizes, most recently receiving a scholarship to attend an intensive summer school at the 2023 Collaborative Piano Institute at Louisiana State University. Joanna has made working with singers a focus of her collaborative piano training.

Young Artists: Sydney Parker and Jagger Leith return with a short program of duets accompanied by John Spence, pianist and resident composer at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. Like Molly, Sydney has been a long-time student of a noted singing teacher and vocal coach, Karen Cummings. In 2023, Sydney and Jagger delighted audiences with their combination of songs, with Jagger accompanying them on piano and guitar. These young artists are rapidly building a place for themselves in musical theatre and contemporary music. John Spence, pianist and resident composer at Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, will accompany them.