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NATIONAL ART SCHOOL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS PRESENT

Australian Haydn Ensemble, Song Company and Ensemble Offspring

The National Art School is pleased to be a venue partner of Great Southern Nights, a music event which will bring 1,000 COVID-safe performances to live music venues in Greater Sydney and regional NSW in November (Australian Music Month).

This event is a NSW Government initiative, delivered by its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW in partnership with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) to stimulate the revival of the live music and entertainment sectors and in turn the visitor economy in the recovery phase of COVID-19.

Venues will present 1,000 gigs showcasing established, emerging and local Australian artists, across a multitude of venues around NSW. Great Southern Nights will culminate in Australia’s premier music industry event, the ARIA Awards.

All music events will be programmed in line with current NSW Government health advice regarding physical distancing and venue capacity of public gatherings.

The National Art School will present a series of concerts in the Cell Block Theatre featuring Australia’s leading music ensemble’s including The Australian Haydn Ensemble, The Song Company, and Ensemble Offspring.

Australian Haydn Ensemble

Haydn’s Dream & Bach’s Goldberg

Friday 6 November, 7pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

The subject of dreams has long occupied the imagination of composers, poets, and artists throughout history. AHE explores this subject with an intriguing collection of works including Haydn’s Dream Quartet, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Tomb Scene from Romeo and Juliet.

PERFORMERS 

Skye McIntosh – Violin
Matthew Greco – Violin
Karina Schmitz – Viola
Daniel Yeadon – Cello

PROGRAM 

HAYDN
String Quartet in F major Op. 50 No. 5 The Dream
Allegro moderato
Poco adagio
Tempo di Menuetto: Allegretto
Finale: Vivace

BEETHOVEN
String Quartet in F major Op. 18 No. 1
Allegro con brio
Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
Scherzo: Allegro molto
Allegro

J.S. BACH
Goldberg Variations BWV 988 arr. for string quartet (Selections)

The Song Company

Circle of Virtue

Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November, 7pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

A dramatic presentation of the earliest surviving music drama by 12th Century abbess, visionary and natural philosopher, Hildegard of Bingen.

One of the earliest-named composers in Western musical history and outspoken in her dealings with princes and popes in mediaeval Europe, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen created the earliest-known opera or music drama, Ordo Virtutum, for the female inmates of her Abbey at Rupertsberg. The Song Company presents a semi-staged performance designed specifically for social distancing directed by Leonie Cambage, with Roberta Diamond, Jessica O’Donoghue, Pip Dracakis, Janine Harris, Koen van Stade, Ethan Taylor and Hayden Barrington. Music Director Antony Pitts.

The Song Company | Close-Up: Esperar, Sentir, Morir

Saturday 14 November, 2pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

Principal Artist, soprano Roberta Diamond is joined by Guest Artist, harpist Hannah Lane for voyages in music from the Iberian peninsula. Traditional melodies in Spanish and Ladino from the Sephardic diaspora are intertwined with theatre music from the Spanish Golden Age along with popular compositions that travelled to the other end of the continent.

Works by: JUAN HIDALGO | JOSÉ MARÍN | LUIS DE NARVÁEZ | ALONSO MUDARRA | MANUEL DE FALLA

Featuring: Roberta Diamond, soprano & Hannah Lane (Baroque Triple Harp)

 

Ensemble Offspring

INGUZ

Thursday 19 November, 7.30pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

Celebrating spring, fertility, the moon and renewal Ensemble Offspring presents this tasting plate of living new music featuring works from home and across the globe. We remember the creative genius that was Cor Fuhler (NL/AUS), we premiere new works from Gerry Brophy (Aus) and Christopher Fox (UK) and we revisit duos by living legends Liza Lim and Kaija Saariaho. Be a part of the live music making experience after the longest hiatus in living history, as part of Great Southern Nights at the Cell Block Theatre this November!

Ensemble Offspring are Sydney’s musical mavericks, uniting the most innovative instrumentalists in Australia with a broad collective of collaborators to explore new ideas through living new music. Led by acclaimed percussionist Claire Edwardes, the ensemble comprises a core line-up of some of Australia’s most well-regarded and virtuosic musicians. In this concert you will hear Lamorna Nightingale (flute), Jason Noble (clarinet), Freya Schack-Arnott (cello) and Claire Edwardes (vibraphone & percussion). Together the musicians of Ensemble Offspring champion living composers and create musical experiences that stimulate the senses and pique curiosity. They support emerging and as-yet-unheard composers, in particular championing female identifying and First Nations artists.

PROGRAM

Cornelis Fuhler -Tinderbox (flute, bass clarinet, cello & percussion) 6’

Kaija Saariaho -Oi Kuu (bass flute & cello) 6’

Gerard Brophy -ne me quitte pas (flute and vibraphone) 3’ WP

Iannis Xenakis -Rebonds B (percussion solo) 7’

Kate Moore – Blackbird Song (alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone) 9’

Liza Lim -Inguz (cello & clarinet) 6’30

Christopher Fox – Trace (flute, vibraphone, clarinet & cello) 9’ WP

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Art Club is our high school student program for 15-17 year olds, designed to enhance and extend students’ technical, conceptual, and intellectual skills, through intensive practical study in the disciplines offered at NAS as well as engaging in an experience of our studios and campus, under the expert direction of experienced artists.

Set your child on a creative path with Art Club.

Learn more at the link in bio.

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Apr 15

Open
Art Club is our high school student program for 15-17 year olds, designed to enhance and extend students’ technical, conceptual, and intellectual skills, through intensive practical study in the disciplines offered at NAS as well as engaging in an experience of our studios and campus, under the expert direction of experienced artists. Set your child on a creative path with Art Club. Learn more at the link in bio.

Thank you to everyone who attended the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize and congratulations again to the prize winner NAS alumna Rosemary Lee.

The 24th Dobell Drawing Prize is now open until Saturday 21 June 2025
11am – 5pm Monday to Saturday
NAS Gallery
Free admission, all welcome

Learn more about the exhibition at the link in bio.

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Apr 11

Open
Thank you to everyone who attended the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize and congratulations again to the prize winner NAS alumna Rosemary Lee. The 24th Dobell Drawing Prize is now open until Saturday 21 June 2025 11am – 5pm Monday to Saturday NAS Gallery Free admission, all welcome Learn more about the exhibition at the link in bio.

We are delighted to announce NAS alumna Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, worth $30,000.

Selected from 56 nationwide finalists, and 965 entries, Rosemary’s work will become part of the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. Rosemary, in her winning work 24-1 (2024), observes tonal and compositional profundity in everyday life.

The judging panel comprising acclaimed First Nations artist Vernon Ah Kee, Paula Latos-Valier AM, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, and Dr Yolunda Hickman, Head of Postgraduate Studies, National Art School, commented of Rosemary’s work: “The decision to award the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize to Rosemary Lee for the work ‘24-1’ was unanimous. We were most impressed by the level of visual intensity the artist has achieved in this work both through its vibrant colour and in the extraordinary detail of the composition. The artwork’s exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill, has produced an image capturing a broader sense of transience and the omnipresence of construction sites in our cities today. It questions the cultural and historical value of place, through the lens of the artist’s personal connection.”

See Lee’s work alongside the work of the other finalists in the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, 11 April – 21 June 2025, NAS Gallery
—
Left to right: NAS Director and CEO, Dr Kristen Sharp with artist Rosemary Lee, featuring winning artwork 24–1, 2024, pencil on paper, image courtesy the artist and National Art School Gallery © the artist, photograph: Peter Morgan

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Apr 10

Open
We are delighted to announce NAS alumna Rosemary Lee as the winner of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, worth $30,000. Selected from 56 nationwide finalists, and 965 entries, Rosemary’s work will become part of the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. Rosemary, in her winning work 24-1 (2024), observes tonal and compositional profundity in everyday life. The judging panel comprising acclaimed First Nations artist Vernon Ah Kee, Paula Latos-Valier AM, Trustee and Art Director of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, and Dr Yolunda Hickman, Head of Postgraduate Studies, National Art School, commented of Rosemary’s work: “The decision to award the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize to Rosemary Lee for the work ‘24-1’ was unanimous. We were most impressed by the level of visual intensity the artist has achieved in this work both through its vibrant colour and in the extraordinary detail of the composition. The artwork’s exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill, has produced an image capturing a broader sense of transience and the omnipresence of construction sites in our cities today. It questions the cultural and historical value of place, through the lens of the artist’s personal connection.” See Lee’s work alongside the work of the other finalists in the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, 11 April – 21 June 2025, NAS Gallery — Left to right: NAS Director and CEO, Dr Kristen Sharp with artist Rosemary Lee, featuring winning artwork 24–1, 2024, pencil on paper, image courtesy the artist and National Art School Gallery © the artist, photograph: Peter Morgan

Introducing the National Art School Short Courses Program from July–December 2025

Whether you’re a beginner, rediscovering a past passion, refining your skills, or considering our Fine Arts degree, the short courses offer a stimulating and rewarding experience for all levels.

Our 2025 program begins in July with Winter School, followed by Term Three, Spring Weekend Workshops in September, and Term Four in October.

Learn more and enrol at the link in bio.

View

Apr 10

Open
Introducing the National Art School Short Courses Program from July–December 2025 Whether you’re a beginner, rediscovering a past passion, refining your skills, or considering our Fine Arts degree, the short courses offer a stimulating and rewarding experience for all levels. Our 2025 program begins in July with Winter School, followed by Term Three, Spring Weekend Workshops in September, and Term Four in October. Learn more and enrol at the link in bio.

Making Sound is a performance event featuring four artists who make devices that make sound, including Gary Warner, Pia van Gelder, Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell, presented following Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025, Saturday 12 April 5-6pm.

Gary Warner creates an improvised soundfield with his ‘aleatoric ensemble’ autonomous sound machines, a collection of modified turntables that spin ad-hoc bric-a-brac assemblages.

Pia van Gelder (pictured) amplifies an electronic circuit as it is built in real-time. Under the moniker of “PvG sans PCB,” in these performances, van Gelder works on a breadboard with electronic components and additional found objects to demonstrate the electronic variabilities produced in the material world.

Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell perform together with handmade synthesizer systems that sense and sonify barometric pressure and the flow of electrons through matter.

Purchase your tickets to the symposium at the link in bio.
—
Pia van Gelder, `sans PCB`, 2021, performance, Collings Creative, image courtesy and © the artist

View

Apr 6

Open
Making Sound is a performance event featuring four artists who make devices that make sound, including Gary Warner, Pia van Gelder, Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell, presented following Facture: Drawing Symposium 2025, Saturday 12 April 5-6pm. Gary Warner creates an improvised soundfield with his ‘aleatoric ensemble’ autonomous sound machines, a collection of modified turntables that spin ad-hoc bric-a-brac assemblages. Pia van Gelder (pictured) amplifies an electronic circuit as it is built in real-time. Under the moniker of “PvG sans PCB,” in these performances, van Gelder works on a breadboard with electronic components and additional found objects to demonstrate the electronic variabilities produced in the material world. Ben Denham and Sean O’Connell perform together with handmade synthesizer systems that sense and sonify barometric pressure and the flow of electrons through matter. Purchase your tickets to the symposium at the link in bio. — Pia van Gelder, 'sans PCB', 2021, performance, Collings Creative, image courtesy and © the artist
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