Esmond Choi. Maria Zhdanovich. Nexus Arts. 24 Apr 2026
Austin Engelhardt is not easily categorised. A contemporary composer, improviser, and visual artist who only began reading music at 20, he arrived at composition with an adult’s conceptual liberation rather than the indoctrinated habits from formal musical training commencing in childhood. That liberation is audible in his work: his graphic scores resist conventional hierarchy—melody, harmony, accompaniment—in favour of gesture, density, and spatial thinking. Yet Engelhardt is not a naïve musical outsider—he is seriously educated and is currently working towards a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of South Carolina, studying with composer David Kirkland Garner (who has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and other significant ensembles).
Esmond Choi is a seriously fine Elder Conservatorium trained pianist and emerging composer in his own right, and in his introductory remarks from the stage, he noted that he met Engelhardt at a social gathering whilst recently on study in Boston, USA. Choi and Engelhardt quickly recognised a shared curiosity and agreed to collaborate, and tonight’s concert of Book 1 of Engelhardt’s Graphic Scores is the result. It is part of Choi’s Adventurous Project!
Joining Choi on stage is flutist and sonic artist Maria Zhdanovich, who is currently studying at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) and, like Choi, is adept at bridging Western art music and experimental practice.
So, what’s a graphic score? Simply put, it replaces traditional notation with visual symbols—lines, shapes, textures—that function less as instructions and more as provocations. From a technical standpoint, this shifts the performer’s role from interpreter to co-composer: decisions about pitch, tempo, articulation, and timbral development are made in real time. The result is music that is inherently non-repeatable. Even the same performers, revisiting the same image, would generate entirely different outcomes. This is not variation—it is re-creation.
Choi, better known for his refined pianism, performs here on synthesiser, constructing evolving sound masses rather than discrete melodic lines. His approach often avoids tonal centres, and instead favours sustained drones, microtonal inflections, and subtle spectral shifts. Zhdanovich responds with an extended flute technique palette: breath tones, multiphonics, and pitch bending. Between them there is a dynamic interplay between acoustic and electronic spectra.
The visual component is inseparable from the musical one. Against stark white lighting, the performers’ silhouettes are projected alongside Engelhardt’s black-and-white images. The aesthetic evokes an extreme chiaroscuro, reinforcing the binary tension between structure and freedom. One early image—a swirling form intersecting perpendicular staves—suggests a collision between traditional linear notation and gestural flow. The staffs are a nod to musical formalism, but the swirl draws you into an unfamiliar sonic world Musically, this manifests as a low, centreless synth drone over which the flute traces slowly morphing contours.
Zhdanovich then presses a button on the nearby computer and a new image appears—a “blob” on a staff, dripping stalactite-like forms, and the sonic language thickens in response. Texture becomes all important, and strained glissandi, unstable harmonics, and shifting noise components create a sense of suspended time. Rhythm, in the conventional sense, dissolves and time becomes meaningless.
A striking moment occurs with the projection of the image of a raised human hand. Unlike the abstract forms preceding it, this image introduces an unmistakable human element. The performers respond with a fleeting gravitation toward tonality before the music recedes again into ambiguity. It is a reminder that even within experimental frameworks, tonal reference remains a powerful expressive tool when used sparingly. Provocatively, the image appears on the front page of the printed concert program: it almost demands the audience to stop, and abandon any preconceptions and expectations.
For the audience—an eclectic mix spanning seasoned classical listeners to those more attuned to contemporary and “lighter” genres—the experience is deeply immersive. One might describe it, as an audience member did, as a “sophisticated jam session,” but that risks underselling the level of listening and responsiveness, and structural awareness required.
This is improvisation informed by compositional thinking at every moment.
Crucially, the appeal of this performance cuts across musical boundaries. Those accustomed to classical concert traditions will recognise the discipline, control, and the musical awareness of Choi and Zhdanovich. Listeners drawn to more modern or experimental sounds will find immediacy, unpredictability, and a visceral engagement with sound itself. The absence of fixed form becomes an invitation rather than a barrier.
At the close, Choi remarked that “we classical musicians should do this more often.” Judging by the audience’s response, that sentiment resonated widely. Performances like this challenge our listening habits while remaining grounded in musicianship of the highest order.
Choi returns with Book 2 on 1 May, again at Nexus Arts, this time at the piano and joined by saxophonist Derek Pascoe. If Book 1 is any indication, it will not simply be another concert, but another unrepeatable event—music that exists only in the moment of its making, never to be heard in quite the same way again.
Tickets can be purchased online from the Recitals Australia website, or at the door, but numbers are limited. Book 2 will be another unique experience.
Kym Clayton
When: 24 April and 1 May
Where: Nexus Arts
Bookings: esmondchoi.com
Renowned champion of contemporary music, acclaimed pianist and composer, and the artistic director of Soundstream New Music, Gabriella Smart, is releasing a CD featuring the unique and wondrous instrument, the Electric Cristal.
The CD is entitled Parasymbiosis and it comprises eight tracks, Parasymbiosis I – VIII, which were recorded live at the Music Meeting Festival, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in May 2024. The recording was a finalist in the APRA AMCOS work of the year in the electroacoustic sound art category in 2025.
The term parasymbiosis refers to the interdependent coexistence of two organisms, but Smart uses the term to refer more broadly to the interconnectedness of all life. In her notes accompanying the CD, she makes an impassioned plea for the recognition of this interrelationship, and says,
“Through Parasymbiosis I imagined sounds of the inherent connection between the earth and the universe. Contemporary society has rendered invisible the heritage of the night sky and what it teaches us. The wonder and awe it inspires, in its pure, unadulterated form untouched by light pollution and modern satellite activity, has always informed non-human and human life cycles and human culture… We have forgotten that the dark sky and the earth reflect each other — they are, as a metaphor, parasymbiotic.”
The Electric Cristal was devised specifically for Smart by Adelaide composer and musician, Wiradjuri man Dylan Crismani, and it was designed to be easily disassembled and carried in a suitcase so she could travel with it.
The Electric Cristal (photo supplied)
It comprises a set of interchangeable, microtonally-tuned glass rods which the performer strokes with moistened fingers. It can also be bowed with a violin bow, and other objects can be used to stimulate the glass rods. Metal plates affixed to the frame resonate with the vibrations produced by the rods.
The vibrations of the glass rods are also picked up by a series of contact microphones for relay either directly to an amplifier or routed through electronic devices to enable the performer to use the Electric Cristal’s vibrations and resonances as sonic raw material for further modification and elaboration.
The Electric Cristal’s unique sound arises from the performer’s careful control of finger pressure, the slipperiness of the rods and the speed at which the rods are stroked. The performer can generate a wide range of sound from low droning to high-pitched humming and squealing. The instrument is ideally suited to the generation of single or multiple long-duration tones or drones which can be shaped into a complex orchestration with textural shifts and changes in dynamics and key registers.
Smart has performed solo with the Electric Cristal and frequently with other collaborators in Australia and overseas. For the 2024 Parasymbiosis performance, Smart was joined by Polish-born French musician and composer Kasper Toeplitz on bass and electronics, and Didier Casamitjana on percussion and electronics. Toeplitz uses a specially designed electric bass to generate long, resonant tones that variously complement and contrast the sounds made by the Electric Cristal.
The overall effect is to immerse the listener in an evocative, arhythmic, slowly-evolving soundscape that stimulates the listener’s imagination and visualisation. The first track, Parasymbiosis I, opens quietly but portentously, as if signalling the irresistible flow of cosmic forces. In some tracks, such as Parasymbiosis V, the intensity and complexity of the sound increase to an overwhelming level, creating a visceral impact on the listener.
In the longest track, Parasymbiosis VII, a succession of bass drumbeats suggests earth-bound thunder; deep rumbling emerges periodically to evoke tectonic shifts in the earth’s surface; high-pitched twittering sounds could suggest twinkling starlight, and occasional booming sounds could refer to solar eruptions. At times the sound reduces to a chattering whisper and then builds again to a crescendo. The eight densely orchestrated tracks proceed without any breaks in between, generating all kinds of imagery in the listener’s mind.
Smart’s adroit use of the Electric Cristal represents a significant development musically, and the use of bass guitar and percussion greatly extends the sonic and compositional possibilities of such music.
Chris Reid
The CD will be available on Bandcamp from 1 May 2026 and can be pre-ordered before then: bandcamp.com/album/parasymbiosis
More Info: gabriellasmart.com/parasymbiosis
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Grainger Studio. 10 Apr 2026
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Sanctuary Series is fast becoming one of the city’s most sought-after musical experiences, and it’s not hard to see why. The recent Nordic Lights program sold out, confirming that audiences are eager for something beyond the traditional concert format.
This is not simply a performance; it is a carefully curated experience. From the outset, the usual rituals of concert-going are gently set aside. There is no applause (it’s not allowed), the lighting remains low throughout, and many audience members choose to lie on yoga mats rather than sit in conventional seats. The effect is immediate: expectations shift, and a quiet sense of anticipation takes hold.
Even before the first note sounds, the atmosphere is protected with unusual care. Latecomers are not admitted, ensuring that the immersive quality of the event remains undisturbed. When the doors close and the lights dim, a collective stillness settles over the room.
The conductor, Sam Weller, enters almost imperceptibly—no announcement, no acknowledgment—yet the orchestra is already attuned to his presence. As the lights soften further and he raises his baton, the music begins, and with it, a subtle but powerful transformation: the noise of the outside world recedes, replaced by a shared, inward focus.
In this setting, even the smallest human sounds—a quiet cough, a shift of breath—feel natural rather than intrusive. Instead of distraction, there is a heightened awareness of being part of a collective, listening body.
The program itself is beautifully conceived. Works such as Crystalline by contemporary Australian composer Olivia Davies, Rakastava (The Lovers) by Jean Sibelius, Illumine by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Serenade for Strings by Edward Elgar, On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter, and Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber span more than a century of music. Yet they are united by a shared aesthetic: a focus on strings, luminous textures, and slow, unfolding lines that seem to suspend time itself.
Rather than showcasing virtuosity or dramatic contrast, these works invite the listener inward. Their long, sustained phrases and gradual harmonic shifts create a sense of spaciousness and calm. The distinctions between pieces blur, and the program unfolds as a single, continuous meditation.
The result is striking. The hour-long performance feels both expansive and fleeting—as though time has stretched and then quietly slipped away. In that stillness, the mind is free to wander, conjuring images, memories, and emotions with unusual clarity.
Weller proves an ideal guide for this sonic journey. His conducting is understated and economical, avoiding any sense of theatricality. From a yoga mat, one glimpses only the occasional gentle gesture—subtle cues that foster a deep sense of unity among the players. The real artistry, clearly, has been forged in rehearsal, where a shared sensitivity and trust have been carefully cultivated.
By the end, there is no need for applause. The silence that follows feels not like an absence, but like a continuation of the experience—a space in which the music lingers.
For those willing to step outside the conventions of the concert hall, the Sanctuary Series offers something uncommon: not just music to hear, but an atmosphere to inhabit. It is, quite simply, an invitation to be still, and in that stillness, to listen more deeply than usual.
Kym Clayton
When: 10 Apr
Where: Grainger Studios
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. St Peter’s Cathedral. 20 Mar 2026
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has a proud history of performing in St Peter’s Cathedral: through practised experience they know and understand how to use its cavernous acoustic to best effect—balancing placement, dynamics and tempo to avoid blur. For the opening Cathedral Series concert, the ASO presented a compact baroque program (seventy minutes, no interval): Pisendel’s Imitation of the Characters of the Dance alongside Handel’s ever-popular Water Music.
Like any cathedral, St Peter’s stone surfaces and vaulted ceilings create generous resonance and long reverberation—ideal for choral and brass textures, but challenging for fast, intricate writing. Directing from the harpsichord, Erin Helyard managed these conditions with assurance, shaping a performance of clarity and charm.
Composed somewhere in the period 1725-1735, Pisendel’s suite comprises eight compact dance-inflected movements that traverse a variety of contrasting musical colours and moods that quickly change from one to the other. The overall impact on the listener is one of heightened energy and gentle excitement. The woodwind was especially alluring. The composition saw the debut of a newly constructed ‘baroque conducting staff’, which was a predecessor to the modern baton. Elyard quipped that the ASO’s production team created it with the help of materials sourced from Bunnings and Spotlight! It is an imposing piece of kit and percussionist Sami Butler yielded it with vigour and precision. (It is now likely to go into storage along with the giant Mahler hammer used in the finale of Mahler’s Symphony No.6!) Elyard also quipped that Butler didn’t fall into the same trap that Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully did when he accidently stabbed his foot with his conducting stick mid-performance which became infected and he subsequently died of gangrene!
Quite simply, Handel’s Water Music is joyous. It was composed for King George I and was first performed on a barge on the River Thames in the presence of the King. He was so delighted by the piece he commanded it be played again, in its entirety, several times. The composition comprises twenty-two separate short pieces divided into three suites, and the whole thing comes in at around fifty-minutes, but it always seems much quicker than that. It is redolent with catchy and hummable tunes, vibrant instrumentation, varying tempi and rhythmic structures. It is bright, festive and ceremonial, and it never fails to delight. The third suite features recorder, and anyone labouring under the misapprehension that the recorder is an instrument of torture is soon disavowed of that. In the expert hands of Brendan O’Donnell, it sounds sublime. Elyard set a brisk pace for the third suite that had David Khafagi and Martin Phillipson on trumpet playing with superb articulation that was crisp and without excess. Elyard knows better!
The large audience left feeling content, relaxed and appreciative of beautiful music having been played superbly.
Kym Clayton
When: 20 Mar
Where: St Peter’s Cathedral
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Festival. Ukaria. 14 Mar 2026
Sergej Krylov and Konstantin Shamray are both musical forces of nature. Russian-born and now based in Switzerland, Krylov is touring Australia for the first time, while the Russian-born, Melbourne-based Shamray is already well known to Australian audiences—particularly in Adelaide, where he lived for several years. Their partnership in this recital feels both fresh and natural, and one hopes it will not be their last collaboration.
Krylov was born into a family of musicians, his father a respected violin maker. It is therefore fitting that for this tour he performs on the celebrated 1710 “Camposelice” Stradivarius, generously loaned by the Sasakawa Music Foundation. Of course, a great instrument alone does not guarantee great music-making, but in Krylov’s hands the violin speaks with extraordinary clarity, warmth and brilliance.
Performing to a full house at the beautiful Ukaria Cultural Centre, the duo delivers a program that serves as a showcase for virtuosity. The works included Violin Sonata No. 2, M.77 ,and Tzigane, both by Ravel, the ever-popular Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28 by Camille Saint-Saëns, and the beloved Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 by César Franck. These are works audiences relish for their technical fireworks, contrasting emotional landscapes and the distinctive interplay between violin and piano. The Ravel and Saint-Saëns delight with stylistic flair and sonic brilliance, while Franck’s sonata offers romantic breadth and melodic richness.
The Ravel sonata’s celebrated “blues” movement is particularly striking. Krylov handles the jazz-inflected language with finesse: blues notes, slides and syncopations are delivered with effortless style, while Shamray provides muscular and rhythmically precise support. In the perpetuum mobile final movement, Shamray’s crisp articulation and technical command propels the music forward, and together the duo capture both the wit and mischief evident in Ravel’s writing.
Ravel’s Tzigane is gypsy-influenced fun in the Hungarian czardas style! It begins with an extended solo violin introduction which sees Krylov holding the audience in the palm of his hand while playing with dazzling control and colour. Meanwhile, Shamray occasionally glances at Krylov over his right shoulder and gives an unspoken acknowledgment of Krylov’s extraordinary command. When Shamray enters, the two begin a complex and a precise dialogue. Throughout, they are animated and in perfect synchronisation, even though the piece has an improvisatory feel.
The fireworks continue in Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, where Krylov displays formidable virtuosity: rapid scalar passages, soaring arpeggios and intricate bowing executed with thrilling precision. As the music shifts from a reflective folk-song style opening to spirited Spanish-inflected dance tunes and rhythms, both performers visibly lean into the musical drama. Krylov’s bow seems to dance above the strings, and his physical energy matches the music’s brilliance, while Shamray draws rich, resonant sound from the Steinway that fills Ukaria’s superb acoustic with bold and glowing tone.
The recital concludes with Franck’s expansive Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8, a work whose recurring themes and cyclical structure create a powerful sense of unity. The sonata’s melodies have a way of lingering in the ear, and more than a few audience members left the hall quietly humming its opening motif. Here the dialogue between violin and piano becomes particularly intimate, and Krylov and Shamray reveal the full potential of their partnership. Their playing balances virtuosity with sensitivity, each responding instinctively to the other’s phrasing and colour.
As a duo Krylov and Shamray prove both impressive and intriguing. It is a meeting of two formidable musical personalities that one hopes will lead to many further collaborations.
Kym Clayton
When: 14 Mar
Where: Ukaria
Bookings: Closed