Dowland songs of Beauty and Creation Rosemary Hodgson, lute Kate Macfarlane, soprano Christopher Roache, alto and tenor Timothy Reynolds, tenor Matthew Champion, bass Inspired by Sir Philip Sidney’s epic poem Arcadia, comes this ravishing new program by Australia’s premier lutenist, Rosemary Hodgson and esteemed vocalists. O Sweet Woods is a concert presentation celebrating love, nature and the beauty of creation through the music of Renaissance lyricist, John Dowland and his contemporaries. Featuring works for four voices such as Come away, Come sweet love, Go cristall tears and the lyrical Robin is to the Greenwood gone, O Sweet Woods is both intricate and captivating in live performance – a program destined to enchant the mind and melt the soul.

Brock Imison, soprano, alto, bass, quint bass curtal Simon Rickard, soprano, tenor, bass, octave bass curtal Laura Vaughan, viola da gamba Hannah Lane, baroque triple harp Nick Pollock, theorbo The 17th-century began a fascinating period of musical history. The baroque style of composition was emerging from its renaissance roots, but instruments were yet to keep up with new musical trends. The renaissance bassoon, or curtal, was amongst the favourite woodwind instrument of the earliest baroque composers, due to its surprising expressive capabilities. For this program of early baroque music from Italy, Iberia and Germany, early woodwind ensemble Unholy Rackett are joined by basso continuo specialists Ensemble 642.

Carlos Del Cueto, music director Founded in 1962, The Tudor Choristers are one of Melbourne’s stalwart and established champions of Rennaisance-era choral music. On this 500th anniversary year for the seminal composer Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina, they will lead us through an afternoon of a capella singing of music by Palestrina and English composers of the Tudor period.

Death and the Maiden Anna McMichael and Jennifer Kirsner, period violins Meg Cohen, period viola Josephine Vains, period cello The highlight of this concert will be Schubert’s famed quartet, Death and the Maiden, written in 1824 when he was in the throes of severe illness and aware of impending mortality, trawls the depths of despair with unparalleled vibrancy and urgency. Experiencing Schubert’s momentous work on gut strings will introduce our audience in the Church to the vivid colours and expressive sensitivities intended, brining it to new life. Coupled with the wonderfully rich palette of Beethoven’s quartet Opus 18, No.1, the second movement of which depicts the vault scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this program is one not to be missed.