Arts Centre Melbourne Announces Morning Melodies 2018 Program

Popular opera and musical theatre star, David Hobson, international opera luminary Yvonne Kenny and Australian entertainment legend Normie Rowe are among the star-studded lineup for Arts Centre Melbourne's Morning Melodies 2018 program. The feel-good one hour concerts held each month at Hamer Hall will showcase an eclectic mix of celebrated Australian and International Artists from the worlds of jazz, musical theatre, opera and dance.

Opening the 2018 program in February is the incomparable tenor and Australian musical theatre star David Hobson. His performance will include an exquisite repertoire of highlights from his diverse musical career, accompanied by a string ensemble and the talented David Cameron on piano.

In March singer-songwriter Nina Ferro and her fierce 16-piece ensemble, The Vixen Big Band, will celebrate the great women of jazz. Created exclusively for Morning Melodies, The Great Women of Jazz will include songs from some of the most revolutionary jazz artists including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee.

In Morning Melodies tradition the following months will showcase up-and-coming talent, with the incredible music theatre students from Victorian College of the Arts in April and prestigious The Australian Ballet School in May.

In June the extraordinary Bernadette Robinson will celebrate some of the greatest performers from the past century. Following the runaway success of her one-woman shows including Songs for Nobodies and Pennsylvania Avenue, Robinson has firmly established herself as one of the Australia's greatest stage talents.

Later in the year, the B# Big Band with special guest Tamara Kuldin will take audiences back to the jazz bars of the 1930s and 1940s and opera superstar Yvonne Kenny will make a rare appearance. In September, homegrown talent Simon Gleeson, fresh from his West End season in Les Misérables will take to the stage to bring his debut album Elements to life.

Gleeson's performance is followed in October by Australian entertainment legend Normie Rowe, sharing his story of popstar to star-of-the-stage with his band The Playboys. Crowd-favourites The Syncopators will have toes tapping in November when they pay tribute to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald in a rapturous homage to the king and queen of jazz.

The 2018 Morning Melodies program will wrap up in December with the much-loved Christmas Melodies heralding the arrival of the festive season. Audiences can sing along to a collection of classics and new favourites with a soon-to-be announced host, big band, choir and a range of well-known artists.

Arts Centre Melbourne's acclaimed Morning Melodies started in 1985 when performer Betty Pounder and producer Sandy Graham decided it was time to make good use of the empty Playhouse on a Monday morning. They had a brainwave to break theatre tradition and invite people in during the day. More than thirty years on Morning Melodies has presented more than 450 concerts and welcomed almost half a million audience members, making it a quintessential Melbourne experience.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Morning Melodies
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
February- December 2018: 11am & 1.30pm
Bookings www.artscentremelbourne.com.au or phone 1300 182 183

ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE'S MORNING MELODIES 2018 program

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
David Hobson
Monday 19 February

Hobson opens the 2018 Morning Melodies season with an exquisite repertoire of highlights from his diverse musical career, accompanied by a string ensemble and the talented David Cameron on piano. One of Australia's most revered operatic and stage performers, Hobson has sung roles for Opera Australia including his award-winning performances as Rodolfo (La Bohéme) and the title role in Orphee. As a leading man of musical theatre, he starred as Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Buddy in Stephen Sondheim's Follies and Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl opposite Caroline O'Connor.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Great Women of Jazz
Monday 26 March

Created exclusively for Morning Melodies, Nina Ferro will perform a soulful repertoire from some of the most revolutionary jazz artists of our time, featuring Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and Peggy Lee. An acclaimed London-based, Australian singer-songwriter, Ferro's incredible vocal range has captivated audiences around the world. The powerful songstress with the knockout voice has performed with some of the greats, including Tony Bennett, Gregory Porter, Chick Corea and Chris Botti.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Victorian College of the Arts Music Theatre Students
Monday 16 April
The best and brightest music theatre students from the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts return to Morning Melodies to belt out beloved Broadway numbers. The concert will feature incredible renditions of crowd favourites including The King and I, She Loves Me and modern classics by Kander & Ebb and Stephen Schwartz.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
The Australian Ballet School
Tuesday 15 May
In a showcase of works by talented students the performance celebrates the art of ballet in a sublime meeting of dance and music. Audiences will be thrilled by a wonderfully creative repertoire brought to life by the passion, fire and beauty of the young dancers.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Bernadette Robinson: Divas
Monday 25 June
Robinson has stunned audiences and critics alike with her uncanny ability to embody famed singers such as Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Patsy Cline and Edith Piaf. Her enthralling performance brings them to life once more, with all the charm, glamour and spectacular vocals of the iconic singers themselves. Following the runaway success of her one-woman shows including Songs for Nobodies and Pennsylvania Avenue, Robinson has been firmly established as one of Australia's greatest stage talents.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Swingin' with the B# Big Band
Monday 25 June
Audiences will take a trip back to the jazz bars and speakeasies of the 1930s and 1940s in the sentimental big band spectacular. The performance will feature toe-tapping classics made famous by the likes of Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. Enamoured by the romance and sophistication of the golden era of jazz, Tamara Kuldin has been captivating audiences from Melbourne, New York and Paris with her playful and heartfelt interpretation of songs.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Yvonne Kenny and Henry Choo
Monday 6 August
As one of the most distinguished sopranos of her generation, the UK-based legend will showcase her beautiful voice for which she has received great acclaim throughout her illustrious career - as well as renditions of her favourite English and American folk songs. Kenny will be joined by popular lyric coloratura tenor Henry Choo, for an unmissable hour of elegance and musical excellence.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Simon Gleeson: Australia's Leading Man
Monday 10 September
Helpmann Award winner Simon Gleeson brings his debut album Elements to the stage, a stirring tapestry of songs from his stage career and contemporary music, capturing the essence of what makes Simon the acclaimed artist he is: a captivating storyteller with an extraordinary voice. The performance will include songs that have shaped this remarkable performer, including beloved songs from Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Elton John and George Harrison and his stunning interpretation of 'Bring Him Home' from Les Misérables.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Normie Rowe and The Playboys
Monday 1 October
During the explosion of pop music in the mid-1960s, Normie Rowe and The Playboys were Australia's most successful pop stars, with a string of record breaking hits including 'Que Sera', 'Shakin' All Over', 'It Ain't Necessarily So', 'It's Not Easy' and 'Ooh La La'. In the midst of Beatlemania, a teenage Rowe became the first Melbournian to achieve a national No.1 hit, creating a fan and media hysteria never before seen for an Australian artist. At the peak of his popularity, Rowe was famously called up for Army service. Following this, he turned his hand to television (Sons and Daughters) and theatre (Les Misérables).

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Monday 12 November
Beginning with jazz's most powerful figure, Louis Armstrong, The Syncopators will take you back to the 1920s to explore his pioneering influence on the art form. Then moving forward to the big band era of the 1930s, with a joyous celebration of Satchmo's famous vocal duets with America's First Lady of Song: the unparalleled Ella Fitzgerald. The Syncopators have raised the roof of Hamer Hall with sell-out concerts including Great American Songbook, Tribute to Bing Crosby and Best of British. They will be joined by the ever charming and immensely talented Yvette Johansson.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Christmas Melodies
Monday 10 December
The ever-popular Christmas Melodies returns again to herald the arrival of the festive season. Sing along to a collection of classics and new favourites with a special host and a range of well-known artists. Bring the whole family or a group of friends and enjoy some Christmas themed entertainment with a big band, choir and special guest vocalists to be announced in spring 2018.

To post a comment, you must register and login.