Arts Centre Melbourne Presents Morning Melodies 2019 Program

After yet another hugely successful year of the much-loved Arts Centre Melbourne Morning Melodies concerts, the 2019 program will dazzle audiences with a stellar line-up of musical theatre, opera, jazz and dance artists. This coming year, the feel-good one hour concerts held each month at Hamer Hall will celebrate our very own Australian performers, including Rhonda Burchmore, Rachael Beck, Michael Cormick and Rohan Browne.

Opening the 2019 program in February are two of Australia's theatre icons, Rachael Beck and Michael Cormick where they reunite to celebrate the songs On Broadway. Accompanied by David Cameron on piano, they will also share career highlights, both on and off stage.

Fresh from his role as Magaldi, opposite Tina Arena in the Opera Australia, John Frost and David Ian production of EVITA, Michael Falzon takes Centre Stage to celebrate music from some of the greatest performers and writers of the last 50 years in March.

From stage to screen, Alinta Chidzey is one of Australia's most versatile leading ladies. In April, Alinta will bring an exciting catalogue of new arrangements by the great female artists of the last century in her show, Divas - Past to Present. She will be accompanied by her band The Jazz Emperors led by jazz saxophonist and arranger Remco Keijzer.

Now a tradition amongst Morning Melodies audiences, a treat to look forward to each year is The Australian Ballet School and Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) performances. In May, celebrate the art of ballet from the sophisticated to the sublime in En Pointe, and in August the future performers of our musical theatre stages will present a vibrant program of celebrated material comprising intimate solos, entertaining duets and thrilling ensembles in their Music Theatre Showcase.

A program highlight in June will see Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy treat audiences with their irresistible humour in ABBA-solutely Fabulous. Get ready for an explosion of laughs and lycra with your favourite Super Troupers as they sing renditions of 'Dancing Queen', 'Waterloo', 'Mamma Mia' and 'Fernando'.

Celebrate the golden era of jazz in July with a big band spectacular featuring Jacqui Hamilton and Rod Gilbert as they are joined by a 17-piece big band. They'll take audiences on a musical journey from the 1920s through to the 1950s in The Ladies and Gentlemen of Big Band Swing.

In September, famed leading operatic soprano Antoinette Halloran will ignite the stage with a sprinkling of operetta and musical theatre in Runaway Soprano. She will be joined by one of Australia's finest young tenors, James Egglestone and ready-made raconteur Patrick Lawrence.

Come October, Danielle O'Malley brings to the stage a stunning rendition of the powerhouse vocals and self-deprecating humour that made Cilla Black one of the UK's most beloved performers in The Songs of Cilla Black.

Following on from Danielle, in November will be one of musical theatre's leading men and a true triple threat, Rohan Browne, in his show-stopping theatrical piece Influences. Here, he will pay homage to the legendary artists that impacted his upbringing and helped shape his artistic future.

The 2019 Morning Melodies program will wrap up in December with the ever-adored Christmas Melodies heralding the arrival of the festive season. Audiences can sing along to a collection of classics and new favourites with a big band, choir and range of well-known artists to be announced in the spring of 2019.

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 Theatre on a Monday morning. They had a brainwave to break theatre tradition and invite people in during the day. More than 30 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
February - December 2019 | 11am and 1:30pm
Duration: 60 minutes (per show)
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
Book at artscentremelbourne.com.au or 1300 182 183

Arts Centre Melbourne Morning Melodies 2019 Program

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Rachael Beck and Michael Cormick
On Broadway
Monday 11 February

Two of Australia's much-loved theatre icons, Rachael Beck and Michael Cormick, reunite on the Hamer Hall stage to celebrate the songs of Broadway. Both have played leading roles in musicals in Australia and around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Grease, Singin' in the Rain, Cabaret and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Accompanied by David Cameron on piano, they will share career highlights, both on and off stage, and sing many of the Broadway hits you know and love.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Michael Falzon
Centre Stage
Monday 18 March

Well-known for his vocal strength and versatility, in every concert, in each role, and on every stage, Michael Falzon has brought something very special to stages around the world - from London to New York and across Australia.

Joined by his big band, comprising some of Melbourne's finest musicians, Michael takes Centre Stage to celebrate music from some of the greatest performers and writers of the last 50 years. Songs that have shaped his career from genre-defining artists, Frank Sinatra to Freddie Mercury, with classics from Tony Bennett, Stephen Sondheim, Burt Bacharach and many more.

Fresh from his role as Magaldi, opposite Tina Arena in the Opera Australia, John Frost and David Ian production of EVITA, Michael is sure to delight audiences once again.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Divas - Past to Present
Starring Alinta Chidzey and The Jazz Emperors
Monday 15 April

From stage to screen, Alinta Chidzey is one of Australia's most versatile leading ladies. Alinta brings an exciting catalogue of new arrangements by the great female artists of the last century in her show, Divas - Past to Present.

Alinta's vocal abilities cleverly jump through the genres of early jazz masters Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, soul powerhouses Aretha Franklin and Etta James, folk icons Joni Mitchell and Carole King, through to modern-day artists Amy Winehouse and Adele.

Alinta will be accompanied by her outstanding band The Jazz Emperors led by jazz saxophonist and arranger Remco Keijzer

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
En Pointe
The Australian Ballet School
Monday 21 May

The Australian Ballet School's annual performance is now a tradition amongst Morning Melodies audiences, a treat to look forward to each year. In a showcase of works by talented students, this performance celebrates the art of ballet from the sophisticated to the sublime. Audiences will be thrilled by a wonderful repertoire filled with the energy, dedication and refined skills of the school's young dancers.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy
ABBA-solutely Fabulous
Monday 24 June

The original Australian dynamos from the worldwide sensation Mamma Mia!, award winning entertainers Rhonda Burchmore OAM and Lara Mulcahy bring their smash hit live concert, ABBA-solutely Fabulous to Morning Melodies.

Get ready for an explosion of laughs and lycra with your favourite Super Troupers. Rhonda and Lara will delight audiences with their irresistible humour and spectacular renditions of those unforgettable songs, including 'Dancing Queen', 'Waterloo', 'Mamma Mia' and 'Fernando'.

Rhonda and Lara are two of the country's most formidable entertainers. Rhonda's career spans as long as her legs and includes roles in Hot Shoe Shuffle, Mamma Mia! and Mame. Lara has played starring roles in Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge and many more.

Celebrated by Channel 9's TODAY as "a party show...the best!", and proclaimed "ABBAsolutely amazing" by Jessica Rowe of Studio 10 on Network Ten; this live concert is unmissable entertainment.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
The Ladies and Gentlemen of Big Band Swing
Starring Rod Gilbert and Jacqui Hamilton
Monday 22 July

Celebrate the golden era of jazz with a big band spectacular! Join Jacqui Hamilton and Rod Gilbert on a musical journey from the 1920s through to the 1950s as they delight audiences with a variety of duets made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Louis Prima and Tony Bennett. They will also pay tribute to some of the biggest female vocalists of that era from Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to Édith Piaf.

Rod Gilbert is known to Morning Melodies audiences for The Bobby Darin Story and as a member of The Syncopators. Jacqui has performed with Australian jazz greats Joe Chindamo, Mark Fitzgibbon and Nick Haywood to name a few.

Backed by a 17-piece big band, this performance will see Jacqui and Rod united by song, separated, and finally, back together again - we hope!

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Victorian College of the Arts
Music Theatre Showcase
Monday 19 August

Performed by the next generation of Australian stars, the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) graduating alumni invite you to celebrate works spanning the early days of Rodgers and Hammerstein to modern day composers. This highly anticipated program, created exclusively for Morning Melodies, will remind you why musical theatre is such a beloved art form. The future performers of our musical theatre stages will present a vibrant program of celebrated material comprising intimate solos, entertaining duets and thrilling ensembles sure to leave everyone singing along.

Be there at the first performance of tomorrow's stars.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Runaway Soprano starring Antoinette Halloran
with Special Guest James Egglestone
Monday 16 September

Antoinette Halloran is famed as a leading operatic soprano, but in her upcoming performance she will ignite the stage with a sprinkling of operetta and musical theatre.

Nominated three consecutive years for a Helpmann Award (Tosca, Sweeney Todd and The Cunning Little Vixen), Antoinette has established herself as one of Australia's most accomplished and best-loved sopranos both here and overseas.

Joined by her ready-made raconteur Patrick Lawrence, Antoinette will captivate audiences with highlights from Madama Butterfly, The Merry Widow and some jazz standards; after all, every soprano needs to run away from the opera sometimes.

As one of Australia's finest young tenors, James Egglestone will inspire with his effortless top notes and sublime renditions of musical theatre classics.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
The Songs of Cilla Black
Starring Danielle O'Malley
Monday 21 October

Danielle O'Malley brings to the stage a stunning rendition of the powerhouse vocals and self-deprecating humour that made Cilla Black one of the UK's most beloved performers.

Danielle gives audiences a glimpse into the world of the British pop icon and television personality at the peak of her popularity. While belting out 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' and 'Alfie', Danielle shares stories about Cilla's childhood in Liverpool.

Recounting her meteoric rise to fame, she will dispel a few cheeky showbiz anecdotes about John, Paul, George, Ringo and Queen Elizabeth II.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Rohan Browne
Influences
Monday 18 November

Rohan Browne is one of musical theatre's leading men and a true triple threat. In his show-stopping theatrical piece Influences, he pays homage to the legendary artists that impacted his upbringing and helped shape his artistic future.

Rohan has become one of Australia's most versatile male performers and has solidified his theatrical status with an impressive list of credits to his name. As Riff in West Side Story, Zach in A Chorus Line, Tommy Albright in Brigadoon, Rum Tum Tugger in Cats, he then cemented his leading man status with his performance as Don Lockwood in Singin' in the Rain.

After his ground-breaking performance as Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz, he has created a show talking about his connections to Gene Kelly and Peter Allen, his love of The Rat Pack and finding his feet in the Australian musical theatre industry.

Joined by a 7-piece band, Rohan will perform hits including '[I've Got You] Under My Skin', 'I Honestly Love You', 'Birth of the Blues', 'You Stepped Out Of A Dream' and many more. This is a show not to be missed.

This is a behind the curtains look at how emulating your heroes can help you find a style and voice all of your own.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Christmas Melodies
Monday 16 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 your 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. Performers to be announced in spring 2019.

For more information about Arts Centre Melbourne visit artscentremelbourne.com.au or phone 1300 182 183. Become a fan of Arts Centre Melbourne on Facebook or follow @artscentremelb on Instagram and Twitter.

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