Music royalty take to the stage during Melbourne Recital Centre’s star studded November
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MusicFeatures
26.10.2026

Music royalty take to the stage during Melbourne Recital Centre’s star studded November

Melbourne Recital Centre
Jessica Mauboy
words by staff writer

You Am I, Jessica Mauboy and Kee’ahn lead a string of shows in multiple rooms, dancing between history and cultures.

Across 11 shows in three different rooms, including a stunning new top floor performance space, Melbourne Recital Centre packs in pop, jazz, chamber music, world music and a brand new piece getting its first ever airing.

You might be chasing a big singalong, dinner and a gig or maybe something a bit more contemplative, whatever it is, there’s a date in the calendar for you.

Here’s everything on.

Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.

Lamia Yared and Efrén López

Lebanese born singer and oud player Lamia Yared launches her third album, From Minho to Euphrates, a sweeping musical journey that interlaces sacred and secular traditions from Iberia to Mesopotamia.

She’ll be joined by Spanish multi-instrumentalist Efrén López, with Iraqi born Nawres Alfreh playing the koza all night.

The duo breathe new life into historic repertoires spanning languages, religions, and centuries, stitching together 4th century Syriac Maronite hymns, muwashahat from Aleppo and a rare 13th century piece by theorist Safi al-Din al-Urmawi.

Lovers of music through the ages won’t want to miss this masterful dialogue traversing civilisations and cultures.

You Am I – Strung Up

 

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You Am I are celebrating 30 years of Hourly Daily with Strung Up, playing it alongside a string quartet in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

The 1996 album went straight to number one on the ARIA albums chart, and the band are reworking tracks from it as well as a heap of fan favourites from across their catalogue.

The Mods open both nights, and there’s an interval before You Am I hit the stage.

Melbourne fans who’ve had Hourly Daily on repeat since the 90s will love hearing these songs get the big, sweeping string treatment, and fans 18 and over can also snag VIP tickets with a meet and greet photo and a soundcheck experience.

Australian String Quartet x Parvyn

 

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Australian String Quartet x Parvyn mixes contemporary Punjabi music with classical strings in the Primrose Potter Salon. AIR Award winner Parvyn and multi-instrumentalist Josh Bennett join the quartet, with Parvyn singing her own stunning songs that blend Indian raga, pop and soul.

The quartet also tackles pieces inspired by the human voice, including Marcus Goddard’s Allaqi, which draws on Inuit throat singing, and a gorgeous movement from Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. Anyone who likes their classical with a bit of genre bending will want to book this one hour show.

85 Seconds to Midnight

Changing Wilds Ensemble are premiering 85 Seconds to Midnight in the Primrose Potter Salon, a thoughtful concert named after where the Doomsday Clock landed in January. Composer Robert McIntyre and pianist Georgina Lewis lead the group, which blends post-minimalism, art music and neoclassical works.

McIntyre’s title piece gets its world premiere, and the night also features music by Stuart Greenbaum, Laura Abraham, Alex Turley, Arvo Pärt and Ólafur Arnalds. Stick around afterwards for a 30 minute talk run with CLIMARTE and The Wattle Fellowship.

If you like your classical reflective and a little moody, this is the one.

Chamber Music by Brahms

Pianist Denis Kozhukhin makes his Melbourne Recital Centre debut with Chamber Music by Brahms in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, joined by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Natalie Chee and principal horn Nicolas Fleury. Kozhukhin won the Queen Elisabeth Competition at 23 and has played with some of the biggest orchestras in the world, so it’s a big get for the venue.

The program pairs selections from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words with Brahms’ Klavierstücke Op.118 and his gorgeously expressive Horn Trio in E-flat, which was seen as a fresh combination when it premiered in 1865.

Melbourne classical fans who love chamber music up close will be in their element.

Lucy Durack’s Glee Club Concert

Lucy Durack’s Glee Club Concert fills Elisabeth Murdoch Hall with hundreds of joyful voices, from professional performers to Glee Club singers of all ages and abilities.

The setlist takes in Shakira’s Try Everything, Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?, Meghan Trainor’s Made You Look and This Is Me from The Greatest Showman. There are no auditions and no experience needed in Glee Club, so Melbourne families and anyone who loves a big singalong will have an absolute ball.

Tickets for under 18s cost even less, score!

Kee’ahn

Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal and Torres Strait Islander songwriter Kee’ahn plays The Beacon, Melbourne Recital Centre’s newest live venue, with a voice that’s all lush melodies and soul. Kee’ahn hails from North Queensland, has been performing since childhood and loves soul, R&B and pop.

They’ve played WOMAD, Bluesfest and YIRRAMBOI, and have supported Hiatus Kaiyote, Angie McMahon and Greentea Peng.

The Beacon opens 90 minutes before showtime, so Melbourne fans of soulful pop who fancy dinner (yum) and a gig in one go will be well looked after.

Melbourne Hindustani Classical Music Society

This one is free, but you’ll need to book. The Melbourne Hindustani Classical Music Society presents vocalist Professor Rajyasree Ghosh and tabla player Pandit Yogesh Samsi in the Primrose Potter Salon for an evening of soulful music.

Ghosh has trained under a long line of respected gurus and performed across India, while Samsi spent 23 years learning under tabla legend Ustad Allah Rakha. The night is held in memory of Gurulingayya Virupakshayya Hiremath, and seating is general admission.

If you’ve been curious about Hindustani classical music, a free ticket to hear two masters at work makes it an easy first step.

Jessica Mauboy – The Story of Me

 

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Jessica Mauboy tells her career story through songs and yarns in The Story of Me at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. Expect heartfelt ballads, reworked classics and powerhouse anthems tracing her path from Darwin to one of Australia’s biggest names.

She’ll also open up about leaving her longtime record label, starting her own and launching her beauty brand, Desert Rose.

It’s one night only, so Melbourne fans who’ve followed Mauboy from the start, or just love a huge voice, shouldn’t sit on this one.

Timor-Leste – Ita Nia Lian, Ita Nia Istoria – Our Voices, Our Stories

Timor-Leste: Ita Nia Lian, Ita Nia Istoria, Our Voices, Our Stories shines a light on Hamoris Lian Timor, a movement backing young Timorese artists, with three of its most exciting voices up front. Izu, Jovie and Lolobremu headline Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, with singer and songwriter Ego Lemos joining as a special guest.

Candice Lorrae, the Dili Allstars with David Bridie and cellist Helen Mountfort also hit the stage. The night will unveil three new Hamoris Lian Timor releases and premiere a documentary from Wantok Musik Foundation’s work with the Women’s Project, making it a big one for Timorese music. F

ans of Not Drowning, Waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake will spot some familiar names.

Michelle Nicolle and David McEvoy

Michelle Nicolle and David McEvoy close out the month in The Beacon, with jazz vocalist Nicolle returning to Melbourne Recital Centre alongside pianist McEvoy. Nicolle has won a Bell Award and a Music Victoria Award, and has played everywhere from Tokyo to Siberia.

The duo glide through American Songbook classics and originals about love, loss and joy across 90 minutes, with dinner and drinks available at your table.

Melbourne jazz fans after a classy way to wrap up November will want a seat.

To learn more about everything happening at Melbourne Recital Centre, head here.

This article was made in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre.

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