Ancient worlds take centre stage under the stained-glass ceiling of the NGV’s Great Hall during Tempo Rubato’s four week residency.
From August 23 to September 13, the beloved classical music venue Tempo Rubato will bring a selection of virtuosos to the NGV stage each week for NGV Friday Nights. Experience a masterclass in classical music in the Great Hall, set against the exhibition of Pharaoh, and prepare to step back in time.
Kicking off the residency on Friday, August 23 are two of Australia’s most prolific period musicians, violist Katie Yap and harpsichordist, organist and pianist Donald Nicolson. Katie and Donald are set for a performance at NGV Friday Nights armed with baroque instruments and a passion for blending ancient sounds with contemporary culture.
Tempo Rubato at NGV Friday Nights
- August 23 and 30, September 6 and 13
- NGV International
- Tickets here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
“We love baroque music; that’s one of our specialties,” Katie says. “But we’re also very interested in new music and how we can take our old instruments – harpsichord and baroque viola in our case – into a new context.” During Katie’s Freedman Fellowship project in 2022, the pair explored how new sounds can dance alongside old ones, sparking an ongoing collaboration that intertwines musical eras.
For a duo accustomed to performing in concert halls and classical music venues, the NGV’s setting offers not only a fresh space but an entirely new audience for Katie and Donald. “They’re really beautiful spaces to be in,” Katie notes about galleries, “because it’s a space curated for art. It’s very inspiring.”
“We love baroque music”
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Playing at the NGV, Katie adds, opens the door to visitors who might not typically attend classical music venues. “It attracts a different type of audience,” she says. “It’s much more accessible to people to be in that space and [to listen to] music. It’s going to be really exciting.”
Katie and Donald will present three performances throughout the evening with time in between sets for visitors to explore the NGV’s Pharaoh exhibition. Featuring over 500 objects and spanning 3000 years of art and culture, Pharaoh offers a unique opportunity to experience Ancient Egypt right here in Melbourne.
The journey through the ancient world doesn’t stop there. Katie and Donald’s performance in the Great Hall will showcase how ancient music can resonate today. “I really love old music,” Katie says. “I think that there’s something that’s really beautiful about older instruments where they haven’t been optimized for large concert halls or large spaces, so their voice is really human.”
Older instruments, Katie explains, have a texture that can reverberate through the hall, creating an atmosphere of raw intimacy and deep connection. “I think it’s something that people are looking for in this day and age,” she adds.
“As humans, we’re looking for the next new thing and that sense of innovation and creation. So, combining these old voices and – sometimes a little bit husky or imperfect – sounds, with a new compositional voice or modern instruments is a really exciting thing to do.”
“Different sound worlds to explore”
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Katie and Donald’s performance will not only transport you through time but also across different cultures. Donald’s work draws inspiration from Middle Eastern and Lebanese sounds, Katie says, focusing particularly on the musical scales influenced by these traditions.
“One of the beauties of using synths is that you can literally just put them into those scales and then you have these different sound worlds to explore,” she says.
A regular performer at Tempo Rubato in Brunswick, Katie’s admiration for the venue – which she describes as “a small, intimate space, but which is nevertheless really vibrant and in the heart of Melbourne” – reflects the spirit of the performances the residency will bring to the NGV stage. “They have a real sense of community,” Katie says. “There’s such a joy of music making and music experiencing [at Tempo Rubato].”
Despite having a full schedule and making the decision not to take on any more gigs for the rest of the year, Katie says that when Tempo Rubato asked her to perform at NGV Friday Nights, she had to make an exception. “It just sounds like a gig you can’t say no to,” she laughs. “To be in that sort of situation where you’re surrounded by art – it’s amazing.”
Following Katie and Donald’s performance on Friday, 23 August, Tempo Rubato will present David Griffiths and Svetlana Bogosavljevic on Friday, 30 August, Sophia Kirsanova and Melbourne Strings on Friday ,6 September, and Affinity Quartet on Friday, 13 September. As they open up a portal through space and time, Tempo Rubato’s NGV Friday Nights residency is sure to inspire wonder and awe.
Find out more about Tempo Rubato’s NGV Friday Nights residency here.
