If you know your Monet from your Manet and your Brahms from your Bach, you may be seeking events where you can get your culture fix in Newcastle. Newcastle's creative arts scene is filled with a fabulous array of art, music, dance and theatre to keep your penchant for the arts flourishing.
ART
Reclaim is the next upcoming exhibition at Newcastle Artspace. It celebrates artists who have had or are living through traumatic brain injuries that directly impact their art practice. Launching on Fri 12 August, HMRI Researcher Dr Heidi Janssen will be giving a brief overview on opening night on the role of the arts in recovery after a brain injury. The 40 Under 40 exhibition, also at Newcastle Art Space focuses on people under 40 years old developing their artistic identity and showcasing works from their creative journey so far.
In the first Wednesday of the month from March to November, the Art Gallery Society invite you to enjoy morning tea and hear from artists, curators, designers and specialists in the visual arts at Coffee with Art. Join the Art Gallery Society again on Sunday 18 September, as they take a leisurely Sunday coach trip to Wollombi to view sculptures and enjoy a picnic lunch amongst the vines.
Everyone with an interest in the arts is welcome to attend the ADFAS lectures scheduled each month in Newcastle. This month, join Claudia Chan Shaw for an exploration of Art Deco Sydney, a visual culture defined not only through architecture, but also through graphic and interior design, the decorative arts and photography.
Don’t miss the art event of the year, Van Gogh Alive coming to Foreshore Park between 22 September and 23 October! Created by Grande Experiences, Van Gogh Alive gives visitors the unique opportunity to immerse themselves into Van Gogh’s artistry and truly venture into his world. From start to finish, visitors are surrounded by a vibrant symphony of light, colour, sound and fragrance that has been called an ‘unforgettable’ multi-sensory experience.
MUSIC
With the Newcastle Music Festival coming to a close, don't miss the last four concerts of the season. Toasting Mother Earth is a fusion of American minimalism, Japanese fusion of Eastern and Western traditions, new Australian works, and music set to poetry by mystics and luminaries, including DH Lawrence. Rachmaninov with a Cello, presents Teije Hylkema (cello) and Grace Kim (piano) in a superb concert including the works for solo cello by J.S. Bach, a composition written for this duo by Ross Fiddes, and concluding with Rachmaninov’s great sonata for cello and piano in g minor, Opus 19. Grace Knight returns to Christ Church Cathedral to perform some of her favourite tunes with her trio and special guests, The Christ Church Camerata String Quartet.
Wrapping up the festival, is the Festival Finale: 'Concierto de Aranjuez'! Christ Church Camerata, joined by virtuoso classical guitarist Andrew Blanch, brings a close to the Newcastle Music Festival with a performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The programme also includes Schubert's 5th Symphony in B flat major.
Musica Viva Australia is bringing some wonderful concerts to the Newcastle City Hall over the next couple of months. Z.E.N. Trio, Avi Avital and Giovanni Sollima and the Signum Saxophone Quartet with Kristian Winther will take you on a delightful musical journey at each of these concerts.
VIVA 2022 | Season Trailer from Musica Viva Australia on Vimeo.
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra presents Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, his Serenata Notturna, the Overture to Don Giovanni and his Piano Concerto No.23, performed by Neal Peres Da Costa at Newcastle City Hall on 18 August.
For lovers of chamber music there are plenty of options with the ACO performing 'Schubert's Trout' in September and 'The American' in November. Chamber Music at the Cathedral will also return in September with an optimistic program of chamber music for flute, strings and piano.
If Opera is more your preference, Morpeth Gallery, along with the Underground Opera Company, is presenting celebrated arias from famous operas, sung by some of Australia’s best opera singers in 'Opera in the Cathedral - Operarte'
DANCE
The National Youth Ballet Company are thrilled to announce that their first work will be a TRIPLE BILL. An amalgamation of three works supported by Australia's leading choreographers, composers, musicians and costume designers. "Au Revoir mon ami" will take you on an emotional journey, allowing the audience members to be swopt away into their own imagination. "Banged and Tap" from "Synergy with Synergy" is described as a concerto for man, muscle and machine, Synergy with Synergy is an extraordinarily unique and exciting piece of dance. "Berlin Songs" is a recreation of 5 songs, performed by the eclectic and entertaining performer iOTA from the original work of Graeme Murphy’s "BERLIN".
The Royal Czech Ballet will visit Australia for the first time with Swan Lake...the most loved classical ballet of them all. Swan Lake is the love story of Prince Siegfried who falls in love with the Odette. Odette is under a spell, where she is a swan by day, who turns into a woman at night. The spell can only be broken by a man who will pledge is love forever. Don't miss the beauty of ballet at Civic Theatre this October.
THEATRE AND CINEMA
If you love foreign films check out the French Friday movie nights' schedule at Event Cinemas. Each month they will be bringing you a different English subtitled film. This month 'La Traviata My Brothers and I' will be screening and tells the story of 14-year-old Nour, who lives in social housing with his three older brothers and ailing mother, but dreams of being the next Luciano Pavarotti. A chance meeting with Sarah, an opera singer gives him the opportunity to come out of his shell and explore new horizons.
Civic Theatre combines your love of theatre with your love of cinema with their Civic Cinema program. Don't miss some of the best stage theatre productions captured live from the Bridge Theatre in London and brought to screen in the beautiful Civic Theatre. Coming soon to Civic Cinema is Ralph Fiennes in 'Straight Line Crazy' and Kit Harrington in 'National Theatre Live Henry V'.
For a combination of all the arts, don't miss Newcastle's best arts festival, New Annual. The New Annual 2022 program features local and nationally renowned artists delivering a mix of free, ticketed and family-friendly events. The breadth of the program is highlighted by its 14 headline acts including 'COLOSSUS', a contemporary dance performance created by internationally renowned Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake, 'This Land', a musical showcase of award-winning and acclaimed First Nations performers, and 'Radial', a fusion of film-making and improvised community performance presented by Hunter Central Coast Development Corporation. Tickets on sale now.