Venue: Australian Poetry Hall of Fame, Guyra NSW
Afternoon tea at the Seahorse Medicine Café beforehand.
About the Concert
Violist Robert Harris and pianist Robert Manley bring an afternoon concert to the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame that draws on two complementary programmes. The lyrical heart of the concert is ‘Voice of the Viola’ – a gathering of short, beautifully crafted pieces from across four centuries, witty, warm, and irresistible – woven together with a weightier work from the duo’s spring touring programme: the spirited Brahms Scherzo from the F-A-E Sonata. The result is a programme that moves freely between the intimate and the substantial, presented throughout in a relaxed, conversational style with spoken introductions.
From Rebecca Clarke’s evocative I’ll Bid My Heart Be Still and Debussy’s luminous Beau Soir to songs by Fauré, Rachmaninov, Schubert and Mahler, English songs by Vaughan Williams,
and lighter fare from Rodgers & Hammerstein, the programme offers something for every taste. Enjoy afternoon tea at the Seahorse Medicine Café beforehand, then soak up the old-world charm of the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame and an hour of classical music at its most approachable.
Performer Biographies
Robert Harris – viola
Robert Harris - Viola Player
Robert Harris is a professional violist, now resident near Singleton, with long New England associations as founder violist of the New England Ensemble (piano quartet in residence at the University of New England, 1975–80), Regional Music Coordinator at UNE (1981), briefly as a Director of the New England Conservatorium (2003–2004) and most recently for anniversary reunions and commemorations of the Ensemble. Still remembered for its performances and workshops throughout New England, the North West and North Coast, the Ensemble balanced service to UNE with national and international concert tours.
A past Principal Viola of professional orchestras throughout Australia (including the Australian Chamber Orchestra), New Zealand, Asia, USA and Europe, Robert’s continuing Viola Plus performances in thirty-plus countries now include music-art-history presentations for regional arts centres and galleries, strings workshops (including his renowned Café Viola) and concerts in 2026 with Armidale pianist Robert Manley.
Robert Manley – piano
Robert
Robert Manley is a collaborative pianist, cellist, recorder player, and academic based at the New England Conservatorium of Music in Armidale. Prior to moving to Armidale in 2023, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Queensland School of Music, where his research investigated socio-cultural and musical factors that influence audience engagement with classical music in regional Australian communities.
Rob has worked as a collaborative pianist at the University of Queensland, Queensland Ballet, and the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition. As a cellist he has played with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Festival appearances include the Queensland Music Festival, New England Bach Festival, 4MBS Festival of Classics, and Huon Valley Chamber Music Festival.