Sunday 20 September 2:30pm

SHINING STAR

Virtuosic Excellence

The concerto as a vehicle for virtuosic display flourished during the 19^th Century, becoming increasingly complex and ambitious works. While performances of typical concerto in the baroque era lasted about ten minutes, those by Beethoven, for example, could last half an hour or longer. Concertos from all ages, since their development in late 1600s, have remained a conspicuous and important part of the repertoire for concert performances and recordings and this concert will feature the winner of the 2025 Symphony Central Coast Concerto Competition Elana Sydenham, as she performs Taffenel’s Fantasy on Der Freischutz.

The year 1889 was a particularly productive one for Antonín Dvořák. During that summer, he began to sketch ideas for his Eighth Symphony at his country house in Vyoská. Ideas came to him so quickly that he complained he could not set them down fast enough. Every movement, every minute has a distinct melody, always catchy and memorable with not a single dull moment. Often described as ‘sunny’ as well as ‘songful,’ ‘warm,’ and ‘optimistic’, it is Dvořák’s symphony of folk music.

Plus selections from Bizet’s opera Carmen and Australian composer Jessica Wells’ Uplift, commissioned for the Artology “Acknowledgement of Country” program.

2:30pm | 20 September 2026 | Gosford Regional Library Auditorium, Donnison St, Gosford

Sunday 22 November 2:30pm

COSMOS

Celestial trekking

In 1918, a symphonic blockbuster was born in London. The Planets, a seven-movement orchestral suite by Gustav Holst, depicted the mythical character of planets from our solar system and has been a fixture in orchestral repertoire ever since. From the relentless, mechanized march of Mars to the ethereal, otherworldly fade of Neptune, Holst’s The Planets is a landmark in 20th-century orchestral music. Its influence extends beyond the concert hall, inspiring movie scores, science fiction, and even popular music. 
Each movement represents a different planet in our solar system (excluding Earth and Pluto, the latter of which had yet to be discovered), not in a scientific sense but as astrological archetypes. So, we have Mars, the Bringer of War; Venus, the Bringer of Peace; and Mercury, the Winged Messenger. Then come Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and finally, Neptune, the Mystic. Though Holst himself grew weary of its popularity, and even a bit resentful of all the attention it cannibalised from his other works, The Planets remains his most celebrated work—an orchestral masterpiece that continues to enthral audiences over a century after its creation.

Plus Kaija Saariaho’s 2005 work Asteroid 4179:Toutatis, inspired by the asteroid of the same name which makes frequent close approaches to Earth, with a currently minimum possible distance of just 0.006AU (2.3 times as far as the Moon), and Jess Montgomery’s Starburst, a play on imagery of rapidly changing musical colours, inspired by the rapid formation of large numbers of new stars in a galaxy.

2:30pm | 22 November 2026 | Gosford Regional Library Auditorium, Donnison St, Gosford

GETTING HERE: Gosford Regional Library Auditorium – Parking and public transport 

• Public transport: Just a few minutes’ walk from Gosford Station, with frequent trains and, nearby buses. Need help planning your trip? Call (02) 4304 7500 or visit Transport NSW.
• Cycling: Bike racks available outside the library.
• Opposite of Gosford Regional Library at Kibble Park, 118 Donnison Street, there is a small free public car park with around 20 spaces.
• Street parking: Available along Donnison Street, Mann Street, and surrounding CBD streets. Parking is usually free on Sundays and public holidays—always check local signage. See more car parking options.
• Drop off zone: A 15-minute drop off zone is located at the front of Gosford Regional Library.