Armidale artists are joining forces for a one-off performance in support of one of the region’s best-loved cultural events, the New England Bach Festival.
Guitar duo EphenStephen and poet Sarah Lawrence will present Bachianas, an intimate one-hour showcase at the Armidale Playhouse on Saturday, 12 September, with all proceeds going toward the 2027 festival.
Organisers describe it as a cross-arts performance, demonstrating what they call the deep collaborative spirit of New England’s local arts scene, with Ms Lawrence’s original poetry woven through a program performed by EphenStephen.
EphenStephen is best known as a guitar duo, but for this show Stephen Tafra will leave his guitar at home and return to his first instrument, the piano accordion, performing both as a soloist and in duet with guitarist Steve Thorneycroft.
Neither musician is taking a fee for the performance, with all proceeds donated to the festival, which has run for more than 20 years supporting local musicians and composers.
There is no Bach on the program itself, but every piece pays homage to the composer in some way. Mr Thorneycroft said the program focused on music written in homage to Bach, directly or indirectly inspired by him, or otherwise viewed through his lens.
The lineup spans Vivaldi, as arranged by Bach, alongside works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Béla Kovács, Agustín Barrios and contemporary composer Bill Frisell, each chosen for the way it reflects or responds to Bach’s influence and his reputation as a great improviser.
Mr Thorneycroft said combining spoken word with music opened up new ways for audiences to connect with the performance, and hinted the collaboration was laying the groundwork for a new project set to premiere at the 2027 festival that could not yet be revealed.
He said the one-off nature of Saturday’s performance was part of its appeal.
“Music and spoken word are temporal arts, meaning you’ll never be able to hear this particular concert again… Ever!” he said.
“So with that in mind, we hope you might come along with us for the ride and support the festival in doing so.”
Ticket sales will go toward funding the logistics, programming and artist lineup for the 2027 New England Bach Festival, helping ensure the festival remains a fixture of cultural life in Armidale and the surrounding districts.
Bachianas: EphenStephen and Sarah Lawrence runs from 4pm to 5pm on Saturday, 12 September, at the Armidale Playhouse, 309 Beardy Street, Armidale. Tickets are available through TryBooking.
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