Welcome to The Magnificals Orchestra
Sydney’s Newest and Most Innovative Chamber Orchestra
Reshaping beautiful classical music by creating flexible pathways for musicians and delivering culturally rich, inclusive performances that reflect the cultures and communities of today's Sydney.
Timeless Harmonies
Friday 16 October 2026 7:00 PM
St Stephen’s Uniting Church
197 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW
Come with us on a magnificent musical journey spanning more than three centuries, for The Magnificals Chamber Orchestra’s second concert with breathtaking acoustics of St Stephen’s, featuring the world premiere of a new concerto.
Book now. Tickets are Free though bookings are essential and all donations gladly appreciated.
At Timeless Harmonies, The Magnificals are honoured to continue our support for Lou’s Place, a daytime drop-in centre for women in need, with a silent art auction including the painting shown here.
The Program
Timeless Harmonies takes us first back to Corelli, the acclaimed father of modern Western harmony, with his sumptuous and emotional G Minor Concerto Grosso, the 'Christmas Concerto'. The ripieno will be played by The Magnificals' Concertmaster Heather Kim, Ting Lee (violin) and Louisa Lovasz ('cello).
JS Bach's Keyboard Concerto no 1 (D Minor), the second piece, is a natural corollary to Corelli. As one of Bach's most powerful and celebrated polyphonic compositions, this concerto helped the keyboard to be recognised as a solo and dominant instrument for performance. Anna Damayanti, our founder and artistic director, will be the soloist taking us through the D Minor concerto's high drama and breathtaking virtuosity.
Exquisite emotion and fragility are exposed in the tragic soprano aria 'Ach, ich fühl's' from Act II of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, sung by Angeles Delprato for the third piece of the Timeless Harmonies program. Also in G Minor, a key favoured by Mozart for expressions of deepest anguish, this late-period (1791) masterpiece serves as the emotional anchor for the whole of The Magic Flute.
Those themes of darkness and light are echoed in our final piece, 'Lux et Umbra'. This is the world premiere of a brand new 2026 concerto by our Australian composer-in-residence, Andrei Hadap. Andrei himself, also an organist at St Stephen's, will play the organ solo. We are excited to welcome guest conductor David Angell of the Bourbaki Ensemble, and the rising talents of members of the South Sydney Youth Orchestra for the concerto.
Empowering Musicians with Flexible Performance Opportunities
At The Magnificals, we are dedicated to providing adaptable and professional performance opportunities tailored to the needs of musicians, with a special focus on supporting mother-musicians. Our flexible approach fosters growth, collaboration, and artistic excellence, ensuring a vibrant and inclusive musical community.
Flexible Scheduling: Accommodating musicians' personal commitments.
Professional Development: Supporting growth, especially for mother-musicians.
Collaborative Environment: Fostering an inclusive artistic community.
The Magnificals believe classical music should be enjoyed by everyone. We are dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating inclusive experiences for diverse audiences. Our performances are designed to be culturally relevant, welcoming, and engaging for all members of the community. We strive to make classical music accessible to all.
Making Music Accessible
