Music & Tea at WAG: From the Veil of the Morning

Emerging Artist Concert Series

Mackenzie Lawrence presents a showcase of colour and contrast in a concert that explores the richness and variety of the mezzo-soprano repertoire in collaboration with Australian pianist and composer John Martin. Spanning the lyrical intensity of art song to the drama of operatic repertoire, the program features music by Hugo Wolf, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gioachino Rossini, and Giacomo Meyerbeer, with delightful turns of wit from Flanders and Swann and Gilbert and Sullivan.

The program moves fluidly between introspection and exuberance, intimacy and playfulness, with voice and piano as equal partners in storytelling. A central highlight is the premiere of John Martin’s evocative setting of The Lake Isle of Innisfree, which offers a contemporary reflection within the program and celebrates the enduring power of voice and piano in partnership.

Mackenzie Lawrence is a NSW-based soprano and emerging opera singer, currently studying a Bachelor of Performance (Classical Voice) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Donna Balson. Originally from Nowra, she has performed with Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Sydney and was a 2024 finalist in the Demant Dreikurs Scholarship Song Competition. John Martin is one of Australia’s most established performers and composers, collaborating with artists across genres. He is also a committed mentor of the next generation of young musicians.

The Emerging Artist Concert Series is a collaboration between Wollongong Art Gallery and Inspire Music Australia. It features musicians under 26 in concerts that allow audiences to experience our next generation of musicians in the ambience of one of Australia’s leading regional art galleries. Join us for a morning of music, art and friendship. Arrive early for a cup of tea and biscuits.

The EACS at WAG is a FREE event to ensure accessibility for all. DONATIONS to support the artists' fees are greatly appreciated.

*Also at St Jude's Bowral, June 6 at 1:15 pm