A series of lunchtime concerts was launched in April 2013 to encourage city workers and others to come into and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Cathedral during the day.
These half hour recitals on Wednesdays at 1pm provide fine music and space for contemplation in the midst of a busy week. Admission is by donation.
Upcoming Lunchtime Concerts
Our lunchtime concert series takes place at 1pm Wednesdays (unless indicated otherwise).
1pm Thursday 30 April: Jasmine Lai (piano)
19-year-old Jasmine Lai is a multi-awarded young composer-pianist. She studies piano with Glenn Riddle and is currently a second-year student at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Jasmine has recently been awarded scholarships from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and the Theme and Variations Foundation. She will perform Chopin’s Étude in C minor, Op. 25, No. 12, Haydn’s Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Hob. XVI 41 (mvt. I), Liszt’s Les Cloches de Genève, and Bacewicz’s Piano Sonata No. 2.
1pm Wednesday 6 May: Eric Chan (organ) and Chrysoberyl Chan (dizi and suona)
Hong Kong concert organist and Royal College of Music, London, graduate Eric Chan presents a program for organ with traditional Chinese wind instruments dizi and suona, performed by Chrysoberyl Chan. The program includes three collaborative works. Their duo project, exploring connections between musical traditions, was awarded the Best Music Production/Performance Award by the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion. The pair has performed widely across Europe and Asia.
1pm Wednesday 13 May: From Dawn to Dusk – Emily Martin (soprano) and Isaac Mouskovias (piano)
Acclaimed American soprano Emily Martin is currently the Ellen P. Williams Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Bucknell Voice Lab at Bucknell University, Pennsylvania. Beginning with Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade, this program traces the musical lineages of influence between composers. Schubert influenced Clara Schumann’s lieder; Aaron Copland absorbed lessons from French composers, Powell transformed African-American spirituals; and Previn channelled the legacy of Strauss, Schoenberg, and the German tradition.
1pm Wednesday 20 May: Tyler Zhou (piano)
Tyler Zhou was born in Melbourne and studies piano with Dr David Soo. He has received many international prizes and has performed abroad in China, Singapore, and Poland. In this recital, Tyler will perform works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and Ginastera, as well as lesser-known Australian works by the Melbourne-born and London-based composer John Carmichael, and a glorious waltz by the Sydney-born composer Marjorie Hesse.
1pm Wednesday 27 May: Impressions – Roslyn Carolane (organ) and Kathy Ma (piano)
Performed as a memorial to Lachlan Redd on his birthday, this is a concert that Roslyn Carolane and Lachlan had intended to perform. It shows that organ works also can be considered Impressionistic, along with Debussy’s piano repertoire. Roslyn will play ‘Clair de lune’ and ‘Cathédrales’, both from the Pièces de fantaisie for organ by Louis Vierne. ‘Clair de lune’, ‘Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut’, and ‘La cathédrale engloutie’ by Claude Debussy will be played by Kathy Ma on the piano.
The 2026 Lunchtime Concert Series is fully booked. The 2027 series will be organised in October 2026.
Previous ‘Virtual’ Lunchtime Concerts
During the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020, the Cathedral broadcasted regular Virtual Lunchtime Concerts in support of local and international artists and musicians. You can watch a selection of the previous Virtual Lunchtime Concerts here on Youtube.