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 Wednesday 2 September: Angela Deng (violin) and Rhodri Clarke (piano)
Accomplished young violinist Angela Deng, 15, has won many awards and prizes both locally and internationally. She is delighted to present a captivating program with renowned pianist Rhodri Clarke, featuring Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 7 and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, alongside the sparkling charm of Kreisler and the dramatic virtuosity of Ysaÿe.
1pm Wednesday 9 September: Stephy Cai (piano)
Stephy Cai, aged 12, is a Music Scholarship recipient at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School and studies piano under the guidance of Richard Liu. She has received multiple first prize awards at prestigious events, including the Ringwood Eisteddfod, Monash Youth Music Festival, and Boroondara Eisteddfod, and was awarded the AMusA with Distinction in 2025. She will perform Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 18 in D major, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor (Mvt. IV), and Miriam Hyde’s Valley of Rocks.
1pm Wednesday 16 September: Melody Huang (piano)
11-year-old Melody Huang is a Year 6 student at Strathcona Girls Grammar. She began studying piano at the age of five and currently studies with Dr Tamara Smolyar. At the age of 10, Melody was awarded the LMusA, and over the past four years, she has received nearly 40 first prizes across a wide range of age categories and competitions. She will perform works by J.S. Bach, Clementi, Chopin, Schumann-Liszt, Le Gallienne, and Ginastera.
1pm Wednesday 23 September: Westgarth Ensemble: Sublimely Ridiculous – Mozart’s Canons
Rude, devotional, lyrical, and clever—with jokes you can sing!—Mozart’s canons (or rounds) were written for the composer’s friends to sing on the spot as after-dinner entertainment. The Westgarth Ensemble have programmed a tasty little selection of these works for three and four voices, adding a couple of canons by other well-known composers of the classical era, as a sampler of this popular 18th-century post-prandial pastime.
1pm Wednesday 30 September: Brienne Gawler (oboe) and Nathan Glenn (piano)
Oboist Brienne Gawler and pianist Nathan Glenn return to present another captivating program at St Paul’s Cathedral, featuring works by Australian, American, French, and Russian composers. This program includes the evocative music of French oboe sonatas by Saint-Saëns and Poulenc, brand-new arrangements of excerpts from the iconic orchestral works Scheherazade and The Nutcracker, and the exciting world-premiere performance of Once Upon A Dream by Nathan Glenn!
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.