Here are some of the things I’m doing in 2026, hope to see you at a concert or two!
–Consortium – A Chest of Viols
2.00pm, Sunday November 1
Yuma Wyselaskie Auditorium, Centre of Theology
29 College Crescent, Parkville
Hear the extraordinary sound of a matched consort of viols, made in Melbourne by luthier Ian Wathcorn. Each of the instruments is a scaled copy of the same original consort bass viol, made by the celebrated maker William Turner in London around the 1650s. Together, these instruments recreate the distinctive balance and resonance of a seventeenth-century English viol consort.
(Presented by Lyrebird)
Consortium
–Laura Vaughan & Donald Nicolson- An Afternoon in Versailles
3.00pm, Sunday November 8
59 Healesville – Koo Wee Rup Road, Healesville
An intimate house concert of music by Marais and Forqueray in beautiful Healesville, with the most delightful interval refreshments in a gorgeous garden setting. In this concert, I’ll be joined by long-time collaborator Dr Donald Nicolson (harpsichord). We will be performing French music from the glorious epoch of the Sun King and Versailles, from the 17th/18th Centuries.
Kindly refrain from wearing oversized wigs to this event, out of consideration for those seated behind you. BYO fan and court gossip!
An Afternoon in Versailles
–Gryphon Baryton Trio: Music at McClelland
2.30pm, Sunday November 15
McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery
390 McClelland Dr, Langwarrin
Come and hear me play baryton with the Gryphon Baryton Trio in the stunning surrounds of McClelland, one of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets. There will be Haydn a-plenty, plus you’ll get to meet Frankie the giant silver gnome.
Gryphon Baryton Trio @ McClelland
–Laura Vaughan & Brandon Lee + Alicia Crossley – Resonances & Reflections
4.00pm, Sunday November 29
Tempo Rubato
34 Breese Street, Brunswick
Music can travel across centuries and cultures, bringing together sounds and traditions from very different places. The shimmering strings of the Japanese koto meet the warm resonance of the viola da gamba in a program with Brandon Lee (koto) and Laura Vaughan (viola da gamba) that spans improvisation, traditional Japanese music, French Baroque and contemporary composition.
After interval, the recorder takes us into a very different sound world. Contemplation. Reminiscing. Reflection. We often look back and reflect on moments and concepts that shape our lives: from ancient philosophies that still resonate today to the search for one’s identity, from the memories of friends and loved ones to the soundscapes of our childhood. Reflections brings together a program of Australian recorder music exploring the themes and emotions of reflection, presented by ARIA-nominated recorder player Alicia Crossley.
Resonances & Reflections @ Tempo Rubato
—PAST EVENTS—
–Ballarat Organs & Fine Music FestivalJanuary 9 – 13, 2026
Various locations in Ballarat, Clunes & Creswick
You will be able to find me at all 12 concerts as the festival’s Artistic Director.
Ballarat Festival Details
–Van Diemen’s Band – Transformations 2pm and 5pm Sunday 15 February
St Canice’s, Sandy Bay
In this stunning program, Van Diemen’s Band and bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor perform a program of sacred and secular works from 17th Century Germany and Venice, alongside two newly commissioned works by Alice Chance and Brooke Shelley that reimagine and recontextualize this rich musical heritage.
Transformations TICKETS
–Van Diemen’s Band – Badinage7pm, Friday 6 March
All Saints, South Hobart
Step into the vibrant world of Baroque music, brought to life by some of Australia’s finest period-instrument performers in a concert that is equal parts a meeting of musical minds and a reunion of colleagues and friends. VDB’s Artistic Director, Julia Fredersdorff (Baroque violin), is joined by Karina Schmitz (Baroque viola), Laura Vaughan (viola da gamba), Simon Martyn-Ellis (theorbo), Donald Nicolson (harpsichord) and Simon Rickard (Baroque bassoon, musette).
Badinage Tickets
–Van Diemen’s Band Summer Academy6-9 March
Mount Carmel College, Sandy Bay, Hobart
I’ll be tutoring at VDB’s 2026 Baroque Academy, which provides the perfect opportunity for both experienced and developing musicians of period instruments to work on 17th and 18th Century music in an academy-style education setting.
VdB Academy Info
–Gryphon Baryton Trio: Sydney7pm, Thursday March 12
Church Street Studios
62-68 Church St, Camperdown
Hooray, the Gryphon Baryton Trio can finally share Haydn’s Divertimenti with our friends in Sydney! We’ll also be playing a fab new work by Brooke Green, all in the intimate environment of Church Street Studios.
Gryphon Baryton Trio Sydney
–Gryphon Baryton Trio: Orange Chamber Music FestivalMarch 13 & 14
I’ll be taking my favourite Haydn to Orange Chamber Music Festival with the Gryphon Baryton Trio, yay! Presented in association with Musica Viva.
Orange Chamber Music Festival details
–Gryphon Baryton Trio: Four Winds Bermagui2pm Sunday March 15
Windsong Pavilion, Bermagui
Hear some of our favourite Haydn in the stunning surrounds of Bermagui’s Windsong Pavillion.
Gryphon Baryton Trio Bermagui
–Castlemaine State Festival solo recitals: Salon @ Portal Gallery House11am & 5pm, Saturday 21 March and Saturday 28 March
30 Church St, Chewton
A series of intimate solo recitals at Portal Gallery House, with music of Marais, St Colombe, Corkine, Pandolfo, Telemann and Brooke Green set amongst the sculptures of Joel Sorenson, Hilary Finch and Zoe Amour as part of the Castlemaine State Music Festival.
Salon @ Portal Gallery House
–St Matthew Passion – Melbourne Bach Choir & Melbourne Baroque Orchestra2.30pm Friday 3 April
Melbourne Recital Centre
J.S. Bach’s masterpiece on Good Friday.
Bach St Matthew Passion Tickets
–Van Diemen’s Band – Bizarrerie11 & 12 April
Ian Potter Recital Hall @ The Hedbert, Hobart
Van Diemen’s Band invites you to discover some of the weird and wonderful instruments of the Baroque.
Bizarrerie puts the spotlight on some of the rare and unusual instruments from the Band’s collection. Program highlights include Vivaldi’s Concerto for Lute and Viola d’Amore in D minor, showcasing the haunting, bell-like tones of the six-stringed viola d’amore, while Fasch’s Concerto for Gallichon gives this almost-forgotten instrument—a gut-strung hybrid that sits somewhere between a lute and a bass guitar—its moment in the spotlight. Also taking centre stage will be a brand-new piccolo violin (nicknamed “Niccolo the Piccolo”) crafted by Nipaluna luthier Douglas Coghill, along with a cornucopia of extraordinary instruments played by extraordinary musicians.e).
BizarrerieTickets
–Woodend Winter Arts Festival Monterverdi Vespers
June 6 & 7 2026
I can never get enough Monterverdi in my life! This year I get to play Vespers on my birthday 🙂
WWAF Vespers details
–Solo recital @ Tempo Rubato: Night Music8pm Friday 12 June
Tempo Rubato
34 Breese St, Brunswick
I’m returning to one of my favourite venues, Tempo Rubato, to give a solo recital of music shaped around the quieter hours in the delicate sound world of the viola da gamba. The program centres on seventeenth century music from England and France, including eccentrically expressive works by Sainte-Colombe, Nicolas Hotman and Marin Marais plus pieces by Tobias Hume and from the Manchester Manuscript that explore the richly experimental music for lyra viol plus some contemporary solo works that sit naturally within this landscape by Philippe Hersant and Ed Finis.
Definitely one to enjoy with a glass of red wine.
Night Music @ Tempo Rubato
–Liquid Threads: Liam Byrne & Laura Vaughan 2026 tour22-30 August 2026
Bundanon, Sydney, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Gippsland
I’ll be touring this gorgeous duo program for two bass viols with the incomparable Liam Byrne (Berlin) this August. We’ll play sumptuous music for two lyra viols by Ferrabosco II, Hume and Byrd, eccentric and passionate Sainte-Colombe, and the spare, glowing polyphony of Locke and Gibbons alongside new works by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and Australian composers Alice Chance and Brooke Green, written especially for this collaboration.
Bundanon- 22 August
Sydney Opera House – 23 August
Hobart – 25 August
Launceston – 26 August
Melbourne Recital Centre – 28 August
Gippsland for Proms Recitals – 30 August
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.
–Canowindra Baroque Fest18-20 September 2026
Three days of beautiful baroque music with Van Diemen’s Band in the delightful Canowindra Baroque Festival. Very much worth a visit!
Canowindra Baroque Festival