A new year begins, marking a significant milestone for the Christ Church concert series: the fifth season of concerts at Christ Church Daylesford. To celebrate this anniversary, a package of five concerts will be spread across 2026. This year’s program is particularly special, as it features a range of world-class performers, including several distinguished artists making a welcome return to the Christ Church series.
On Saturday, 14th March 2026, Stanbridge Hall will host a significant musical collaboration as leading early music specialists unite for “Hop, skip and jump!”. This afternoon performance traces a millennium of Western musical tradition through the lens of the recorder, featuring the “sprightly and soulful” 18th-century chamber works of Telemann, Albinoni, Boismortier, and Schickhardt.
While the concert specifically celebrates these Baroque masters, the performers bring a vast historical scope to the stage that reflects a thousand years of repertoire, ranging from Ruth Wilkinson’s expertise in Medieval music and the complex ars subtilier to Rodney Waterman’s pioneering recordings of 16th-century Venetian Renaissance ricercate.
This collaboration is uniquely centered around the legacy of the late Frederick G. Morgan, the legendary Australian recorder maker. The ensemble will perform on a range of rare and beautiful instruments crafted by Morgan, whose work was instrumental in developing a “tonal image” of early music based on historical models. The event serves as a homecoming for the artists, many of whom share deep ties to the Morgan legacy; local harpsichordist Ann Morgan played a pivotal role alongside her husband in this tonal development, while Rodney Waterman previously served as an instrument tester in Morgan’s Daylesford workshop.
The quintet—comprised of Kamala Bain, Ruth Wilkinson, Rodney Waterman, Nicholas Dinopoulos, and Ann Morgan—brings a distinguished collective pedigree to the program. Their shared achievements span the globe, with members having appeared with prestigious ensembles such as the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera, and the Akademie für Alte Musik Bruneck, as well as touring extensively for Musica Viva. Beyond the concert hall, they have collectively shaped the field of early music through landmark recordings for ECM Records and the ABC, and through leadership roles at the University of Melbourne, the NZ School of Music, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
“Hop, skip and jump!” will take place from 2.30pm to 4.00pm at Stanbridge Hall, Christ Church Anglican, located at 54 Central Springs Rd, Daylesford. This performance offers an unmissable opportunity to hear these world-class musicians explore the various instrumental combinations this specialized program affords.
Dates:
14 March, Hop Skip and Jump
2 May, Celebrating the Genius of John Dowland
15 August, London Calling
5 September, Encore! An Afternoon of Salon Music Gems
14 November, In Love’s Sweet Chains
For more information: https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/christchurchconcerts
