Entertainment

Music

Elena's 'second 30th' a cause for celebration

Well-loved: Elena Kats-Chernin is closing in on her 'second 30th'.

A 60th birthday is often seen as one of those events that it is better to quietly skate over, perhaps with only a small celebration involving close friends or a partner. But in the case of Elena Kats-Chernin, one of Australia's most eminent composers, that particular milestone was never going to be allowed to slip by unnoticed.

Butterfly takes flight for the last time

Diego Torre and Karah Son in Madama Butterfly.

Last night Opera Australia's much-loved production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly was wheeled out for its final season. Since its premiere in 1997 at the Sydney Opera House the poetic simplicity and bold lines of NIDA graduates Peter England and Russell Cohen have been the setting for many a triumph.

Sticky Carpet: Trans genre is back

Grace Jones is among the artists for the inaugural Sydney City Limits.

The announcement of a day-long outdoor music event featuring 30 international acts suggests that the appetite for genre-crossing festivals might be returning.

Bittersweet symphonies

Paul Dyer on the set of Bittersweet Obsessions.

Bach's uncharacteristically silly Coffee Cantata will form one part of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra's concert series, Bittersweet Obsessions.