Go on a fascinating tour of the building guided by City of Adelaide's passionate and knowledgeable volunteers.

Learn about the building's architecture, world famous organ, history, and Colonel William Light: British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia.

Free Concert. All welcome. No bookings required.

Join organist Andrew Georg for a entertaining FREE lunchtime organ concert.

Andrew is a versatile organist who has done everything from playing with State Opera of South Australia, to organ scholarships with St Peter’s Cathedral and Pilgrim Church. 

From family-friendly pieces to beautiful organ works, there’s a little bit of organ magic for everyone.

The Band of the South Australia Police are ringing their sleigh bells presenting an evening of popular Christmas cheer suitable for all ages. In the majestic settings of the Adelaide Town Hall the Concert Band, smaller ensembles and vocalists present some traditional Christmas fare. There may also be a few surprises in their stockings!

Featuring Soloists and Vocalists and, you have your chance to sing along – a night of Christmas fun for the whole family.

Richard Tognetti opens the ACO's 2019 Season with a program that will reach celestial heights. The famed Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir joins us in a celebration of Bach and Arvo Pärt. Ethereal and otherworldly, this is music by two towering composers searching for the very core of human meaning. 

Bach’s sublime Lutheran motets interleave with Pärt’s mystical explorations of the Orthodox faith, before reaching the climax of the program: Pärt’s Berliner Messe.

Fellow Estonian Galina Grigorjeva’s In Paradisum, with its joyous call on the angels to lead souls into heaven, leads our own program into paradise, while Peter Sculthorpe’s Djilile, inspired by Indigenous song, makes a resonant Australian introduction to Pärt’s luminous Messe.

Fiery and charismatic Italian violinist Lorenza Borrani, who delighted audiences on her last tour here in 2016, returns to lead  a program of emotion-charged music.

Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No.1 is a dark and brooding masterpiece written during World War II. Prokofiev said to the pianist he was coaching for its premiere: “It should sound in such a way that people should jump in their seat, and people will say ‘Is he out of his mind?’” Written for violin and piano, it has been arranged for violin and strings by Borrani herself.

Alongside Prokofiev’s sonata is an arrangement of Beethoven’s last String Quartet, Op.135, written only a few months before his death. Its transitions from joy to vulnerability to melancholy – sometimes within a single movement – are immensely moving and thought-provoking.

In between these powerful works, Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Such Different Paths offers a radiant interlude evoking life’s journey.

Playing one piano with four hands is about the most intimate form of chamber music there is. Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi are ZOFO, a '20-Finger Orchestra' who for a decade now have electrified audiences with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands. They commissioned a 'Pictures at an Exhibition', seeking out composers from 15 countries and asking them to choose a piece of visual art from their own culture, and then write a short piece inspired by it.

The result is ZOFOMOMA - an unforgettable multimedia concert experience; a celebration of marvellous pianism set against an enthralling background of international artworks, creating an imaginary tour of a brilliant modern gallery to intrigue and engage the ears and eyes. This concert is 75 minutes with no interval.

COMPOSERS Silvestrini - Vine - Dorman Mykietyn - Ali-Zadeh - Liang Russell - Yudane - Oh - Marti - Aminikia - G Prokofiev - SC Adams - Ortiz - Orozco VISUAL ARTISTS Monet - Gleeson - R Rubin - Fangor - Bahlulzade - B Huang - S Mills - Budhiana - Yokoyama - Marti-Buchanann - Nodjoumi - R Fry - A Martin - Stupia - D Perez Castro

The Doric String Quartet has firmly established itself as the leading British string quartet of its generation, receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics across the globe. Whether tackling delicate nuances or embracing the dramatic gestures of composers, the Dorics provide a captivating blend of sophistication and passion. HAYDN String Quartet in B-flat major, op 33 no 4 Brett DEAN New Work (World Premiere)* BEETHOVEN String Quartet no 14 in C-sharp minor, op 131 *Commissioned in celebration of Melbourne Recital Centre's 10th anniversary with support from Ulrike Klein AO and others

Founded in the fifteenth century, the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is arguably the world’s most famous choir and the pre-eminent representative of the British church music tradition. Their distinctively pure tone has been honed over centuries in the vaulted stone arches of the College Chapel. Comprising 16 boys (the youngest aged seven) and 15 male university students, the Choir remains a major force by balancing unmatched history and tradition with continual growth and choral excellence. The repertoire in this program reflects this breadth by showcasing pieces from the Renaissance to the present day. This performance is especially poignant, marking the Choir’s final tour with Stephen Cleobury CBE, after 37 distinguished years as Director. Program: PURCELL I Was Glad Ross EDWARDS New Work (World Premiere)* FINZI Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice WESLEY The Wilderness PARRY I Was Glad *Commissioned for Musica Viva and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, by Jennifer Seabrook, celebrating Ray Turner’s 75th birthday and his lifelong love of music.

Croatian-born pianist Dejan Lazić rejoins Richard Tognetti and the ACO for a celebration of Mozart’s symphonies and concertos, capped by one of Mozart’s formative influences, Joseph Haydn.

Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 is one of Richard Tognetti’s calling cards, with his signature energy and crispness adored by audiences both here and overseas. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.14 is full of invention and considered the first of his mature concertos. In this program we hear it alongside Dejan’s original arrangement of the Allegretto grazioso from Mozart’s Piano Sonata K.333.

The program is bookended by two great symphonies: Mozart’s Symphony No.25 and the work that directly influenced it, Haydn’s Symphony No.39 ‘Tempesta di mare’. Mozart is known for his rigorous Classicism, but this symphony, instantly recognisable as the dramatic opening of Miloš Forman’s 1984 film Amadeus, is almost “romantic” in its power.

Like Mozart’s symphony, Haydn’s was written when the “Sturm und Drang” movement was strong, and its passion and drama still captivates audiences today.

Perhaps the most celebrated string quartet ever to emerge from the USA, the Emerson String Quartet is making its first Australian tour in over 19 years. Founded in 1976 and with only one personnel change in all that time, the ensemble has stacked up more than 30 recordings and countless awards. With such a pedigree, it is no surprise that the Emersons play with masterly warmth and ease: a spontaneous confidence and joy. Naturally enough, a master string quartet has chosen to play two programs of great masterpieces. Mozart wrote with his audience very much in mind, and his quartets are full of attention-grabbing highlights and dreamy slow movements, while the vitality of folk music shapes the quartets of Dvořák. Shostakovich’s Fifth Quartet did not appear until after the death of Stalin, when its icy, wintry darkness could at last be safely brought into the light. Artists: Eugene Drucker- violin Philip Setzer - violin Lawrence Dutton - viola Paul Watkins - cello Program: MOZART String Quartet no 21 in D major, K575 DVOŘÁK String Quartet no 10 in E-flat major, op 51 SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet no 5 in B-flat major, op 92 Presented in association with Brisbane Festival. Tour supported by the Musica Viva Amadeus Society

Early music has rarely sounded as chic or brilliant! The four musicians of French ensemble Nevermind – combining flute, violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord – met and founded their group while they were students in Paris, with each of them sharing a love of the Baroque and traditional chamber music. A breath of fresh air in today’s classical music scene, they are rewriting the rule-book on period-instrument concerts with a thoroughly engaging mix of virtuoso expertise and unpretentious charm. Delighting audiences across Europe in prestigious festivals and concert series and making their Australian debut with Musica Viva, Nevermind is disarmingly relaxed and unpretentious and thoroughly dedicated to the universal appeal of good music. Artists: Anna Besson - flute Louis Creac’h - violin Robin Pharo - viola da gamba Jean Rondeau - harpsichord Program: MARAIS Trios for the King’s Bedtime: Suite IV F COUPERIN Les Nations: L’Espagnole TELEMANN Paris Quartet no 4 in G minor, TWV43:g1 QUENTIN Quartet Sonata op 15 no 3 GUILLEMAIN Quartet Sonata op 12 no 3 Presented in association with Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Bach holds a special place in the heart of every ACO musician. In this program, the ACO explore his genius with an impressive line-up featuring Richard Tognetti, Erin Helyard, Brett Dean and ACO Principal Cello, Timo-Veikko Valve.

Richard Tognetti’s solo violin opens the program. Its pure, captivating tone sets the scene before giving way to the vibrant lyricism of the Sonata in A major for violin and harpsichord. A favourite of Richard’s and audiences alike, his recording of the complete Bach Sonatas for violin and harpsichord won an ARIA Award for Best Classical Album.

Brett Dean features as both composer and performer in this program. Commissioned by the ACO and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, his Approach (Prelude to a Canon), was written as a prologue to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.6, leading directly into what he calls the “close, contrapuntal companionship” of the voices in Bach.

Bach’s inventive Brandenburg Concertos are one of his many crowning achievements. The Sixth Concerto is the most intimate of all and a striking and elegant finale to the famous suite.

A new classical supergroup of four leading European soloists, the Skride Piano Quartet is sweeping through the northern hemisphere like a breath of fresh air – and is now bringing its dazzling energy to Australia. Sisters, soloists and regular duo partners, Baiba and Lauma Skride sought out two of their favourite chamber music colleagues in Lise Berthaud and Harriet Krijgh. Piano quartets are less often heard than piano trios, but the simple addition of a rich-toned viola seems to inspire composers to create music of outstanding lyricism. Together these stunning virtuosi play with a palpable sense of joy, mutual respect and endless invention. Artists: Baiba Skride - violin Lise Berthaud - viola Harriet Krijgh - cello Lauma Skride - piano Program: BEETHOVEN Piano Quartet no 1 in E-flat major, WoO 36 Graeme KOEHNE New Work* (World Premiere) BRAHMS Piano Quartet no 1 in G minor, op 25 *Commissioned for Musica Viva

The final concert in the ACO's National Tour Season is a big, exuberant celebration. They open with the Australian Premiere of American composer Andrew Norman’s Gran Turismo, revving up for a showdown by two of the most important names in the romantic era.

Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák were close friends, spiritually as well as professionally. Brahms embraced his rich Germanic music tradition, while Dvořák was carving out a new sound, rooted in the music of his own homeland. Brahms admired the young composer’s dazzling melodic and rhythmic skills and championed his work on an international scale.

Richard Tognetti and Principal Cello Timo-Veikko Valve perform Brahms’s Double Concerto, the composer’s last orchestral work. Brahms’s aim in combining the two solo instruments was to create a deeply sonorous and wide-ranging string sound. Dvořák’s Symphony No.8 expresses a kaleidoscope of emotions and manifests the composer’s love of nature and Czech folk music. Pushing the very concept of a “chamber orchestra” to even greater heights, it’s an explosive finale to our 2019 Season.