In November, 2023, Oberon will see something that rarely happens outside of the big cities - a three-day chamber music festival. The event, officially named the Oberon Chamber Music Festival, will run from November 25 to 26 at the Malachi Gilmore Hall.
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If perhaps you think that there wouldn't be an audience for this sort of music away from the Sydney Opera House, over 70 people turned out on a Sunday evening for a preview concert on April 2. When you add to this the more than 30 concerts held at the Mt David home of Rod and Alexandra Tuson over the last few years it would seem that a market is here.
The preview featured the Streeton Trio, consisting of violinist Emma Jardine, cellist Rachel Siu and for this occasion, Sydney Symphony Orchestra principal violist Tobias Breider.
![The Streeton Trio - Emma Jardine. Tobias Breider and Rachel Siu. Photo Peter Bowditch The Streeton Trio - Emma Jardine. Tobias Breider and Rachel Siu. Photo Peter Bowditch](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179975243/0d82c291-1e71-49e3-bd0d-fbd411496aea.jpg/r0_240_4702_2894_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Works performed over the 45 minute recital were Schubert's String Trio in B flat major, Beethoven's String Trio in C minor and Dohanyi's Serenade in C major. All of the pieces fitted the Malachi's acoustics almost perfectly, with every note clearly audible at every seat.
Asked about the origins of the trio's name, Emma Jardine told the story.
"We were working in Switzerland and we were looking for a name. We wanted it to relate to Australia's cultural environment and someone suggested Arthur Streeton, who was not only one of the country's best artists but had been married to a concert violinist. We contacted his family and they were pleased to have us use the name."
![Sir Arthur Streeton. "Self portrait 1923" from the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW. Sir Arthur Streeton. "Self portrait 1923" from the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179975243/eb7c813e-ed49-4799-819f-99c0f62da166.jpg/r0_218_3000_2472_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Reaction to the performance from the audience was universally enthusiastic, with Jo Babb saying "It was a beautiful concert. Thank you. If that is a taste of what is to come, then November will be wonderful" and Lynne Barlow agreeing "A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of beautiful music. Thankyou."
![It's five o'clock at the Malachi and the Oberon crowd loves what they hear. Photo Peter Bowditch It's five o'clock at the Malachi and the Oberon crowd loves what they hear. Photo Peter Bowditch](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179975243/3cf1fd28-7481-44f0-9c30-6851b1610e51.jpg/r0_613_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Perhaps the most knowledgeable critic was Rod Tuson, who has been promoting chamber music at Mt David for some years. "It was great to see so many people turn out on a Sunday for this, and the performances were flawless. It has encouraged us to start our own recitals again and we will be working with Lucy and Johnnie to make sure we don't clash with performances at the Malachi. We can only fit in an audience of about 50, so having a space like this that can hold a bigger group is just what Oberon needs. I'm definitely looking forward to November."