Arts Centre Melbourne’s beloved annual daytime performance program, Morning Melodies is set to return in 2024 with a spectacular line-up including Lucy Durack, Rohan Browne, The Australian Ballet School, Orchestra Victoria and more.
Between February and December next year, the Hamer Hall stage will showcase established stars of the stage and emerging talent across jazz, ballet, musical theatre, orchestral performance and variety spectaculars.
Leading lady of the stage, Lucy Durack kicks the year off on Monday 12 February, lending her exceptional voice to both theatre and jazz classics. The voice behind Glinda the Good Witch in the original Australian production of Wicked and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical will perform some of the all-time classics including, Popular and For Good (Wicked), You’ll Never Walk Alone (Carousel), You Are My Sunshine, At Last, Bye Bye Blackbird and Dream a Little Dream of Me.
This is followed by a special performance on Monday 4 March by jazz band, The Syncopators as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. The group, made of some of Melbourne’s best jazz talent will be joined by vocalist Fem Belling, performing the best of an exceptional 40 years.
Accompanied by her 8-piece band, multi award-winning vocalist, Nina Ferro breathes new life into the voices that have defined the 20th Century. From Tina Turner to Helen Reddy, Madonna to Billie Holiday, Ferro will perform it all on Monday 15 April in A Century of Women in Song.
From breathtaking contemporary to the beautifully traditional, on Tuesday 28 May, The Australian Ballet School make their return to Morning Melodies with En Pointe, a celebration of the art of ballet.
On Monday 17 June, Orchestra Victoria and their world-class musicians make a return to the Morning Melodies program. Joined by pianist Andrea Lam, Orchestra Victoria will perform a collection of works handpicked by Lam, as she shares the significance and stories behind each choice.
Presenting a program exclusively created for Morning Melodies, Victorian College of the Arts celebrate the best of Broadway’s songbook with an ambitious and magical performance on Monday 19 August. The theatre showcase is a wonderful opportunity to see a 30-strong ensemble perform great love songs, ambitious ballads and astounding choruses.
On Monday 21 October, enjoy a highly interactive performance from Bring It Home. Join Karen Davitt and her band All Day Fritz for a participatory live music extravaganza, featuring original tunes, old favourites and an entertaining line-up of special guests including Brian Nankervis, Patrick Cronin, Rebecca Barnard, Wilbur Wilde, Alison Ferrier and more.
Fresh off his role as Lumiere in the stage production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Rohan Browne returns to the Hamer Hall stage on Monday 18 November for a retrospective performance of the great big sounds of our time. Including; I Only Have Eyes for You, Night & Day, Unchain My Heart, It’s Not Unusual, I Saw Her Standing There, Why Don’t You Do Right and many more.
A cherished staple of the Morning Melodies calendar, Christmas Melodies will make a return on Monday 9 December with all the favourite Christmas carols, and some very special guests.
From more humble origins, Morning Melodies began in 1985 as film screenings in Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse theatre. Performer Betty Pounder and producer Sandy Graham had wanted to make good use of an otherwise empty theatre on a Monday morning.
Nearly 40 years on, the acclaimed program has showcased over 450 live performances on the majestic Hamer Hall stage to more than half a million audience members.
Tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now for Full Subscriptions (nine shows), from 16 November for Choose Your Own Subscriptions (three to eight shows) and from 7 December for single tickets.
Visit artscentremelbourne.com.au or call the contact centre on 1300 182 183 for more information.
