Julian Smiles and Dimity Hall have enjoyed a fabulous holiday after an incredibly busy 2024 in which the 30th and final concert season of the Goldner String Quartet was celebrated far and wide. They are excited to be preparing for such an interesting mix of concerts this year with the Australia Ensemble and also further afield.

Julian has two national tours with Selby & Friends this year (early April and late November). Over the coming few months Dimity and Julian will be going to Queenstown NZ where Julian will be teaching and performing for the Whakatipu Music Festival. Immediately on their return they will both perform for the Blackheath Chamber Music Festival over the Anzac weekend in late April. It’s a wonderful festival at which they have performed on several previous occasions with the Goldners. They’ll feature in a variety of repertoire and chamber combinations culminating in a performance of former AE clarinetist and composer-extraordinaire Nigel Westlake’s Compassion, written in collaboration with singer Lior.

With such a busy concert season in 2024 with The Goldners, some of their unfinished projects had to be pushed into
this year - including some incomplete series of recordings and a long-postponed ‘Concerts Cruise’ around the Top End organised by 4MBS-FM. This was originally due to occur in the Covid years along with Piers Lane, but will now take place this May with pianist Andrea Lam. Julian will also be busy teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium where this year he takes on the role of ‘Head of Discipline - Strings’.