Recital Centre unveils intimate 2026 season in Primrose Potter Salon

Melbourne Recital Centre has unveiled its 2026 program for the Primrose Potter Salon, reaffirming the venue’s role as one of Southbank’s most intimate and artist-focused performance spaces.

Seating just 140 people, the Primrose Potter Salon sits alongside the centre’s larger Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, offering a setting designed for close listening and direct connection between artists and audiences. The newly announced season spans contemporary, classical and cross-genre practices, with a strong emphasis on Australian artists, album launches and artist-led projects.

Across the year, the program will spotlight new releases, returning performers and collaborations that traverse musical traditions and cultures. Melbourne Recital Centre says the season reflects its commitment to amplifying Australia’s diverse musical ecology while fostering meaningful, small-scale live music experiences.

Director of programming Iain Grandage AM said the Primrose Potter Salon occupied a distinctive place within the centre’s broader artistic vision.

“It’s a space that invites close listening and curiosity, and I’m excited to share this program – and the experience of the Primrose Potter Salon – with audiences in 2026.”

The season opens on March 18 with percussionist Claire Edwardes launching her album Dual Attractor, followed later in March by performances from T3HO and acclaimed sibling duo Natalie and Brittany Haas (pictured). Guitarist and composer Joshua Moshe will present his work in May, while newly formed ensemble CzechMate will explore rarely heard music from the 1600s in Meeting at the Crossroads.

Mid-year highlights include Harry Ward performing with Benjamin Ward and Finnish pianist Noora Ylönen, and a cross-cultural program bringing together Greek rebetiko and West African blues traditions. Later in the year, performances from Liam Byrne and Laura Vaughan, Lamia Yared and Efrén López continue the season’s genre-spanning approach.

The program concludes in December with a festive performance by Genesis Baroque and French soprano Myriam Arbouz, presenting Cantatas for Christmas.

While Melbourne Recital Centre is internationally recognised for the scale and acoustics of Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, the Primrose Potter Salon has built a reputation as a space where emerging ideas can be tested, and audiences can experience music at close range.

Tickets for the 2026 Primrose Potter Salon season are now on sale. •