ON TOUR


27 OCTOBER 2024 - Saraton Theatre - Grafton... The Kransky Sisters will be joining The Clarence Valley Orchestra and Chorus for their highly anticipated annual 'An Afternoon of the Pops'.

The Clarence Valley Orchestra and Chorus are back again with ‘An Afternoon at The Pops’ for their 10th Anniversary at the Saraton Theatre with another fantastic program from Artistic Director & Conductor Greg Butcher on Sunday afternoon 27th October. Their 10th anniversary concert special guest artists are The Kransky Sisters from Esk, who are driving their Morris down to Grafton to join the Clarence Valley Orchestra & Chorus for the performance. 

Further info and tickets click here!


Fri & Sat 16 & 17, 23 & 24, and Sat & Sun 2 & 3 February 2024

IF THESE WALLS COULD SING - Join us for an evening of historical highlights in Parramatta Town Hall as it opens its doors once again to its rich and diverse community. FREE EVENT - BOOKING ESSENTIAL

Along with my beloved fellow musician collaborators Peter Nelson, Trent Arkleysmith, and as part of a fabulous creative team that Form Dance have brought together, I have been working on this event, as a launch of the newly renovated Parramatta Town Hall. I've been loving meeting the Parramatta community. It's a free event... and runs through Feb and the first weekend of March. Reserving a place is essential.

 

IF THESE WALLS COULD SING. FORM Dance in partnership with Create NSW’s Culture Up Late initiative and City of Parramatta present a feast for the eyes, ears and taste buds at Parramatta Town Hall. Weaving stories of place and people into a song-cycle, where you can hear, see and taste the diversity of who we were, who we are and what we aspire to become as a community in Parramatta, Western Sydney.

From eel, yam and shepherd’s pie, to dumplings, samosa, sfeehas and the nori roll - how time and tastes have flown through Parramatta. Through the eyes of the Rosella and the tastebuds of the Ibis, celebrate the history and culture of Parramatta as told through song, dance and feasting.

See Jannawi Dance Clan... hear Madame Lark and her band... and meet the charismatic Flying Pieman... Be transported to the time of the Inspector of Nuisances, from The Glee Club's Haydn’s Oratorio to the banning of Rock n Roll in Parramatta Town Hall. Join us for an evening of historical highlights in Parramatta Town Hall as it opens its doors once again to its rich and diverse community.

When: 6pm – 7:30pm / Friday and Saturdays, 16 & 17, 23 & 24 February 2024 / Saturday and Sunday: 2 & 3 March 2024 / Venue: Parramatta Town Hall, 182 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150

Ticketing: FREE – bookings essential - https://atparramatta.com/if-these-walls-could-sing


1 MARCH 2024 - WENTWORTH POINT, SYDNEY - SONGS FROM THE SKY

SONGS FROM THE SKY.

Step into an immersive celebration of the history and culture of the Parramatta River as told through song, dance and feasting.

Local luminary Christine Johnston and her band will weave stories of place and people into a compelling song-cycle, where you can hear, see and taste the beauty and diversity of who we were, who we are and what we aspire to become as a river community in Western Sydney.

Locally made dumplings served by the charismatic Flying Pieman, let live music, dance and theatre performance transform the twilight sky.

A must see, must hear, must taste experience. Join us for this open-air concert. 

The performance begins with a special First Nations performance and Welcome by Jannawi Dance Clan with Artistic Director, Darug woman Peta Strachan.

When: 6pm – 7:30pm, Friday 1 March 2024 (45mins duration)

Venue: In the forecourt, Wentworth Point Community Centre and Library
10 Footbridge Boulevard, Wentworth Point NSW 2127 (Opposite Marina Square)

Ticketing: FREE - No tickets required. INFO AT THIS LINK.

 


13 TO 24 DEC 2023 - 'A CRACKER KRANSKY CHRISTMAS' coming to NEWCASTLE matinee & evening / BATHURST / PARRAMATTA SYDNEY matinee & evening / & returning to QPAC BRISBANE... A Crockpot of Cracker Hits!!

A CRACKER KRANSKY CHRISTMAS

From Britney Spears to Aerosmith, M to AC/DC, and carols like you've never heard them before, a night with this delightfully twisted trio will more than fill your Christmas stocking. The Kransky Sisters are bringing 'A Cracker Kransky Christmas' in 2023 to Newcastle, Bathurst, Sydney & returning to QPAC, Brisbane.

 

LIZOTTES NEWCASTLE

13 DECEMBER 2023

Book here for Lunch and/or show (2pm showtime) Plenty of seats!!

Book here for Dinner and/or show (9pm showtime)

 

BATHURST MEMORIAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE - BATHURST

14 DECEMBER 2023

Book here for BATHURST (7.30pm showtime)

 

RIVERSIDE THEATRES PARRAMATTA

16 DECEMBER 2023

Book here for PARRAMATTA, SYDNEY

(2.30pm or 7pm showtimes) NEW SEATS AVAILABLE!!

 

QLD PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE BRISBANE

19 - 24 DECEMBER 2023

Book here for QPAC BRISBANE

(1pm or 7.30pm showtimes) 



Below are performances that have already occurred...


11 November - Northern Rivers Conservatorium Lismore NSW

SONYA LIFSCHITZ & CHRISTINE JOHNSTON Presented by Musica Viva

11 NOVEMBER 2023 

NORTHERN RIVERS CONSERVATORIUM, LISMORE NSW

NRC Concert Room - 7pm

Tickets here: SONYA & CHRISTINE

 

Conceived as a reflection on the cyclical nature of life, ‘Above/Below’ pairs the poetic, lyrical vignettes of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, Op. 37a (based on the twelve calendar months of the year) with the abstract mysticism of George Crumb’s Makrokosmos, Book I (based on the twelve houses of the zodiac), weaving a beguiling journey through the calendar year.

Ukrainian-Australian pianist Sonya Lifschitz is at the forefront of cross-disciplinary collaboration in Australia. Innovative and fiercely creative, Sonya re-contextualises the classical canon and pushes the boundaries of conventional concert practice. Joining Sonya is renowned Australian performance artist Christine Johnston (known affectionately as ‘Madame Lark’), whose uncanny ability to mimic Australian bird calls – along with her gift for narration – has seen her appear at festivals and concerts around the globe. In this concert, she’ll play the musical saw and recite poetry as Sonya juxtaposes two widely divergent musical voices, allowing them to speak to each other in surprising and illuminating ways. FOR TICKETS FURTHER INFO VISIT HERE



28 & 29 October, 2023 - Nighttime Righttime - as part of LIVEWORKS FESTIVAL (19 to 29 Oct) @ Carriageworks - SYDNEY

As part of LIVEWORKS FESTIVAL 2023 - Performance Space - 40 Years

 

From the Performance Space Archives, Christine Johnston as Madame Lark will be joining the line up as part of NIGHTTIME RIGHTTIME, celebrating Performance Space's 40th anniversary.  Initiated during the transition from 199 Cleveland Street to Carriageworks, the Nighttime program of experimental cross-artform works is returning with a mix of new short work commissions and a selection from the archive. Co-curated by Rosie Dennis and Lara Thoms, Nighttime will take place in Bay 20 and the Carriageworks Public Space.

 

INFO & TICKETS here for the LIVEWORKS FESTIVAL full program and Nighttime Nighttime.

  

Photo by Markus Ravik - WSFB 2023

 


8 SEPTEMBER 2023 - MADAME LARK APPEARS AT HOTA, GOLD COAST, AS PART OF ARCHIE 100: UP LATE

PHOTOS BY LINDA OGONOWSKI - HOTA - ARCHIE 100 UP LATE

Madame Lark as part of a HOTA's event at the new Art Gallery. 

Tickets and Info here.

Archie 100: Up Late

We’re staying up late for one night only! Join us for an evening of nostalgia and art, as we bring Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize to life. You’re in for a night of great tunes, interactive workshops, delicious food and drinks, and a few little surprises along the way. 


5 - 6 August 2023 - BLEACH* - Acoustic Life of Sheds - CURRUMBIN VALLEY

BLEACH* FESTIVAL

ACOUSTIC LIFE OF SHEDS

5 - 6 August 2023

FEATURING

  • BRIAN RITCHIE,
  • CHRISTINE JOHNSTON WITH PETER NELSON AND TRENT ARKLEYSMITH (photograph)
  • SAMUEL PANKHURST
  • RITCHIE DANIELL

Presented by BLEACH*  / Original concept by Big hART

Off the back of our sold-out 2022 event, Acoustic Life of Sheds returns!

Jump in the car and traverse along winding roads, venturing deep into the lush Currumbin Valley, where this year’s musical adventure awaits. Housed in iconic rural sheds—their unique history embedded into the tapestry of each space—the intimate concerts celebrate the hidden stories of their stage. With site-specific works performed in each of the different sheds, this melodic road trip is a true bucket list experience.

Complete the travelling concert with a gourmet picnic, brimming with local produce, that will be delivered to your final destination. Currumbin Valley Harvest is catering with their delicious Buckwheat Crispy Wraps. Currumbin Valley Harvest stocks chemical-free and organic fresh produce that is seasonal and in support of local farmers and growers.

Location and driving route provided with booking.

 


8 July 2023  - Melbourne Cabaret Festival - The Kransky Sisters

MEMO MUSIC HALL St Kilda Melbourne - 4pm and 6.30pm

See below for information.

MELBOURNE Cabaret Festival tickets info here!


14 - 17 June & 8 July 2023 - The Kransky Sisters 'Assorted Nuts' tour in regional SE QLD... Bundaberg, Caloundra, Esk & Boonah and then they're off to the Melbourne Cabaret Festival.

The Kransky Sisters'  June & July 2023 Tour has been announced!

 

14 June 2023  BUNDABERG

15 June 2023 CALOUNDRA

16 June 2023 ESK

17 June 2023 BOONAH

8   July   2023 MELBOURNE CABARET FESTIVAL

 

Watch out! Here they come! The musical sisters from Esk are turning the hubcaps on the highway and bringing a delightful mix of nutty stories and songs to town! Venturing out from the secret laden walls of their secluded home, this strange and endearing trio is an experience not to be missed.

Hot out of the oven, with stories of their misfit adventures paired with famous songs gleaned from their old wireless at home, these three eccentric sisters are set to serve up a real treat. From Abba to Daft Punk, Sia to Steppenwolf, Pink to Pink Floyd, get ready to hear well-known tunes like you’ve never heard them before!  With their peculiar spin on popular songs played on an eclectic mix of instruments including musical saw, tuba, old reed keyboard, and kitchen pots, these oddball Queensland Sisters will leave you wanting more. 

 


17 & 18 April 2023 - Madame Lark & Bevil Long (Annie Lee) @ Melbourne Recital Centre for Music Play 2023

 

MUSIC PLAY ... the family festival at Melbourne Recital Centre!!

 

Keep an eye out for Madame Lark at MUSIC PLAY with the glorious assistance of Bevil Long.

 

Check out the fun programme here... 

There is lots to see and enjoy! Regurgitator have a children's show!... So does Emma Donovan!... and many more! Here is the program:

 Music Play 2023 Program


7 APRIL 2023 - FOUR WINDS FESTIVAL - CELESTIAL & SUBMERGED

CELESTIAL & SUBMERGED OBJECTS 

Lina Andonovska, Sonya Lifschitz, Madame Lark & Matthew Hoy

 

Join a powerhouse group set to navigate the depths of the ocean and explore the celestial realm through the work of American composer George Crumb. 

Lauded by David Bowie, and only recently departed this world, George Crumb was in the eyes of his contemporaries a visionary who reinvented the musical wheel.  A maverick among revolutionaries, Crumb’s music evokes a sense of awe, wonder and enigmatic beauty in the way it channels a vast array of influences from the spatial concept of stars and heavens, to the call of humpback whales.

This twilight affair of expression at the limits channels cabaret, recital and whimsy in breathtaking fashion, showcasing consummate musicianship, thrilling audacity and imagination.

If Bach, Debussy, Bartok, jazz, the mythical, primordial or comedy are your bag, this is your night under the stars.

VISIT PROGRAM HERE.... Four Winds Festival PROGRAM 2023


22 - 26 March 2023 WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL - QLD MUSEUM

Bolder than ever, this year’s festival is an innovative intersection between art and science, where visitors are challenged to explore the biggest questions facing humankind today across a vibrant program of talks, demonstrations and experiences.

See the whole program here: WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL BRISBANE 2023 - PROGRAM

Presented by Qld Museum Network

 

Madame Lark will be making appearances on the 24 & 25 March

 

Madame Lark is helping Social Science transform the Queensland Museum into a hub of science entertainment! Madame Lark will be there on Friday 24th + Saturday 25th March for her musical saw and her unique interpretations of Australian bird-calls. With something to discover in every corner of the museum, Social Science will immerse you in experimental fun. Book now and get 20% off with the promocode WSFBGUEST23. @WorldScienceFestivalBrisbane, #WSFB2023

 

World Science Festival Program 2023 - QLD Museum


13 to 24 Dec 2022 -  A Cracker Kransky Christmas'

From Britney Spears to Aerosmith, M to AC/DC, and carols like you’ve never heard them before, a night with this delightfully twisted trio will more than fill your Christmas stockings. 

 

The Kransky Sisters are on the road again coming to Brisbane, bringing a new brew of big hits with A Cracker Kransky Christmas this December 

 

13 - 24 December - Cremorne Theatre, QPAC

 


Sunday 21 August 2022 - Acoustic Life of Sheds - Bleach Festival 2022

L to R - One of the beautiful sheds; & co-performers/ composers Peter Nelson;  Christine Johnston;  Trent Arkleysmith

Drive into the verdant foothills for a day of deep listening to four intimate concerts in four iconic rural sheds. Big hART’s award-winning Acoustic Life of Sheds invites leading composers, musicians and artists to celebrate the culture, character and acoustics of sheds, reimagining them for audiences in the local landscape.

 

FEATURING

  • CHRISTINE JOHNSTON (VOCALS/SAW) with PETER NELSON (ELECTRONICA/GUITAR) & TRENT ARKLEYSMITH (CELLO/GUITAR)
  • LONI FITZPATRICK (HARP)
  • KARL S WILLIAMS (PIANO)
  • MICHAEL ASKILL (PERCUSSION)

 

Presented by BLEACH*  
Original concept by Big hART

INFO AND TICKETS HERE 


Saturday 23 July 2022 - The Kransky Sisters are heading to Adelaide for the Winter Comfest!

The Kransky Sisters will be driving the Morris to Adelaide to be part of the 2022 Winter Comfest line up on Saturday the 23rd of July.

Check out the Festival's 2 nights  of comedy line up:

https://www.wintercomfest.com.au/

 


Saturday 25 June 2022 - Madame Lark with Trent Arkleysmith perform as part of an experimental art/music event - Rouse Hill Psychedelia (24 & 25 June)

Madame Lark is thrilled to be performing with cellist Trent Arkleysmith on the 25th of June at Rouse Hill Psychedelia, a new experimental art event presented by @sydlivmus at the historic #RouseHillEstate.

Over two nights, Fri 24 & Sat 25 June, see performances by experimental music and sound artists from Greater Sydney and beyond, including Jon Rose, flower boy, Jaslyn Robertson, Madame Lark and more to be announced.

Lights and projections will illuminate the historic buildings and there will be food and a bar too.

Rouse Hill Psychedelia: Friday 24 June, 6pm–10pm and Saturday 25 June, 4pm–10pm

Grab your tickets at slm.is/psychedelia


25 March 2022 - CRUMB’S LYRE with Madame Lark (Christine Johnston) and pianist Sonya Lifschitz will be touring and to Melbourne Recital Centre.

The worlds of classical music, performance art and comedy collide showcasing Sonya and Christine’s consummate musicianship, thrilling audacity and imagination.

 

Christine Johnston as Madame Lark joins piano siren Sonya Lifschitz to unleash their dueling scores. Part cabaret, part recital, this delightfully surreal performance places legendary composer George Crumb’s zodiac-inspired fantasy pieces amidst the sounds of the Antipodes. As Sonya conjures up mythical, primordial sounds from inside the piano, Madame Lark takes to her musical saw, vocals and an overhead projector. Together they bring George Crumb’s masterwork for piano to life in an intriguingly whimsical and altogether unexpected way.

  • 25th March, 2022
  • The Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre
    31 Sturt St, Southbank VIC
  • Info & tickets: Melbourne Recital Centre

Crumb's Lyre trailer...


5 Dec 2021 - Above / Below - Christine Johnston joins Sonya Lifschitz in a concert of Tchaikovsky and George Crumb in SA

 

Ukrainian-Australian pianist Sonya Lifschitz is at the forefront of cross-disciplinary collaboration in Australia. Innovative and fiercely creative, Sonya re-contextualises the classical canon and pushes the boundaries of conventional concert practice. 
Conceived as a reflection on the cyclical nature of life, 'Above / Below' pairs the poetic, lyrical vignettes of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons, Op. 37a (based on the twelve calendar months of the year) with the abstract mysticism of George Crumb's Makrokosmos, Book I (based on the twelve signs of the zodiac). 
Joining Sonya is performance artist Christine Johnston (known affectionately as 'Madame Lark'), whose uncanny ability to mimic Australian bird calls – along with her gift for narration – has seen her appear at festivals and concerts across the country. In this concert, she'll play the musical saw, imitate the song of the lark, and recite poetry as Sonya juxtaposes two widely divergent musical voices, allowing them to speak to each other in surprising and illuminating ways. 
  • 5th December, 2021
  • UKARIA Cultural Centre
    119 Williams Rd, Mount Barker Summit SA 5251
  • Info & tickets: Ukaria Cultural Centre

August 2021 - Mudgeeraba - Acoustic Life of Sheds - Bleach Festival

So sad about the update from BLEACH 2021 that they have had to cancel the festival due to the recent COVID-19 developments across SE QLD. Thinking of and thanking the amazing Rosie Dennis and all the team at Bleach who have been brilliant, and all the fantastic artists, crew, production and supporting community… Thank you Alycia Warner for looking after us, and thanks also to my beloved co-creators Peter Nelson and Selene Cochrane. Looking forward to future BLEACH.

https://bleachfestival.com.au

 

Four different sheds and four different composer/musician performances... and an audience road trip visiting each shed performance through the Gold Coast hinterland. BLEACH FESTIVAL's event - Acoustic Life of Sheds.