Melbourne Events

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2012 Melbourne Fringe Festival

The much-loved Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual showcase of the breadth and depth of talent emerging from Victoria's diverse and complex independent arts scene. Kicking off on September 19 and running through to October 7, the 2012 Melbourne Fringe Festival will showcase 324 bold new shows covering every conceivable art forms, from circus to cabaret, dance to design. For 19 days, the cream of Melbourne's independent arts scene will bring you something new, something different and everythi...

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2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

Melbourne's Hisense Arena will host the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships from Wednesday 4 April to Sunday 8 April, 2012. The UCI Track Cycling World Championships stands at the pinnacle of world track cycling and will attract up to 350 of the world's best cyclists from 40 countries. The 2012 Championships is the final qualifying event in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games ensuring all fans will witness the best track cycling on offer as cyclists vy for an Olympic berth and ...

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A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line is the winner of 9 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. An all-new Australian production of one of the most successful American Broadway musicals of all time, A Chorus Line is coming to Melbourne Direct from Broadway and a U.S Tour, this new Australian production is directed and re-staged by Baayork Lee, one of the original cast members and inspirations from the Tony Award® winning 1975 production. The producers are thrilled to announce the cast for this spectacular show will in...

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A Dinner to Die For

Not molecular gastronomy, but a wickedly funny Melbourne based Musical, Murder Mystery Show and Dinner. Set in 1928, Lord Daventry hosts his party bash. Rumour in social circles is that he will announce his engagement to Miss Fanny. Agatha Christie in spirit - all cut glass accents, pearls, flapper dresses and monocles - with lashings of sexual innuendo and double entendres. Party guests are allocated a role for the night and encouraged (but not required) to indulge their inner artiste by dres...

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ACO – Beethoven 9, Ode to Joy

The ACO's internationally-acclaimed Beethoven symphony series reaches its climax with Symphony No.9, Ode to Joy, featuring one of the finest British choirs and an exceptional line-up of soloists. Critics called the ACO's recent Beethoven concert in London 'the finest concert of the summer' and spoke of 'thrilling playing', 'vibrant drive' and 'total involvement', concluding, 'this compact chamber orchestra matches anything Europe can offer in energy, precision and interpretative rigour.' Build...

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ACO – Danielle de Niese

Danielle de Niese was born in Melbourne and won Young Talent Time aged 9, then moved to Los Angeles, won an Emmy and made her debut with the LA Opera aged 15. She has blossomed into one of the hottest properties in opera, enrapturing audiences in roles like Cleopatra, Euridice and Susanna at Glyndebourne, the Metropolitan Opera and on screen. To celebrate her professional debut in her home country, De Niese sings a specially commissioned Australian work, which also marks the centenary of Austra...

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ACO – Mozart, Handel and Vivaldi Concertos

One of the world's finest keyboard players, respected conductor and historian, and director of the Academy of Ancient Music, musical firebrand Richard Egarr directs this concert of rousing Baroque music from the harpsichord and performs Mozart's delightful Piano Concerto No.12 on the fortepiano. Egarr's program displays all the invention and innovation that abounded through the 17th and 18th centuries, calling on virtuosic techniques that still excite the ear. Egarr introduces the music in talk...

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ACO – Russian Visions

As soon as he played with the ACO, Steven Osborne wanted to return with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No.1, for it requires an immensely virtuosic string orchestra, flexibility and humour veering on craziness. The time has now come with this all-Russian concert. Brimming with carefree energy, Tchaikovsky's Souvenir is an exuberant postcard from an Italian summer holiday. 'The ACO...set the audience in a spin with its heady version of Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence. Richard Tognetti was inte...

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ACO – The Hilliard Ensemble

The Hilliard Ensemble is famous for mesmerising performances and chart-topping recordings of early and contemporary vocal music. Gregorian chant and French medieval hymn hypnotically intertwine with Edwards' orchestral setting of Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit). A cappella prayers from 15th century England and Arvo Pärt join Raskatov's Russian Orthodox chant setting, written for The Hilliard Ensemble and string orchestra. This concert also celebrates the luscious ACO string sound with ...

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Annie

The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including It's the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, N.Y.C. and the ever-optimistic Tomorrow, Annie is one of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time. Reprising one of his all-time favourite roles as the charismatic and sophisticated New York 'zillionaire' Daddy Warbucks, is Anthony Warlow....

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Australasian Quilt Convention and Expo

AQC is Australia's largest event dedicated specifically to quilting. It's held annually in Melbourne and is open to delegates attending for the duration of the four-day program as well as day visitors. It includes a trader's market (Expo), a Quilt Show, seminars and workshops. Several hundred hand-picked quilts will be on show representing the 'cream of the crop' in quilting. There are hands-on classes and activities throughout the Expo as well as educational seminars daily held by experts fr...

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Australia-China Business Week 2012

No one would doubt Australia's future is in China, but the reverse, it seems, is also true: China's future is in Australia. China's rapidly growing consumer markets create enormous opportunities for Australia's small and medium sized businesses. China is now Australia's largest merchandise trading partner, our third largest services export market, our largest source of overseas students and our fifth largest tourism market. Australia-China BusinessWeek (ACBW) 2012 is a central point for sour...

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Best of British Returns!

2012 Magical Musical Mornings, Summer Series, with Jonathon Welch AM. Rule Britannia, marmalade and jam! Get out your flags and polish your tiaras as they return to the magnificent Melbourne Town Hall for a celebration of the Best of British music with the magnificent 150 voices of THECHO!R, award winning Footscray-Yarraville City Band and the stunning Town Hall Organ.

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Burt Bacharach`s Farewell to Symphonies Tour

Legendary composer Burt Bacharach returns to Melbourne with his sublime band and singers, in concert with Orchestra Victoria at the Regent Theatre on Thursday 19 April 2012, as part of his national Farewell to Symphonies Tour. During his last Australian visit, the ultra cool, cult hero was honoured with his eighth Grammy and proclaimed The Greatest Living Composer (2008 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award) at the 50th Grammy Awards. He is also a recipient of three Academy Awards. Bur...

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Cancer Council Walk to Work Day

Individuals and organisations are encouraged to build regular walking into their daily routine by registering for this year's Cancer Council Walk to Work Day: Friday, September 28. Registration is free and for the first time organisations and individuals also have the opportunity to raise much-needed funds for the Cancer Council. View the website for more information.

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Checkpoint Charlie Comedy

Checkpoint is the city's premier above ground underground comedy room. For just $5 come fill yourself with $6 drinks and put your continence to the ultimate test against the country's best comedians as they spit funnies into the business end of a loud stick. Checkpoint Charlie Comedy at Eurotrash has already featured some of the country's finest comedians including Jeff Green (UK), Greg Fleet, Lawrence Mooney, Dave Thornton, Felicity Ward, Asher Treleaven, Adam Rozenbachs, Josh Earl and many m...

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Comedy@Spleen

Every Monday, Comedy@Spleen is the city's free weekly comedy hotspot, with a packed room every week. With drop-in guests like Jimeoin, Adam Hills, Wil Anderson, Josh Thomas, Charlie Pickering, Claire Hooper, Lehmo, Tom Gleeson, Lawrence Mooney, Glenn Robbins, Fiona O'Loughlin and Dave Callan, you will never know which special guest you are going to get. They also feature all the hottest young acts in Melbourne that will be household names tomorrow Come down to the hottest comedy room in town...

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Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow 2012

Coonawarra is hitting the road again! Get up close and personal with your favourite Coonawarra winemakers during the 2012 Annual Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow. Coming to the Melbourne Town Hall on the 16th of August 2012, this is your chance to see, smell and taste an impressive range of Coonawarra wines and meet the winemakers

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Design:Made:Trade

Design:Made:Trade is the one and only design fair of its kind in Australia. The design fair, now in its fifth year, is part of Australia's largest celebration of design. Design:Made:Trade will again take place at the historic Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, and will be accompanied by design-related workshops, talks, exhibitions and displays. A two day trade fair, two day public consumer fair - Design:Made:Trade presents the very best of Australian design covering furniture, fashion, indus...

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Electrolux Cooking School at Queen Victoria Market

Celebrate the beautiful, fresh, seasonal produce of Queen Victoria Market. At the Electrolux Cooking School, chefs, cookery authors and culinary professionals from Victoria and interstate conduct cooking classes in a range of cuisines, styles and techniques. The seasonal program includes demonstrations of seafood, cakes, desserts, and special occasion cooking. Italian, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Spanish, and Moroccan are just some of the cuisines featured in each program. The perfect...

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Fed Square Book Market

Love books? Join Melbourne's bibliophiles at the city's largest weekly book market in The Atrium at Fed Square. Held each Saturday from 11am to 5pm the market continues Melbourne's fine literary tradition, featuring books from a variety of leading new and second hand booksellers covering a diverse range of genres.

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Fed Square Car Club Showcase

See your favourite cars up close and meet the proud owners at the Fed Square Car Club Showcase. On the last Sunday of every month car aficionados transform the Flinders St frontage of Federation Square into the most glamorous car park in town. Classic cars one month, vintage the next and modern sports cars another. All lovingly restored and cared for. 2012 Program: January: Jaguar Car Club Victoria February: Sixties American Muscle Car Club March: Confederation of Australian Motorsport April: ...

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Fed Square Laughter Club

Join in a 30-minute laughter session at Federation Square at 11:00am on the 1st Sunday of each month. Laughter Clubs come together for a session and people laugh for no reason without having to resort to jokes or humour. The sessions last about half an hour and are mostly held outdoors. They are run along the lines established by Dr Madan Kataria, who founded the global laughter movement 14 years ago with one club, and there are now over 5,000 clubs worldwide. Everyone is welcome to experien...

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Fed Square Microbreweries Showcase

Meet the brewers. Enjoy their beer. The idea is simple but there's nothing 'simple' about the boutique beers featured in the Fed Square Microbreweries Showcase. Learn more about the brewing process and enjoy up to 20 samples from Victoria's finest microbreweries. Don't miss the next Microbreweries Showcase at Federation Square in March.

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Fed Square Wine Showcase

Whether you are a wine buff or enjoy discovering new wines you can taste some of Victoria's finest drops at Federation Square. Every month the Wine Showcase features a different Victorian wine region. Rub shoulders with the winemakers, enjoy the latest offerings from their cellar door and help judge the People's Choice Award for the best wines. Where: The Atrium, Federation Square When: bi-monthly on the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month, 4.30pm - 8.30pm 2011/2012 Program: - Decemb...

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Giant Theremin

Get down to the Giant Theremin, a super-sized instrument controlled by movement! The Theremin's distinctive warble is accompanied by an array of distinctive sounds which make it impossible to resist running, dancing, jumping and forming unusual shapes in the activation zone to create a symphony of movement. The Giant Theremin is a City of Melbourne initiative supported by the VicHealth MOTION program. MOTION seeks to increase understanding of how being active in the arts contributes to a physi...

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Give My Regards to Broadway

2012 Magical Musical Mornings, Summer Series, with Jonathon Welch AM. St Michaels will be filled with the sounds of beautiful music from the great Broadway hits from Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, Oliver,Oklahoma, South Pacific, Sound of Music and more! Concerts are 75 minutes followed by a free morning tea.

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HIA BuildGreen Expo

Victorian householders and businesses are set to be offered the keys to creating a new era of sustainability. With over 100 exhibitors and growing daily, showcasing products and services which save water, save energy, reduce waste, increase recycling or provide cleaner energy for use in the home or business. Visitors will be able to save money by comparing and buying hundreds of amazing products to cut water, energy and bills. The best eco technologies on the market will be demonstrated and ...

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How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular

Flying, fire-breathing dragons will come to life in this epic arena adventure from Global Creatures (the creators of Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular) and Dreamworks, inspired by the 2010 Academy Award-nominated animated film How To Train Your Dragon. This one-of-a-kind live theatrical event rolls action, adventure and laughter into a captivating story set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons. How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular will feature unrivalled pr...

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Introduction to Acting for ages 9 to 13

Imagination is the only pre-requisite for this year-long course of fun-packed drama classes for young people aged 9 to 13! In a small class of only 16 you'll discover the essentials of movement and voice plus key skills for creating colourful, believable characters. Active two hour sessions during term will have you confidently on your feet exploring drama games and skills sessions in improvisation, commedia dell'arte, singing, dance, storytelling and text work. They say if you can perform Shak...

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Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA)

Prepare to hold on tight as the Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA) graces Melbourne for the first time ever this September! In what will be four days of drama, comedy, action and more, KOFFIA will take Victorians on an intense ride of Korean cinema! Taking place at ACMI Cinemas, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne, KOFFIA will be more than just a film festival, featuring industry forums, musical performances and cultural acts. Presenting a showcas...

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La Mirada Film Festival 2012

Co-programmed by Pedro Almodovar, guest curators Ang Lee, Antonio Banderas, Ken Loach and Guillermo Del Toro The fabulous La Mirada film festival returns to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in April 2011, presenting the best and most exciting new Spanish and Latin American films, plus a breathtaking selection of Spanish film classics selected by some of the world's finest filmmakers. With legendary Spanish cinema auteur Pedro Almodovar as its patron, La Mirada is unlike any ...

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Law Week

Law Week - coordinated by Victoria Law Foundation - aims to promote access to and understanding of the law and justice system. Law Week involves over 100 organisations, who work with the Foundation to present seminars, exhibitions, lectures, QandA sessions, and court tours, and many other public events and displays designed to provide legal information at little or no cost. The week long program includes more than 150 law-based events in Melbourne and across regional Victoria. Law Week's ...

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Little Big Shots

Get square eyes with films for kids, about kids, and some even by kids, to amaze and delight kids. Kids of all ages flock to Melbourne's International Kids Film Festival, Little Big Shots, to laugh, whoop, think and create. Little Big Shots showcases the best in filmmaking for children and by children from Melbourne, Australia and around the world. Held over two school days and the Queen's Birthday long weekend, it is perfect for kids aged 2 to 15. Little Big Shots is an inspiring, meaningfu...

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Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond

Don't miss this landmark exhibition of rare 13th - to 18th century Persian, Mughal Indian and Ottoman Turkish illustrated manuscripts. From one of the richest periods in the history of the book, more than 60 works from the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford join items from the State Library of Victoria in an exhibition of the largest and most important collection of Persian manuscripts ever seen in Australia. The profound beauty and universal stories contained within these captivat...

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Magical Movie Classics

2012 Magical Musical Mornings, Summer Series, with Jonathon Welch AM. Some of the best loved sings ever written were penned for the Silver Screen. Enjoy a trip down memory lane as Jonathon and his special guests revisit Breakfast at Tiffany's, Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Dr Zhivago and more. Concerts go for 75 minutes and are followed by a free morning tea.

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MARKit@Fed Square

MARKit@Fed Square is a unique Melbourne shopping experience. For one day, the light-filled Atrium and BMW Edge Theatre will be home to 100 of Australia's most coveted independent artists and designers. Fill your Christmas Stockings with unique and beautiful gifts. To buy or simply to admire, this is an event not to be missed. Visit the website for a full list of designers.

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Melbourne Festival

Melbourne Festival is one of the world's leading arts festivals and Australia's premier celebration of art and culture from around the world. Each Festival brings an unparalleled feast of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, film and outdoor events to Melbourne each October. Melbourne Festival exclusively premieres the finest local, national and international events, ensuring that Melbourne is the only place in Australia that many of them are seen. Through excellence, diversity and accessibilit...

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Melbourne Festival of Choirs 2012

Dr Jonathon Welch AM (best known as the Founding Director of the ARIA, Helpmann and Logie winning Choir of Hard Knocks, ABC TV's Jail Birds and Channel 7's Battle of the Choirs) is inviting you to participate in the National Melbourne Festival of Choirs to be held over the Easter weekend of April 6 - 9, 2012. Following the stunning success of the second National Melbourne Festival of Choirs in 2011, with over 400 participants, here is your opportunity to collaborate with some of Australia's bes...

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Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This coming Autumn looks totally foolish with the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival rolling around again throughout March and April - the greatest comedy caper in the Southern Hemisphere. The Comedy Festival doesn't come cheap on talent, but the tickets are. There's even an extensive free program to suit the most fiscally challenged of punters. Great value laughs are dished out by the most popular of local comics and some very special international guests - from stand-up to theatre,...

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Melbourne International Film Festival

The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an iconic Melbourne event with a devoted audience. MIFF hosts a feast of cinematic delicacies from over 50 countries for some 17 days each winter, heavily garnished with a range of parties and special events that envelop the CBD. In addition to screening the very best in world cinema, MIFF is Australia's largest showcase of new Australian cinema and most vocal champion of both emerging and established local filmmaking talent. MIFF has a rich ...

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Melbourne International Jazz Festival

The playful curiosity ever-present in jazz and improvisation - the joy of discovery - is what this year's Melbourne International Jazz Festival is all about. Taking place from June 1 to 10, the Festival now includes the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend, allowing more time to enjoy the wonders of jazz in its many forms. In their fourth year, the artistic team of Artistic Director Michael Tortoni and Program Director Sophia Brous have created a program that brings leading international jazz luminar...

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Melbourne Open House

Melbourne Open House (MOH) 2012 unlocks the city's significant buildings for the fine people of Melbourne (and her visitors) to explore. It's a rare opportunity to discover the often-hidden wealth of design, architecture, engineering and historic gems nestled around the city. If you love Melbourne, you'll love Melbourne Open House. A free event held over two days in July, MOH in its fifth year promises to be bigger than ever in 2012, with an estimated 100,000 people exploring 100 buildings. Fav...

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Melbourne Queer Film Festival

It is a queer, queer world and Melbourne will be its epicentre in March when the 21st Melbourne Queer Film Festival takes over the town. Over 11 days an estimated 25,000 film lovers will watch over 140 gender bending films from around the world. The Festival will present a strong program of more than 40 features, in excess of 30 documentaries and over 70 short films selected by Festival Director Lisa Daniel and her trusty selection panel, who over the last 13 years have built the festival into...

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Melbourne Writers Festival

In 2012, Melbourne Writers Festival, the city's premier literary event, celebrates its 27th anniversary. The festival brings together an array of talented writers, artists, thinkers and performers from across the globe. Expect the unexpected as Melbourne Writers Festival opens its doors to all - celebrating everything from novels to film, from journalism to songwriting, from comedy to cartooning and from advertising to politics. Please stay tuned to the website for the full details of the 2...

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Michael Bolton With Orchestra Victoria

Grammy legend Michael Bolton brings soulful classics, power ballads and beautiful arias to the Regent Theatre Melbourne on Friday 27 April, accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. Accolades for Michael's artistic achievements include two Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, six American Music Awards, twenty four BMI and ASCAP Awards, nine Million-Air Awards, Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year Award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Michael's diverse musical interests have produced ei...

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Moomba Festival

Get down to Alexandra Gardens (across the Yarra from Fed Square) and Birrarung Marr, and enjoy free family fun over the Labour Day long weekend. With plenty of performances and 100's of activities over four days, everyone will be happy! On the main stage there are gigs all weekend. In the Cultural Quarter you'll have a choice of workshops and entertainment. The kids can try magic classes, circus skills, sports clinics or karaoke. They can watch reptile displays, have their faces painted and wa...

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Mothers Day Classic

Make Mother's Day a special celebration in 2012 by joining more than 100,000 people nationwide in the Mother's Day Classic to raise money for breast cancer research. The Mother's Day Classic takes place in Melbourne and Geelong plus regional locations across Victoria including Ararat, Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Horsham, Mildura and Wodonga. Bring family and friends or get a team together and walk or run to raise vital funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation's research programs. ...

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MSO presents Beethoven and Dvorák

The inspiration of the folk music and culture of his native Bohemia invests Dvorák's music with enormous energy and spirit, and his Seventh Symphony explodes with all the passion and vigour of this inspiration. Paired with works by two German masters who inspired him, this concert of great classics is pure delight.

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MSO presents Beethoven`s Fifth and Pines of Rome

Alternating between the massive orchestral splendours of two works inspired by Roman spectacle, and the contrasting colours of Beethoven and Debussy, this concert is full of musical treasures. Opening with one of the most famous works in the history of music, the concert concludesin a blaze of Roman glory with the thrilling spectacle of Pines of Rome.

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