Allan Clayton and Kate Golla Reprise A Winter’s Journey
February 22, 2026 @ 7:00 pm - February 23, 2026 @ 7:00 pm
If you missed their much lauded Australian tour in 2022, internationally-acclaimed tenor Allan Clayton and acclaimed pianist Kate Golla are back with their unique performance of Franz Schubert’s A Winter’s Journey (Winterreise).
After triumphant performances in Australia, Clayton and Golla performed this song-cycle at London’s Barbican Centre. Now, Musica Viva Australia and Opera Australia are delighted to present another chance to hear this incomparable duo in a production which will tour nationally from 13 February to 3 March, 2026.
A Winter’s Journey is a powerful intersection of music, storytelling and visual art. Award-winning director Lindy
Hume, videographer David Bergman (Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray) animates digital screens with works from the late Australian artist Fred Williams.
Winterreise is an emotionally-charged Romantic era song cycle written by Franz Schubert. Using the poems of the German writer Wilhelm Müller, Schubert creates an emotional journey of a man trekking across frozen rivers and snowy landscapes, lamenting his lost love.
From a linden tree, an icy river to a malevolent crow, each passing feature becomes a character in the drama, triggering old memories and new hope. And throughout, Schubert’s exquisite writing for voice and piano paints the emotional and physical surroundings in sound. Musica Viva Australia Artistic Director, Paul Kildea said, “Fred Williams’ entire output is a journey through the Australian landscape and, just as Müller and Schubert redefine the individual, alone in nature, Williams helps us understand and re-imagine our vast terrain. His sun-beaten landscapes offer no more comfort than the snowy panoramas evoked by Schubert and Müller. Instead, they celebrate the timelessness and universality of these artists’ great work.”
Opera audiences will recall Allan Clayton’s indelible performance as Hamlet in Brett Dean’s eponymous opera in Sydney last year and at the Adelaide Festival in 2017. Clayton has received a multitude of prestigious awards, including The Queen’s Commendation for Excellence and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. Most recently, he was awarded the 2025 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his role in Festen at The Royal Opera.
Performers:
ALLAN CLAYTON tenor/ KATE GOLLA piano/LINDY HUME AM director/DAVID BERGMAN visual design/MATTHEW MARSHALL lighting design
The program: SCHUBERT Winterreise, D911 (1827)
Musica Viva Australia is presenting the performances in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in association with Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera.
DATES AND TIMES
PERTH Regal Theatre, Subiaco Friday 13 February, 7.30pm
MELBOURNE Melbourne Recital Centre Monday 16 February, 7pm
Tuesday 17 February, 7pm
BRISBANE Concert Hall, QPAC Thursday 19 February, 7pm
SYDNEY City Recital Hall, Sydney Sunday 22 February, 7pm
Monday 23 February, 7pm
CANBERRA Llewellyn Hall, Canberra Friday 27 February, 7pm
ADELAIDE Adelaide Town Hall Tuesday 3 March, 7.30pm
For more information, visit https://www.musicaviva.com.au/awj
Tickets to A Winter’s Journey in Melbourne & Sydney will be available as part of both Opera Australia and Musica Viva Australia subscription packages.
Opera Australia subscribers can book from 5 August, with tickets to single performances on sale from 16 September.
To book a Musica Viva Australia subscription, or tickets to another city, visit Musica Viva Australia.