Sherry week / Australia / Melbourne
THE SPANISH ACQUISITION X TEMPO RUBATO: INTERNATIONAL SHERRY WEEK CELEBRATION
Sunday, 9th November 2025 | 2:30 PM – 6 PM
We are partnering with our good friends Leah and Scott from The Spanish Acquisition to celebrate International Sherry Week 2025.
The afternoon will feature two sets of music inspired by the home of sherry — the Andalusian region of Spain. Before, between, and after the music, there will be sherry and tapas for sale at the bar, served by Leah and Scott.
SET 1: JOSEPHINE VAINS, cello + BENJAMIN MARTIN, piano
Cellist Josephine Vains is a versatile and engaging performer, heard regularly in concert around Australia and overseas. She has worked with myriad artists on diverse projects including piano trio, quartet, quintet, string quartet, opera, baroque ensembles, contemporary and electronic music, and Argentine tango.
She is joined by pianist Benjamin Martin, an artist of exceptional versatility and subtlety of expression, described by The New York Times as “distinctive, arresting in style” and by The Australian as “the best young talent for the new millennium.”
The duo presents a rich program of Spanish instrumental music and song arrangements for cello and piano.
Program:
Manuel de Falla – Serenata Andaluza
Enrique Granados – Andaluza
Rogelio Huguet y Tagell – Flamenco from Suite espagnole No. 1
Manuel de Falla – Suite populaire espagnole
SET 2: DUO ZEFIRA – ECHOES OF ANDALUSIA
Roberta Diamond, soprano + Hannah Lane, Baroque harp
Duo Zefira is a collaboration between Roberta Diamond and Hannah Lane, challenging the boundaries of conventional classical music by exploring the connection between art music and folkloric culture.
Echoes of Andalusia explores the music of southern Iberia and its influence across Europe. Traditional melodies from the Sephardic diaspora intertwine with theatre music from the Spanish Golden Age and popular compositions that traveled across the continent.
Soprano Roberta Diamond has spent the last decade sharing the music and literature of Andalusia with audiences worldwide. During her studies of Spanish and Arabic in Seville, she developed a fascination for the region’s musical traditions. She presents selections from her recent album Secrets of Andalusia, exploring the origins of modern flamenco through 16th–17th century Castilian and Sephardic songs, as well as her own compositions based on 12th-century Arabic poems by female Andalusian poets.
She is joined by Baroque harpist Hannah Lane, praised as a “true master of the instrument” (Australian Stage, 2022), renowned for performances of emotional depth, subtlety, and sparkling virtuosity.
Program:
Traditional Sephardic – Yo me enamoré de un aire
Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz (c.1626–1677) – Españoletas (instrumental)
Anonymous, from Robert Dowland’s A Musicall Banquet (1610) – Vuestros ojos
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687) – Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1670) Sé que me muero de amor
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (1580–1651) – Canario
José Marín (c.1618–1699) – No piense Menguilla
Juan Francisco Gómez (1647–1719) – Aura tierna, amorosa
Traditional Sephardic – Una matica de ruda
Hamda bint Ziyad al-Muaddib (12th century), arr. Roberta Diamond – My tears have betrayed their secrets in a valley
Antonio de Cabezón (1510–1566) – Ancor che col partire
Traditional Sephardic – Nani Nani
Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) – Nana from Siete canciones populares españolas
Instagram: @thespanishacquisition @temporubato_au
