Steinway on Stage - Celeste Cari

Next date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026 | 06:00 PM to 07:00 PM

Steinway on Stage is an intimate twilight concert featuring Wangaratta’s magnificent Steinway Grand Piano. Audiences are seated around the piano on the stage of the Alpine MDF Theatre. This performance is a partnership between the Wangaratta Performing Arts & Convention Centre, the Rural City of Wangaratta and the newly formed Goulburn and North East Arts Alliance (GANEAA) Steinway Interest Group – Friends of the Steinway.

Celeste is opening the Steinway on Stage series for 2026 with a recital entitled Sunshine and Moonlight, a program that invites listeners to explore and experience the qualities of light and dark or day and night through music for the piano. 

The first half, Sunshine, celebrates brightness, energy, and warmth through works in radiant major keys. Scarlatti’s Sonata in E major, with its ceremonial "cortège"- like character, opens the program with poise and festivity. Continuing in this spirit, Haydn’s Allegro con brio from the Sonata in D major sparkles with wit, charm, and rhythmic vitality. Mozart’s Andante from the Sonata in C major introduces serenity and transparent beauty, demonstrating Mozart’s gift for simplicity refined to perfection. The first half concludes with two modern works that evoke sunlight in more atmospheric ways, Hutchens’ Sunday Morning and Hisaishi’s beloved One Summer’s Day, both depicting a sense of radiance, warmth, and ease.

The Moonlight half transitions into darker tonalities, delicate textures, and reflective stillness. Grieg’s Nocturne and Waltz evoke a sense of twilight with nostalgia and enchantment. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata anchors this section with its introspective stillness, darkness, and mystery. Intensifying the nocturnal ambience, Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor and Nocturne in C-sharp minor blend longing, lyricism, and shadowed intensity. Finally, the program closes with a more gentle and shimmering portrayal of moonlight, Debussy’s Clair de Lune.

Please enjoy this program of contrasting yet beloved repertoire, showcasing the expressive range of the piano.

 

Celeste Cari is a piano tutor based in Wangaratta, where she runs a small private teaching studio. Originally from Shepparton, she first learned to play the electronic organ and then the piano with her mother.

Celeste achieved her AMEB Associate Diploma of Music (Piano) with Distinction before finishing secondary school. Outside her musical pursuits, Celeste is also a research assistant at Charles Sturt University. Celeste has recently returned to piano teaching and performance, sharing her enduring passion for music with others. 

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