Category: News

Baroque brilliance with a twist!

Peter Hagen and Niels Bijl with Meredith Beardsmore

Tune in at 2pm on 1st June 2025 as Peter Hagen (harpsichord) and Niels Bijl (saxophones) perform as Duo de Fesch recreating known and lesser known baroque masterpieces with accomplished flautist Meredith Beardmore.  This recent concert at Yarragon Studio brought a delightful program of trios and duets by Handel and Telemann.

Again, a loyal 3BBR-FM volunteer was there to record this concert for the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall which will be broadcast at 2:00pm on Sunday afternoon 1st June 2025.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service before 27 July 2025.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

Genesis Baroque with Sarah Macliver in concert

Genesis Baroque and Sarah Macliver

On Sunday 8 June at 2pm, the 3BBR FM Concert Hall proudly presents a recent concert from Wesley of Warragul with Melbourne’s finest highly acclaimed Baroque ensemble Genesis Baroque, featuring the much loved fine Australian soprano Sarah Macliver in a program of ‘soul-nourishing’ works by Handel, Buxtehude, JS Bach and Purcell, exploring love, both human and divine.

3BBR-FM is privileged to share this concert with you in the 3BBR FM Concert Hall on Sunday 8 June from 2pm, recorded exclusively for 3BBR by volunteer recording engineer Garry Havrillay.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service before 2 August 2025.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

Another Yarragon Studio Triumph. Listen again.

Rachel Bullen, Matthew Kneale, Paavali Jumppanen

Distinguished Finnish pianist and current Artistic Director at ANAM, Paavali Jumppanen recently took the Yarragon Studio audience by storm. He was joined by two of Australia’s most accomplished wind players, oboist Rachel Bullen and bassoonist Matthew Kneale.

This trio enthralled a sold-out delighted audience in March with performances of trios by Francis Poulenc, Amy Beach and Valerie Coleman, and a ravishing Sibelius piano solo encore.

Thankfully, a loyal 3BBR-FM volunteer was there to record this triumphant concert for the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall which was broadcast at 2:00pm on Sunday afternoon 13th April 2025.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service before 8 June 2025.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

Gippsland Symphony Orchestra in concert – “Peter and the Wolf”

Gippsland Symphony Orchestra 16 March 2025

On Sunday 30th March at 2:00pm, the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall presented the recent Gippsland Symphony Orchestra concert under the direction of David Williams OAM.  The program included one the most famous and beloved orchestral works, plus a bit of fun and storytelling.

Beethoven – Coriolan Overture Op.62

Tchaikovsky – Nutcracker Suite

Joseph Haydn — Toy Symphony



Prokofiev – Peter and the Wolf

 with narrator Kate McCulley Watson

This performance was recorded on the 16th March 2025 at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul by a 3BBR volunteer.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service before 25 May 2025.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

‘Gippsland Live’ features the 2025 Boolarra Folk Festival

The Soultanas at the 2025 Boolarra Folk Festival

3BBR-FM was there for the 22nd multi-award winning Boolarra Folk Festival, recording every concert for Gippsland Live.

Gippsland Live (heard 8:00pm Wed & 2:00pm Fri) is our weekly showcase of local live performances and on Wed March 19 begins its broadcast season of the 2025 festival which will continue on alternate weeks.

Visit the Gippsland Live program page for our full broadcast schedule.

Again, thousands of people flocked to Boolarra in early March for the festival with Saturday remaining completely free and unticketed with the support of sponsors.

The festival began with a launch event with four performances held at Boolarra’s Memorial Hall on the Friday night, which this year introduced a cover charge to raise funds towards repurposing the old Boolarra Post Office for the community.

Launching 3BBR’s 2025 broadcast season on Wed March 19th @8:00pm will be the soulful John Flanagan with his 4-piece band. Flanagan brings a genre-blending mix of folk, blues and soul to the stage drawing on the glory days of 70s songwriting. Praised as “one of Australia’s finest lyricist” Flanagan’s storytelling is at the forefront. Also we’ll hear songwriter/guitarist Chris Cavill with his 10yo son Jesse on ukelele.

“Once again there was a really high standard of performances, and we appreciate the help of the Festival and performers in allowing us to share the musicianship and community spirit,” said producer/engineer Garry Havrillay, “We’re also thrilled to be able to give these under-represented and emerging artists a chance to be heard more widely via Community Radio.”

Tune in to 103.1FM on Wednesday nights at 8.00pm or Friday afternoons at 2:00pm, stream online via 3bbrfm.org.au or the Community Radio Plus App, or listen later via our audio-on-demand  service at https://3bbrfm.org.au/programs/gippsland-live.

Live broadcast from the Warragul Show

Warragul Show

3BBR was at the 2025 Warragul Show and we broadcast live on Friday night 28th February. At 6:00pm Paul Strickland presented West Gippsland Week engaging with members of our community, and David Gilbert followed with his C120 Mixtape from 8:00pm until 10. You can listen back via their respective program pages.

Thanks to those of you who dropped in to say hello and support your genuine community voice in West Gippsland while we were at the Show.

The Village Square

Zoe Knighton and Robbie Melville

Guitarist and composer Robbie Melville with cellist Zoe Knighton recently presented an unusual and original mix of music performance and storytelling.

“The Village Square” tells of love and loss, misfortune and mirth, the graceful and grotesque; evocative, enchanting and above all human.

3BBR was there to record their recent intimate performance at Yarragon Studio, and it was heard in the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall on Sunday 2nd February from 2:00pm.

Missed the live broadcast?  3BBR Concert Hall programs are available on our website as audio-on-demand for 8 weeks after broadcast.

West Gippsland Community Radio 3BBR-FM, supporting local live performance.

The Best of Local Fine Music Concerts

Yarragon Winter Festival

During January the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall is revisiting highlights of local concerts recorded during 2024, from the Yarragon Studio and Wesley of Warragul.

On Sunday 26 January at 2pm highlights include;

  • a piano recital by Georgina Lewis with guest saxophonist, Niels Bijl
  • the inaugural concert by the Reeds Bending wind ensemble at the Yarragon Studio ‘Winter Feast’
  • the Invictus String Quartet in a selection of Tangos from Argentina
  • members of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, premiering a new work, ‘Quintettsatz’ by pianist/composer, Stefan Cassomenos, plus a movement from the Hummel Piano Quintet

On Sunday 19 January at 2pm highlights included performances from;

  • the first Yarragon Studio Festival at St Jarleth’s Church, with Niels Bijl – saxophone, Kyla Matsura-Miller – violin, Eliza Shepherd – flute and Stephen Cuttriss playing bandoneon,
  • The Contra Guitar Duo,
  • Pianist Joshua Hooke,
  • Brian Chapman and Friends in the Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D.

Relive the amazing talents of Australia’s finest musicians in these exclusive 3BBR-FM local concert recordings, broadcast in the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall in 2024. Listen live on 103.1FM or streaming, or later on-demand.

3BBR-FM proudly supporting Local Fine Music Concerts.