2026 finale for Live at Yours

Live at Yours will close its synagogue concert season bringing three of Australia’s most extraordinary artists, violinist Satu Vänskä, cellist Elina Faskhi and pianist Konstantin Shamray, together for The Boundless Heart.

Melbourne audiences will also get a treat with the concert hosted by clarinettist David Griffiths, who will join musicians on stage for a klezmer piece.

Live at Yours founder Vladimir Fanshil said Griffiths was well suited to the role, describing him as a virtuosic classical clarinettist with a special love of klezmer.

“David brings warmth, wit and a little mischief. Having him host our Melbourne finale, and pick up his clarinet for some klezmer, will make this feel like a celebration among friends,” Fanshil said.

Griffiths, originally from Armidale in New South Wales, is a member of Ensemble Liaison and the Australia Ensemble UNSW, and teaches clarinet at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He completed his Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music, where his teachers included clarinettist David Krakauer. He has performed at Live at Yours with Ensemble Liaison in a program of Jewish music that included klezmer.

Griffiths said he was looking forward to the evening.

“I’m delighted to be your host for this final celebration at Toorak. With Satu, Elina and Konstantin, there’ll be no shortage of musical fireworks, and I might just bring out the clarinet for a little klezmer. You’ll have to come along to find out.”

Vänskä has been Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra for 20 years. Faskhi, who was born in Ufa, Russia, is assistant principal cello of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Shamray won first prize at the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition and was the first competitor to also win the People’s Choice Prize.

Fanshil said the three musicians would bring a lot to the stage in both Sydney and Melbourne.

“Satu, Elina and Konstantin are extraordinary individually; together, expect sparks. This is our last synagogue concert of the year, and I’d love everyone who’s been meaning to come to make this their night. Bring a friend, have a gin with us and let the music carry you away.”

The finale closes the 2026 season which Fanshil said had been shaped by community support.

“We’ve felt truly blessed by the community’s support this season, helping us open the doors of our beautiful synagogues and share music with the wider public. Coming together is such an integral part of Jewish life, and these concerts have been a bastion of hope in painful and challenging times. There’s nothing more powerful than gathering together and finding joy.”

The Boundless Heart: Satu Vänskä Trio is in Melbourne on October 22 and in Sydney on October 20. For tickets visit liveatyours.com.au