Singer-songwriter Lior will launch the new Strings and Voices concert series at Melbourne’s Hawthorn Arts Centre on Saturday, August 1, performing an intimate retrospective with a string quartet featuring musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Ahead of the performance, he spoke with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about his long relationship with string arrangements, songwriting, collaboration and where his creative journey is taking him next.
MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
Although audiences often associate Lior with his solo acoustic performances or full band shows, he says performing with strings has become familiar territory over the past two decades. The format offers what he describes as the “best of both worlds”, maintaining the intimacy of a singer-songwriter performance while adding the richness, warmth and harmonic depth only a string ensemble can provide. It also allows him to slow the pace of a concert, tell the stories behind the songs and create a more conversational connection with audiences.
The Hawthorn performance will draw on material from across Lior’s entire catalogue, with the setlist carefully chosen to showcase songs that have evolved through their string arrangements over the years. While legendary composer Nigel Westlake has contributed several of the arrangements, Lior clarified that Westlake won’t be performing on stage, instead the quartet will feature musicians with whom he has shared a long musical history. His friendship and collaboration with Westlake began with their ARIA Award-winning Compassion project in 2013 and continues to influence his artistic development today.
Joining Lior on opening night will be acclaimed violinist and composer Xani Kolac, whose Hymns for Atheists project opens the evening. Lior recalled first meeting Kolac by chance while sitting beside her on a flight home from the Bellingen Music Festival, bonding over a shared love of Japan before eventually collaborating on stage together.
The conversation also touched on one of the more remarkable moments of Lior’s recent career, being invited to contribute vocals and songwriting to Harry Gregson-Williams’ score for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II movie. Initially convinced the email was a scam, Lior eventually found himself writing melodies and lyrics for the film before performing the music live alongside the London Symphony Orchestra and choir, describing the experience as both exhilarating and intimidating.
As a guitarist, Lior admitted audiences will once again see multiple instruments on stage. Years of writing in alternate tunings mean several guitars are essential to avoid lengthy retuning between songs. A dedicated fingerstyle player, he also prefers the bright, chiming sound of fresh strings, replacing them every two or three shows despite the task being one of his least favourite parts of touring. He remains meticulous about achieving the best possible acoustic guitar sound, acknowledging that faithfully amplifying fingerpicked acoustic guitar remains one of live music’s biggest technical challenges.
Reflecting on more than twenty years since the release of his debut album Autumn Flow, Lior believes he has grown considerably as both a performer and musician while remaining fundamentally the same person. His collaborations with Nigel Westlake and the orchestral world have broadened his musical vocabulary, and while his early albums were intensely personal, he now finds increasing fulfilment in collaboration and shared creative experiences. His son has also become an unexpected source of musical discovery, introducing him to new artists while reigniting his own enthusiasm as a music fan.
Lior credits Dire Straits as the first major concert he ever attended and still draws inspiration from the songwriting of the late 1960s and early 1970s. On stage, he admires performers like Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder for their authenticity, believing genuine connection with audiences is ultimately more important than theatrical personas. Unsurprisingly, he admits he is rarely without a song in progress, quoting Billy Joel’s observation that writing great songs requires complete obsession.
Rather than rushing into another full-length album following last year’s release, Lior is currently recording individual songs as they are completed and issuing them as standalone singles, reflecting both changing listening habits and his own creative rhythm. Looking further ahead, he hopes to reunite with Nigel Westlake on a third orchestral work and also dreams of writing a song-driven film soundtrack in the tradition of Cat Stevens’ Harold and Maude.
As for what he values most in his career, Lior points not to awards or commercial success but to maintaining artistic authenticity while embracing diverse creative opportunities. From orchestral collaborations and film music to theatre and singer-songwriter performances, he says the ability to cross genres while remaining true to his artistic voice is his proudest achievement.
That spirit perfectly aligns with A Winter of Resonance: Strings and Voices, a new four-week Hawthorn Arts Centre series celebrating the expressive relationship between voice and string instruments. Alongside Lior’s opening performance with Xani Kolac, the series also features Georgia Fields with the Andromeda String Quartet, the Harpedelique Ensemble with Invenio, and a closing performance by Homophonic! with QiQi, offering audiences an intimate month of genre-defying music throughout August.
Strings and Voices
Hawthorn Arts Centre: 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, VIC
Saturday 1 August – Lior and Xani – Tickets
Saturday 8 August – Georgia Fields with Andromeda String Quartet and Happy Axe – Tickets
Saturday 15 August – Harpedelique Ensemble and Invenio – Tickets
Saturday 29 August – Homophonic! RESPECT and QiQi – Tickets
All tickets on sale now via: boroondara.vic.gov.au/arts
Tickets available by telephone, Box Office or online.
Phone: 03 9278 4770 – Email: arts@boroondara.vic.gov.au