In Sydney for a one-off performance with the Muffat Collective, the Belgian harpsichordist Ewald Demeyere is one of Europe’s leading player-pedagogues.

Limelight caught up with him in Hyde Park, with Demeyere decompressing after a long flight, enjoying some Sydney sunshine.

Ewald Demeyere. Photo © Dymphna Vandenabeele

“We had frost back in Belgium just before I left, so Sydney feels like a bit of a shock – but in a good way,” he says. 

As well as soaking up some sunshine, Demeyere is preparing for a special concert of Baroque music — Dual Elegance — to be performed at Erskineville Town Hall in Sydney’s inner west. The program reunites him with the Muffat Collective’s harpsichordist, Anthony Abouhamad.

“Anthony came to me in Belgium a few times for lessons, but it wasn’t a formal or sustained thing,” says Demeyere. “So I can’t quite claim him as a pupil! But I’m really happy I could be of help back then, and I’m thrilled we’re playing together again. It’s been years since we’ve seen each other.”

A specialist in German 18th-century repertoire and Neapolitan...