Pianist Sophie Hutchings has spent the last month or two blowing around Europe on a whirlwind solo tour, performing in the first-ever crematorium ever built in Germany to old churches and an underground bunker.

She’s just touched down back home, and she’s already gearing up to perform again. This time, the venue is as close to home as a musician could get – Paddington Town Hall, which is down the road from where she was born.

Sophie Hutchings. Photo supplied

“The tour was great. In Europe, these places give so much life and depth and colour to the performances, because each venue feels different – so, each performance feels different,” she tells Limelight.

“It’s ironic that I’m now performing at Piano+Place, a festival based around history, because there’s so little of that being done in Sydney. It’s so good to see Australia [present] more cultural, historic [events]. We’re a young country, but we’ve still got a lot of history to embrace.”

As a part of Piano+’s latest series, Piano+Place, Hutchings will give a pared-back performance at Paddington Town Hall on 19 July, and is excited to “really embrace the acoustics and history” of the...