Pianist Jayson Gillham – Limelight’s 2024 Artist of the Year – will return to Australian stages in July with a self-presented national tour that also marks the local debut of Palestinian-Jordanian pianist Iyad Sughayer.

Titled Keys to Life – Two Friends, Two Pianos, the recital tour will visit Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney, pairing the two musicians in a program for two pianos that ranges from Mozart to Ravel and Debussy, alongside a new commission by Palestinian-Lebanese composer Houtaf Khoury.

Jayson Gillham. Photo © Rémi Chauvin

The tour comes at a charged moment for Gillham, who is preparing for a Federal Court showdown with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in May.

The dispute arose from the orchestra’s cancellation of a previous appearance after remarks connected to a work by composer Connor D’Netto referencing Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza, a decision that sparked national debate about politics in performance and whether contracted artists have the same right to political expression under Australian workplace law as employees.

Despite the controversy, Gillham is pressing ahead independently with Keys to Life, a project he describes as rooted in connection and collaboration. “Iyad and I share a vision of what music can do, not just as a performance, but as an act of connection,” he said.

Iyad Sughayer. Photo © James Cardell-Oliver

Sughayer, a UK-based pianist named a Rising Star by Classic FM in 2022, has performed widely across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. He said his first Australian tour, alongside Gillham, carries particular significance. “This music speaks to something we all share and I hope audiences feel that from the first note,” he said.

The program is designed as a musical dialogue between the two performers, moving from Mozart’s lyricism to the impressionistic colours of Debussy and Ravel, and the rhythmic vitality of composers including Aram Khachaturian and Emmanuel Chabrier.

Presented in venues including Melbourne Recital Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Adelaide’s Elder Hall and Sydney’s City Recital Hall, the tour runs from 19 to 26 July.