There is much to be celebrated in three women getting together in a beautiful setting to play music composed by women. This was the case last Wednesday night when Eliza Shephard, Phoebe Green and Melina van Leeuwen performed at Noisy Ritual in the inner-Melbourne suburb of East Brunswick.

The setting was itself delightful. Generous, warm and magical acoustically, Noisy Ritual is an urban winery that has made a point of providing a generous and appealing performance space for Melbourne’s diverse musicians. It’s a welcome addition, offering the perfect blend of characteristics for intimate shows such as this.

The trio – comprising Shephard on flute, van Leeuwen on harp and Phoebe Green on viola – present an accomplished collective. Shephard is responsible for bringing the musicians together, under her project March of the Women: 2025 Collaborations. Commencing in March 2024, the project began as part of International Women’s Day celebrations, with the aim of “celebrating female composers from around the world and their ‘flute + repertoire’.” Shepherd has worked with many women and drawn on diverse composers as part of her commitment to the cause.

Compositions by Adrienne Albert and Reena Esmail Nadiya were followed...