The Star Mail reported on all things art/entertainment throughout 2025 – here are some of the most notable moments of the year.
Young violinist features in coveted orchestral performance:
A 15-year-old violinist from Yarra Junction became one of the youngest performers to feature in the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual production of Handel’s Messiah.
Arielle has previously played in the Maroondah Symphony Orchestra, Percy Grainger Orchestra and Melbourne Youth Chamber Strings Orchestra before she was accepted into the Flagship Melbourne Youth Orchestra, a goal of hers over the last three years.
“The pure overwhelming sound is the first thing that strikes you, it’s beyond words to describe being in the very centre of all that glorious music, all those instruments, all those notes,” Arielle said.
When she received a phone call from a mentor at 7pm asking if she could rehearse the next morning for the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, she was in disbelief.
The production of Handel’s Messiah was held on 8 December 2024 in Melbourne Town Hall and was the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra’s world record 245th time performing it since 1853.
Arielle said being a part of Handel’s Messiah was a unique gift, unlike anything she could’ve ever imagined.
Warburton photographer wins national award:
Warburton photographer Suzanne Phoenix cemented the Yarra Ranges in Australian photography history after she won the woman music photographer of the year on 9 October.
Ms Phoenix attributed her nomination to her International Women’s Day (IWD) photographic portrait series, What Does International Women’s Day Mean to Me, which has documented Melbourne’s leading cis and trans women, non-binary and gender diverse people for 14 years.
She’d convinced herself she wouldn’t win the award, yet before she was aware of it, one foot was moving in front of the other in the direction of the stage.
During her speech she emphasised the importance of elevating women and gender diverse photographers and videographers.
2025 marked a year of highs and lows for Ms Phoenix, where she was forced to find another job to supplement her income after going full time earlier in the year.
Nevertheless, she’s still dedicating her life to her vocation, with the goal of challenging the male-dominated status quo.
An empowering return:
The Body of Wellbeing Limited (BOWL)’s Body of Empowerment exhibition returned in April 2025, showcasing the talented women artists in the Yarra Ranges and encouraging women-identifying people to take back control of the narrative surrounding their body.
Executive director of BOWL Louise Wigg said it built on the success of last year’s exhibition and continued to promote compassion and kindness towards oneself.
BOWL believes positive and empowering narratives about all bodies is crucial as the relationship we share with our body is central to our sense of self.
“Our project, My Body’s Story, was designed in recognition that women often experience a disconnection from their bodies due to societal pressures such as objectification, weight-centered attitudes and the pervasive diet culture,” Ms Wigg said.
The exhibition featured a wide variety of art, including sculptures, paintings, drawings, photography, textiles, pottery, mosaics and more.
Ms Wigg said it was hard for women to express their relationship with their bodies, as it’s a felt sense, not a cognitive experience that can be articulated.
This is why expression through art is a perfect way to feel and express that relationship, she said.
Warburton cookbook wins oscars for cookbooks:
A cookbook published by Signs Publishing Company in Warburton was named Best in the World at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards on 19 June.
Food As Medicine: Cooking to Prevent and Treat Diabetes by Sydney-based dietitian Dr Sue Radd was awarded best cookbook in the Health Professionals Books category, beating out shortlisted books from France, Mexico, Portugal and Spain.
The award citation for the book labelled it an “empowering and science-backed guide” that offered a practical and inspiring approach to diabetes.
Accredited practising dietitian and senior lecturer at the University of Sydney Dr Sue Radd said the recipes took a “huge amount of work”.
Dr Radd said she chose the small, Warburton-based Signs Publishing Company because she felt as if it would be good to give a smaller publisher a chance to publish something it might not have published otherwise.
The cookbook is packed with valuable information on nutrition, delivered in bite-sized, easy-to-digest messages (no pun intended).
Top award for student’s climate change photo:
A vibrant dandelion, with its petals stretching outwards, against a brilliant backdrop of colourful bokeh – this was the picture taken by an Upper Yarra Secondary College student which won first place in a Victoria-wide photography competition.
Year nine student, A’isha took the top prize in Sustainability Victoria’s Through Your Own Lens photography competition – a state-wide initiative to inspire climate-ready thinking across schools participating in the ResourceSmart Schools program.
Up against 90 entries received from 28 schools across the state, A’isha’s image titled Growing Towards a Better Future, won the senior school category.
A’isha said the image “illustrates the small, simple wonders of our world.”
“The ability of this dandelion to grow back strong and vibrant after a cold, harsh winter is remarkable.
Judges praised A’isha’s entry for its “beautiful reflection with a striking image and creative use of focus”.
“We appreciate the natural light and colour in this photo, which really pop. The subject, colour and reflection together create a caring and empathetic mood,” the judges stated.
Warburton local’s book shortlisted for award:
An exploration of the historical railways that shaped Warburton’s history was shortlisted for the 2024 Victorian Premier’s History Award.
Nick Anchen’s 2023 book Whistles Through the Tall Timber tells the story of the Warburton, Powelltown and Noojee railways and the fascinating memoirs of railwaymen and timber workers who worked on them.
The Victorian Premier’s History Award offers the top prize out of the 11 categories a part of the 2024 Victorian Community Historian Awards, with the winner taking away $5000.
His book is a culmination of 15 years of research and around 150 interviews, which saw him network his way among the old-timers of Warburton, gathering stories and artefacts for his book.
Mr Anchen grew fascinated with the social history of railways from a young age, where a family friend who used to run the Warburton train line told him stories of the past.
The book’s title comes from the sound of steam train whistles and steam winches in the bush used to haul timber onto tramways to be taken to a saw mill.
