Adelaide Guitar Festival 2025 First Shows Announced
Headlining this year’s festival is the world premiere of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti Live in Concert.
Image Naomi Jellicoe
Adelaide Guitar Festival is pumped to reveal the first two shows making up the 2025 program – Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti Live in Concert and Consonance: Instrumental Conversations with Guitar.
Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti Live in Concert makes its world premiere at the festival and is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Zeppelin’s iconic 1975 record, Physical Graffiti. The album will be performed in full along with Zeppelin favourites.
This one-night-only event takes over Her Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday, September 13 and is led by Warwick Cheatle, Director of the Southern Cross Symphony.
Cheatle and Southern Cross Symphony have recruited some of the best musicians to help recreate Physical Graffiti live in concert for rock fans. Local guitarist Dusty Lee Stephensen, bassist Kathleen Halloran, keyboardist Paul White and drummer Danny Leo fill out the instrumental lineup, with Adelaide’s own Shaun Holton, Zkye Compson Harris, and Stephensen taking on vocal duties.
“Physical Graffiti, released 50 years ago, is a masterpiece of industry-wide critical praise. Performing the entire album will be a quest, and an amazing experience for everyone on stage,” says Southern Cross Symphony Director Cheatle. “If you’re a genuine fan of Led Zeppelin, fasten your seatbelts and come on this incredible journey through the band’s ‘multi-faceted diamond’ where you will hear every song, every line, and every note performed live with elite rock artists and the mighty Southern Cross Symphony.”
The second performance announced is Consonance: Instrumental Conversations with Guitar, a show featuring world-leading musicians lighting up Elder Hall on Sunday, September 14.
Classical guitarist Aleksandr Tsiboulski takes to the stage alongside violinist Dr Elizabeth Layton, Head of Classical Performance at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, tackling compositions from Anne Cawrse based upon plainchant by 12th Century composer and philosopher Hildegard of Bingen.
Also performing are Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan, alongside partner cellist Sharon Grigoryan and the 2025 Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra, led by Dr Paul Svoboda.
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Speaking about these two shows, Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan says: “In celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, Adelaide Guitar Festival is thrilled to present Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti Live for one night only at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Featuring some of South Australia’s greatest rock musicians joined on stage by the Southern Cross Symphony, this authentic tribute to undoubtedly one of the best rock albums of all time, promises to be an electrifying night not to be missed.
“Exceptional South Australian artists will also feature in Consonance: Instrumental Conversations with Guitar, performing both early and contemporary classical works at Elder Hall with a rousing concert opening by Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra which includes members from the 2025 Adelaide Guitar Festival Winter School. Stay tuned for more program details to be announced and I look forward to seeing you at this year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM adds: “As Adelaide celebrates its 10th year as a UNESCO City of Music, Adelaide Festival Centre is delighted to honour the 50th anniversary of the iconic Physical Graffiti album at Adelaide Guitar Festival. We also welcome back our ever-popular Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra, developed through our Winter School, which provides an excellent skills development opportunity to our next generation of guitarists.”
Adelaide Guitar Festival 2025 is presented and produced by the Adelaide Festival Centre and led by Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan. The full program will be unveiled in the coming weeks, with the festival confirming the return of Guitar Winter School.
This one-week course runs from July 7 to 11 and provides “an opportunity to learn from some of Australia’s finest guitarists in an intimate and immersive group which focuses on guitar playing and intensive skills development.”
There are two programs on offer – Blues & Roots and Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra. – with registrations open now via this link.
Tickets on sale Tuesday, April 8 via adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au. The full Adelaide Guitar Festival 2025 program will be revealed soon.
Adelaide Guitar Festival 2025 PROGRAM
Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti in Concert @ Her Majesty’s Theatre
7.30pm Saturday, September 13, 2025
Consonance: Instrumental Conversations with Guitar @ Elder Hall
4.00pm Sunday, September 14, 2025
