Melbourne’s Newest Stage Has Arrived: Welcome to The Beacon

Melbourne Recital Centre has opened its doors upward. After more than two decades on the drawing board, the venue’s uppermost level, once an unused storage space, has become The Peter & Ruth McMullin Beacon, a new room for live music, dining and conversation with floor-to-ceiling views across the Arts Precinct and the city skyline beyond. If you’ve been to the Centre for a concert in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall or the Primrose Potter Salon, this is a different kind of night out altogether: table seating, food and drinks brought to you, and performers close enough to see every expression.

The Beacon opens to the public on 17 September, with its inaugural program running through to the end of November.

About the venue

The Beacon is a 100-seat cabaret-style room, designed by ARM Architecture (the original architects of Melbourne Recital Centre), sitting at the very top of the building on Sturt Street, Southbank. Rather than fixed rows facing a stage, the format is table-based, with pre-show dining and drinks delivered to your seat before the performance begins. 

The inaugural program spans jazz, cabaret, musical theatre, contemporary Australian music and First Nations storytelling, so the mood shifts night to night depending on who’s on.

Also read our guide: Melbourne Recital Centre: the sound and the seating

Two matinee picks worth knowing about

The inaugural program runs from 17 September to 30 November and brings together an eclectic line-up: Meow Meow opens the room with a three-night season, followed by artists spanning jazz, cabaret, musical theatre and First Nations storytelling, including Jess Hitchcock, Paul Grabowsky & Ross Wilson, Dr Trevor Jones, Fem Belling & Monique diMattina, and Andrea Keller & Stephen Magnusson, among others. 

Most of the program runs as evening shows, but two events are scheduled as daytime matinees, and for us, these are the standout picks. 

A morning or early-afternoon outing means no late finish, no after-dark trip home, and the same table-seating, dining and drinks experience as the evening program, just with better light streaming in through those floor-to-ceiling windows.

• Katie Yap — Monday 14 December 2026, 11.30am (rescheduled from 12 October)
• Zoë Black, Caroline Henbest and Molly Kadarauch — Monday 30 November, 11.30am, The Peter & Ruth McMullin Beacon

Both are ticketed through the Melbourne Recital Centre website. If a matinee suits your routine better than a night out, these are the two to have on your radar for now, with more likely to be added when the Centre’s broader 2027 season is announced in late October.

Katie Yap: Bach on viola (Monday 14 December, 11.30am)

This concert has been rescheduled. It was originally set for 12 October and now takes place on Monday 14 December 2026, 11.30am. If you already hold a ticket for the original date, your booking should carry over automatically, but it’s worth checking directly with the Box Office on (03) 9699 3333 if you haven’t heard from MRC.

Brisbane-born, Melbourne-based violist Katie Yap opens the Beacon Bach mornings. The program starts with Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1, reimagined for viola. Its flowing arpeggios will be familiar to many listeners, and they give way to a set of Bach chorales.

Two contemporary works are scattered through the morning: Emily Sheppard’s Aftermath and Leilehua Lanzilotti’s ko’u inoa. The idea is to let old and new sit alongside each other, with Katie talking through the music as she goes. MRC’s notes describe a performer who lets audiences come as they are, which suits a morning with a cup of tea in hand.

Program

• J.S. Bach: Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G, BWV 1007 (played on viola)
• Emily Sheppard: Aftermath
• Leilehua Lanzilotti: ko’u inoa

Standard tickets are $50 per person, morning tea is included, and the concert runs for about an hour with no interval.

Book Katie Yap tickets on the Melbourne Recital Centre website

Bookings and enquires can also be made over the phone during business hours by calling the Box Office Team on 03 9699 3333 or emailing boxoffice@melbournerecital.com.au.

Zoë Black, Caroline Henbest and Molly Kadarauch: Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Monday 30 November)

Violinist Zoë Black, violist Caroline Henbest and cellist Molly Kadarauch reunite as a trio for a morning devoted to a single work: Dimitri Sitkovetsky’s arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for string trio.

Bach wrote the piece for solo keyboard. It opens with a simple, songlike aria and then spins out into thirty variations, from playful canons to moments of deep melancholy. On strings, its many voices take on a different colour.

All three musicians have played with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Zoë was appointed its assistant leader in 1993 and is a regular guest concertmaster with the Melbourne and Queensland symphony orchestras. Caroline moved from England in 1993 to become the ACO’s Principal Viola and also plays with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Molly has performed at leading venues in Australia and overseas, and is a dedicated teacher.

Program

• J.S. Bach (arr. Dimitri Sitkovetsky): Goldberg Variations for String Trio, BWV 988

Standard tickets are $50 per person, morning tea is included, and the concert runs for about an hour with no interval.

Book Black, Henbest and Kadarauch tickets on the Melbourne Recital Centre website

Bookings and enquires can also be made over the phone during business hours by calling the Box Office Team on 03 9699 3333 or emailing boxoffice@melbournerecital.com.au.

What to expect at a matinee

Each matinee runs for around an hour with no interval (running times are approximate and can change closer to the date). The Beacon opens 45 minutes before the performance starts, with a complimentary morning tea included while you settle in. A similar set-up to the much-loved Mostly Mozart series; however, instead of 1000 patrons in the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall, the Beacon matinees are set up for just 60 people.

Standard tickets are $50 per person. A transaction fee of $4 to $8.50 applies to phone and online bookings, and delivery fees may also apply. Online bookings are capped at six tickets, so if you’re planning a bigger outing, it’s worth calling the Box Office on (03) 9699 3333 during business hours to book as a group.

Seating

Tickets are sold per person rather than by table, across three seating styles:

• Tables – standard dining tables seating up to four
• High tables – bar-height tables with stools, seating up to four
• Lounge – curved banquette seating around a shared table, for up to four

Choose your preferred seating type when booking, and the venue’s Visitor Experience team will do their best to seat your group together within it. Smaller groups may be seated alongside other patrons, and for sold-out performances, parties who book later may be split across whatever seats remain.

What’s on the menu

For evening concerts at The Beacon: this is a share-plates and bar-snacks style menu rather than a full sit-down dinner, so it suits a pre-show bite and a drink more than a proper meal out. 

Starters and entrées run from $12 for focaccia with Del Bocia butter up to $38 for a cheese plate to share, with arancini, crispy calamari and burrata also on offer, several with vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options noted on request. Sides include brussels sprouts and fries, and if you’d like something sweet after the show, there’s a dark chocolate lava tortino or baked cheesecake, both $17.

On the drinks side, there’s a good range of beer, cider and wine by the glass or bottle, including a 0% alcohol IPA if you’d rather skip alcohol altogether. Wines lean toward Victorian and other Australian producers, with a couple of imports from France mixed in.

If a proper dinner beforehand is more your style, our Melbourne Recital Centre guide has a few nearby options worth considering instead.

The Beacon isn’t only a performance venue. It’s also available for private functions, corporate events and celebrations, so it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re after somewhere a little different for a milestone birthday or family gathering, with those views thrown in.

Insider tips for your visit

• Book the matinees early. Daytime shows in a 100-seat room won’t take long to sell out once word gets around, especially among readers who’d rather not navigate the city precinct after dark.
• Arrive with time to spare. The format is built around pre-show dining and drinks at your table, so factor in extra time before curtain rather than a quick dash in.
• Table seating changes the pace. This isn’t a traditional recital hall experience. Expect a more social, cabaret-style evening (or morning) where you can eat, drink and chat before the performance starts.

A bit of history

The Beacon has been part of Melbourne Recital Centre’s story for longer than most people would guess. The idea for the space dates back more than twenty years, envisaged as part of the original building but left undeveloped until now. Construction finally began in early 2026, backed by a $2 million investment: $1 million from the Victorian Government, matched by a $1 million philanthropic gift from Peter and Ruth McMullin.

Where Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and the Primrose Potter Salon were built for close, attentive listening, The Beacon was designed with a different brief: a room where music, food and conversation sit side by side, and where audiences and performers share the same space without the distance of a traditional stage.

A striking feature of the room is a large-scale artwork by First Nations composer Dr Lou Bennett AM, developed with text by senior Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin. ARM Architecture translated Bennett’s original composition, titled Look Above, into a spectrogram that wraps around the venue, bringing music, visual art and architecture together in the one space.

Source: Melbourne Recital Centre, ARM Architecture and Australian Arts Review. Read more about The Beacon’s design and opening season at these links.

Accessibility

• Lift access is available to all levels of the building; escalators run between Ground Level and Level 1.
• A hearing loop is available in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and the Primrose Potter Salon — switch hearing aids to the “T” position, or ask Front of House staff for a receiver and headphones. Coverage in The Beacon hasn’t been confirmed.
• Accessible toilets are available on all foyer levels.
• The Centre accepts the Companion Card for patrons who need a companion seat.
• Assistance animals are welcome — let the Ticketing Services team know in advance.

For any specific access requirements for The Beacon, it’s worth calling the Box Office on (03) 9699 3333 ahead of your visit so staff can confirm seating and toilet access on that level.

Getting there

• Public transport: Melbourne Recital Centre is on Sturt Street, Southbank, an easy walk from Flinders Street Station and well served by trams along St Kilda Road and Southbank Boulevard.
• Driving: Parking is available at the Arts Centre Melbourne/NGV car park or the Australian Ballet Centre car park, both a short walk away. Ongoing precinct construction means it’s worth allowing extra time for arrival and exit.
• Drop-off zone: Southbank Boulevard offers convenient kerbside drop-off close to the Centre’s entrance.

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Read more:

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Season at Melbourne Recital Centre

Melbourne International Jazz Festival: Our Highlights

Mostly Mozart: Morning Concerts at Melbourne Recital Centre