Eye of the Night | Trio Lyra

7pm, Friday 16th October

Melbourne-based musicians Alyse Faith, Sandra Ionescu and Katia Mestrovic present a program inspired by the natural world, mythology and the enduring relationship between landscape and storytelling.

Through the distinctive combination of flute, viola and harp, they journey through forests, beneath the ocean’s surface, to legendary lost cities and across celestial skies. Along the way, vivid musical landscapes emerge in Natalia Mann’s Fire Tree, Mel Bonis’ Scènes de la forêt, Miguel del Aguila’s Submerged, Alan Stivell’s YS, Robert Paterson’s Xi Wang Mu, and David Bruce’s The Eye of Night.

Together, these works invite audiences to explore the wonder, mystery and imagination inspired by the world around us.

Artist Bios:

Sandra Ionescu

Sandra Ionescu is a distinguished violist who began her musical journey in Romania and later advanced her studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, earning both a Bachelor Degree in Music Performance, and a Masters Degree in Performance Teaching. Since relocating to Australia, she has become an integral part of the classical music community.

Sandra is an active and versatile chamber musician, regularly performing professionally across Australia. She is the core violist of the Alari String Quartet and the newly formed Trio Lyra. Sandra has participated in numerous chamber music festivals, including the Australian Chamber Music Festival in Townsville in 2024, where she performed as part of the Australian Youth Orchestra's Momentum Ensemble.

She is active in performing new music including premiering contemporary works by composers such as Stuart Greenbaum, Julia Potter, and Elena Kats-Chernin. Sandra recently completed a contract with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and, earlier in 2024, served as the sole violist for Opera Australia's production of Sunset Boulevard. She regularly performs with esteemed Australian ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Sandra joined the Australian tour of Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular and will re-join the tour from October-December 2025 at the Shanghai Grand Theatre for their production in China.

Sandra has received numerous awards, including the Corinna D'Hage Mayer String Scholarship, Monash-Pratt Musician Performance Scholarship, first prize in several Romanian National Competitions, and was a winner of The Richard Bonynge Orchestral Fellowship with Orchestra Victoria. Her solo performances have been showcased in several high-achievement programs, most notably being one of few solo violists to be selected to perform in Music Victoria’s Seasons of Excellence held at Melbourne Recital Centre. Passionate about music education, Sandra dedicates herself to teaching viola at Scotch College, where she motivates students while maintaining her career as a performing artist. She also participates enthusiastically in outreach initiatives that aim to broaden the appreciation of the viola as chamber, musical theatre, orchestral, and solo instrument, firmly convinced of its capacity to enhance lives and foster artistic inspiration.

Alyse Faith

Australian flautist, Alyse Faith is an exciting and versatile performer. She is a prizewinner of several competitions in Australia and abroad.

Alyse was the winner of the Leslie Barklamb Flute Competition in 2018 and the winner of The Flutes in Tuscany Young Artist Award in 2019.

Alyse is a casual musician with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Opera Australia Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic. She was a member of the MSO Academy in 2023. Alyse has appeared as guest principal flute with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Alyse holds a Master of Arts in Performance degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London. She studied under renowned teachers William Bennett, Michael Cox and Patricia Morris. Her studies at the Academy were generously supported by the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and the PPCA Performers’ Trust Foundation. Alyse was Commended in the Royal Academy of Music J & J Brough Flute Prize 2019-20. Alyse has also performed with the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music Opera Orchestra and the University of London Symphony Orchestra. She performed as principal flute on tour in China with the orchestra of the Australian International Opera Company.

Katia Mestrovic

Katia is an eclectic modern-classical harpist-composer based in Melbourne. Her goal in performing and composing is to show audiences the versatility of the harp - its extended techniques, capacity for resonance, moods and colours. She graduated from The Sydney Conservatorium of Music with High Distinction (2022), mentored by renowned international soloist, Alice Giles AM. During her studies, she was awarded the Quinquin Foundation Scholarship (2021-2022), the William and Marie Souter Encouragement Awards (2018-2020), and the Bachelor of Music Scholarship (2017).

She competed as a semi-finalist in The World Harp Competition (2024), and won third place in the BASEL International Harp Competition (2023).

She’s composed commissions for Penta Harp Ensemble (2025), The Hush Foundation (2024), and the Australian Music Examination Board (2021). She’s independently published two modern-classical harp books (2021, rev. 2024).