Ania brings concert atmosphere to Salvos Stores
- deansimpson7
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
There is no stage, no tickets – just a captivated audience. Every Saturday at the Taylors Lake Salvos Store in Melbourne’s north-west, shoppers often find themselves doing a double-take when entering its doors. For amid the clothing, crockery, cookbooks and collectibles, beautiful sounds resonate from multi-talented musician Ania Reynolds. A gifted pianist and saxophonist, Ania treats customers to musical pieces of all sorts, turning an ordinary shopping trip into an unexpected delight. Store volunteer STEVEN GUTIÉRREZ RESTREPO sat down with Ania to uncover the story behind her passion and purpose.
It’s a Saturday morning, and right at the entrance of the Salvos Store in Taylors Lakes, Melbourne, the soft chords of a piano begin to play. The music drifts through the aisles like a gentle breeze, breathing life into the space. There is no stage, no tickets, but there is an audience. And, of course, there is her, offering her art like a kind whisper to the soul.
This is how Ania Reynolds transforms every Salvos store into a sound refuge. Pianist, saxophonist, composer, producer, polyglot, and traveller; her life unfolds through notes and languages, across cities and cultures. An Australian with Polish roots and a deep love for Spanish, French and Polish, she has made music her truest language.
Her concerts in Salvos Stores are more than artistic gestures; they are acts of generosity. Ania donates her time and talent each week, convinced that music can and must be accessible to all. These free, informal, deeply human spaces democratise art, inviting us to pause, inhabit the present moment, and reconnect.
As she puts it, her goal is to bring music “to those who may not have the means, access, or knowledge to attend musical or artistic performances”. For her, it should be a spontaneous encounter. That’s precisely why she chose Salvos Stores – safe, inclusive, warm, diverse spaces with a clear mission to build community.
Speaking with Ania is like meeting both a brilliant artist and a deeply kind human being. She expresses deep gratitude to her family and ancestors for allowing her to nurture her talents from a young age.
She recalls her first contact with music at the age of eight or nine, when, at a restaurant in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, she was asked to sing herself the happy birthday song. That moment became a starting point. Ever since, she hasn't stopped creating.
The piano, the saxophone, percussion and synthesisers – each instrument holds a special place in her universe. She loves the piano’s narrative fluidity, the saxophone’s visceral power that connects with the body’s core, the physicality of percussion, and the sonic manipulation of synthesisers.
Her inspirations include Des La Valle, a teacher at Sunshine North Technical School, whose example encouraged her to pursue her passion. She also admires Danish artist Marilyn Mazur, whose stage energy inspired Ania to incorporate theatre, dance, circus, and acting into her world.
For Ania, silence is also music. A note, a chord, a pause, everything can speak. As she beautifully says, “In physicality, it’s movement that speaks rather than sound”.
When she’s on stage, she describes the experience as a trance, a deep meditation. She becomes a channel, allowing creativity to flow through her. That very connection is what she transmits to her audience, guiding them into the here and now.
One of her most meaningful projects emerged during the pandemic: creating sound portraits of different cities by recording environmental sounds of the jungle, the streets, the city and transforming them into experimental music. Instead of walking with headphones, she walks connected to the silence of everywhere. She listens. Feels. Creates.
Today, her compositions have travelled through cities like Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, and soon, Saigon (Vietnam).
From here, we invite you to meet her, experience her music, presence, and work, listen to her live at Salvos Stores or through her digital platforms, and, above all, thank her for her generosity, art, compassion, and tireless commitment to sharing beauty.
Discover her music. Pause. Listen. In a world that rushes forward, Ania reminds us to inhabit the moment.
Allegro Non Oppo Out West is proudly supported by Brimbank City Council's 2024/25 Community Grants Program.
