Festival of Jewish Arts and Music

The MSO was proud to work in partnership with the Festival of Jewish Arts and Music (FOJAM), in an on and off-stage collaboration that culminated in the sold-out concert, A Night of Compassion, at Melbourne Town Hall on 29 September. Brought together by a shared belief in the power of music, musicians from diverse backgrounds worked in a spirit of solidarity towards presenting the critically acclaimed song-cycle Compassion, composed by Nigel Westlake and singer-songwriter Lior.

As a contemporary international arts and music organisation showcasing the diversity and vitality of Jewish identity, culture, and life, FOJAM is part of a wider arts community that seeks to celebrate diversity of all cultures and identities, and this collaboration with the MSO resulted in FOJAM’s most significant audience yet.

The evening also brought together two of the most powerful forces in Australian music—pianist and MSO Composer in Residence Paul Grabowsky

AO, and acclaimed Indigenous soul vocalist Emma Donovan. Grabowsky accompanied Donovan performing in language as well as a selection of songs from their most recent country and gospel collaboration, The Old Rugged Cross.

Melbourne International Jazz Festival

Continuing their cross-genre partnership, the MSO and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) collaborated again in 2022 offering audiences a rare and exclusive opportunity to see a true modern master of soul, five-time GRAMMY® Award winner Lalah Hathaway.

For over two decades MIJF has showcased the world’s best jazz in Melbourne. Appearing in Australia for the first time, Lalah Hathaway teamed up with the MSO and MIJF for a truly spectacular event—an orchestral tribute to Lalah Hathaway’s father, singer, arranger, composer and soul music legend, Donny Hathaway.

These two exciting concerts had Hamer Hall audiences on their feet, demonstrating the versatility of MSO’s musicians across genres.

ANAM Orchestral Training Partnership

In March, MSO Managing Director, Sophie Galaise announced the launch of a new initiative to support a diverse talent pipeline for Australian orchestral music via a new orchestral training partnership with the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). ANAM is a training academy dedicated to the most exceptional young classical musicians from Australia and New Zealand offering a world-class professional performance training program for future music leaders.

Providing pathways for Australia’s most accomplished pre-professional musicians, the program offers opportunities to participate in masterclasses with MSO’s guest artists as part of MSO’s Music and Ideas program, join repertoire reading sessions, and perform alongside the MSO in an annual main-stage performance. In this first year of the partnership, ANAM musicians joined the MSO on stage for the triple bill performance of Stravinsky’s great Russian ballets The Firebird, Petruska (1947) and The Rite of Spring, under the baton of Chief Conductor Jaime Martín.

“For our musicians to be able to learn from and perform alongside the MSO is simply a thrilling opportunity. ANAM educates the next generation of the country’s leading musicians and for them to share the stage with those currently representing the cutting edge of orchestral culture sets up an exchange laden with tremendous potential. Apart from the genuine pathways demonstrated by this new cooperation program the sheer inspiration for the emerging musicians dreaming of one day playing in some of the world’s great orchestral ensembles will carry far.”

– ANAM Artistic Director, Paavali Jumppanen

Live Nation

In 2022, the MSO embarked on an exciting partnership with Live Nation, Australia’s leading live entertainment and promotion company, with the creation of a touring model for MSO’s To Barbra, with Love concert. Presented by the MSO and Live Nation and premiering in Melbourne in April the concert was a celebration of Barbra Streisand’s 80th birthday. Live Nation then went on to tour the show nationally, staged with local orchestras across all major Australian centres. Conducted by Vanessa Scammell, To Barbra, with Love in Melbourne starred four sensational singers: Caroline O’Connor, Elise McCann, Katie Noonan, and Ryan Gonzalez.

Australian Youth Orchestra String Fellowship

Over the course of one intensive week in August, nine musicians on the verge of their orchestral careers were immersed in the world of the MSO as part of the 2022 MSO AYO String Fellowship. The program encompassed intensive one-onone coaching between MSO mentors and AYO fellowship recipients, concerto and excerpt workshops, and professional development sessions aimed at developing the skills and knowledge needed for young musicians entering the life of a professional orchestra. Workshops tackled a range of topics from instrumental technique to overall well-being and building a sustainable and healthy career in music. The Fellowship culminated in an audition for a casual engagement with the MSO.

Melbourne Youth Orchestras

The MSO continued to nurture the next generation of orchestral musicians through its ongoing partnership with Melbourne Youth Orchestras. Welcoming MYO to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage, the young players embraced this opportunity to perform to a significant audience at one of Melbourne’s most iconic venues. This ‘curtain-raiser’ performance took place before An Evening of John Williams by the MSO as part of the always-popular Sidney Myer Free Concert series.

In May, 46 young musicians—representing every section of the orchestra—joined the MSO onstage for a side-by-side performance at Hamer Hall. This opportunity for young players to be mentored and encouraged by MSO musicians was rewarding for all, and additionally offered an important performance opportunity. The expanded orchestra gave an exciting performance under the baton of Graham Abbott, offering the audience a program of Poulenc’s Les biches Suite, Sculthorpe’s Sun Music III, Roger-Ducasse’s Prélude d’un Ballet and Respighi’s Pines of Rome

Members of MYO also joined the MSO for two performances of the MSO + Spinifex Gum during NAIDOC Week.