CONCERT PROGRAM
RYMAN HEALTHCARE WINTER GALA
CARMINA BURANA
4–6 JULY
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
ARTISTS
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Jaime Martín conductor
William Barton yidaki
Kathryn Radcliffe soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
Christopher Tonkin bass
MSO Chorus
Warren Trevelyan-Jones chorus director
Young Voices of Melbourne
Mark O’Leary OAM chorus director
PROGRAM
R. STRAUSS Don Juan [17']
SCULTHORPE Earth Cry [11']
– Interval –
ORFF Carmina Burana [65']
Our musical Acknowledgment of Country, Long Time Living Here by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, will be performed at these concerts.
CONCERT EVENTS
PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Want to learn more about the music being performed? Arrive early for an informative and entertaining pre-concert talk with Nicholas Bochner (Head of Learning of Engagement), Leonard Weiss (Cybec Assistant Conductor) and Gabrielle Halloran (MSO violist).
4 July at 6.45pm in the Stalls Foyer on Level 2 at Hamer Hall.
5 July at 6.45pm in the Stalls Foyer on Level 2 at Hamer Hall.
6 July at 1.15pm in the Stalls Foyer on Level 2 at Hamer Hall.
These concerts may be recorded for future broadcast on MSO.LIVE
Duration: 2 hours including interval. Timings listed are approximate.
In consideration of your fellow patrons, the MSO thanks you for silencing and dimming the light on your phone.
ACKNOWLEDGING COUNTRY
In the first project of its kind in Australia, the MSO has developed a musical Acknowledgment of Country with music composed by Yorta Yorta composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, featuring Indigenous languages from across Victoria. Generously supported by Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and the Commonwealth Government through the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, the MSO is working in partnership with Short Black Opera and Indigenous language custodians who are generously sharing their cultural knowledge.
The Acknowledgement of Country allows us to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which we perform in the language of that country and in the orchestral language of music.
Long Time Living Here
As a Yorta Yorta/Yuin composer the responsibility I carry to assist the MSO in delivering a respectful acknowledgement of country is a privilege which I take very seriously. I have a duty of care to my ancestors and to the ancestors on whose land the MSO works and performs.
As MSO continues to grow its knowledge and understanding of what it means to truly honour the First people of this land, the musical acknowledgment of country will serve to bring those on stage and those in the audience together in a moment of recognition as as we celebrate the longest continuing cultures in the world.
– Deborah Cheetham Fraillon
AO
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Committed to shaping and serving the state it inhabits, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia’s preeminent orchestra and a cornerstone of Victoria’s rich, cultural heritage.
Each year, the MSO and MSO Chorus present more than 180 public events across live performances, TV, radio and online broadcasts, and via its online concert hall, MSO.LIVE, engaging an audience of more than five million people in 56 countries. In 2024 the organisation will release its first two albums on the newly established MSO recording label.
With an international reputation for excellence, versatility and innovation, the MSO works with culturally diverse and First Nations artists to build community and deliver music to people across Melbourne, the state of Victoria and around the world.
In 2024, Jaime Martín leads the Orchestra for his third year as MSO Chief Conductor. Maestro Martín leads an Artistic Family that includes Principal Conductor Benjamin Northey, Cybec Assistant Conductor Leonard Weiss CF, MSO Chorus Director Warren Trevelyan-Jones, Composer in Residence Katy Abbott, Artist in Residence
Erin Helyard, MSO First Nations Creative Chair Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, Young Cybec Young Composer in Residence Naomi Dodd, and Artist in Association Christian Li.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the people of the Eastern Kulin Nations, on whose un‑ceded lands we honour the continuation of the oldest music practice in the world.
MUSICIANS PERFORMING IN THIS CONCERT
FIRST VIOLINS
Glenn Christensen*
Guest Concertmaster
Tair Khisambeev
Acting Associate Concertmaster
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio#
Peter Edwards
Assistant Principal
Margaret Billson and the late Ted Billson#
Peter Fellin
Deborah Goodall
Karla Hanna
Kirstin Kenny
Eleanor Mancini
Anne Neil#
Mark Mogilevski
Michelle Ruffolo
Anna Skálová
Kathryn Taylor
Zoe Black*
Jacqueline Edwards*
Michael Loftus-Hills*
SECOND VIOLINS
Matthew Tomkins
Principal
The Gross Foundation#
Jos Jonker
Acting Associate Principal
Monica Curro
Assistant Principal
Dr Mary Jane Gething AO#
Mary Allison
Isin Cakmakçioglu
Freya Franzen
Cong Gu
Newton Family in memory of Rae Rothfield#
Andrew Hall
Robert Macindoe
Isy Wasserman
Philippa West
Andrew Dudgeon AM#
Patrick Wong
Juliette Boirayon*
VIOLAS
Christopher Moore
Principal
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio#
Lauren Brigden
William Clark
Aidan Filshie
Gabrielle Halloran
Fiona Sargeant
Andrew Crothers*
Karen Columbine*
Isabel Morse*
Kate Worley*
CELLOS
David Berlin
Principal
Rachael Tobin
Associate Principal Anonymous#
Rohan de Korte
Andrew Dudgeon AM#
Rebecca Proietto
Peter T Kempen AM#
Angela Sargeant
Caleb Wong
Jonathan Chim*
Anna Pokorny*
Zoe Wallace*
DOUBLE BASSES
Jonathon Coco
Principal
Stephen Newton
Acting Associate Principal
Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser#
Benjamin Hanlon
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio#
Suzanne Lee
Caitlin Bass°
Emma Sullivan°
Luca Arcaro*
Benjamin Saffir*
Correct as of 21 June 2024.
Learn more about our musicians on the MSO website
FLUTES
Prudence Davis Principal
Jean Hadges#
Wendy Clarke Associate Principal
Sarah Beggs
PICCOLO
Andrew Macleod Principal
OBOES
Michael Pisani Acting Associate Principal
Ann Blackburn
COR ANGLAIS
Rachel Curkpatrick° Acting Principal
CLARINETS
David Thomas Principal
Craig Hill
Rosemary and the late Douglas Meagher#
BASS CLARINET
Jon Craven Principal
BASSOONS
Elise Millman Associate Principal
Tasman Compton^
CONTRABASSOON
Brock Imison Principal
HORNS
Nicolas Fleury Principal
Margaret Jackson AC#
Abbey Edlin The Hanlon Foundation#
Josiah Kop
Rachel Shaw
Gary McPherson# Natalia Edwards*
TRUMPETS
Owen Morris Principal
Shane Hooton
Associate Principal
Glenn Sedgwick#
Rosie Turner
John and Diana Frew#
TROMBONES
Don Immel° Acting Principal
Richard Shirley
Mike Szabo Principal Bass Trombone
TUBA
Timothy Buzbee Principal
TIMPANI
Matthew Thomas Principal
PERCUSSION
Shaun Trubiano Principal
John Arcaro
Tim and Lyn Edward#
Robert Cossom
Drs Rhyl Wade and Clem Gruen#
Marc Damoulakis*
Hugh Tidy*
Scott Weatherson*
HARP
Yinuo Mu Principal
KEYBOARD
Aidan Boase*
Louisa Breen*
Laurence Matheson*
* Denotes Guest Musician
^ Denotes MSO Academy
° Denotes Contract Musician
# Position supported by
JAIME MARTÍN CONDUCTOR
Chief Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2022, Jaime Martín is also Chief Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland) and Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (Spanish National Orchestra) for the 22/23 season and was Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to 2022.
Having spent many years as a highly regarded flautist, Jaime turned to conducting full-time in 2013, and has become very quickly sought after at the highest level. Recent and future engagements include appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE (ORTVE) and Galicia Symphony orchestras, as well as a nine-city European tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Martín is the Artistic Advisor and previous Artistic Director of the Santander Festival. He was also a founding member of the Orquestra de Cadaqués, where he was Chief Conductor from 2012 to 2019.
Jaime Martín’s Chief Conductor Chair is supported by the Besen Family Foundation in memory of Eva and Marc Besen.
WILLIAM BARTON YIDAKI
William Barton is Australia’s leading didgeridoo player as well as a highly esteemed composer, instrumentalist and vocalist. William first learnt the instrument from his uncle, Arthur Peterson, an Elder of the Wannyi, Lardil and Kalkadunga people and was working from an early age with traditional dance groups, fusion/rock/jazz bands, orchestras, string quartets and mixed ensembles.
Throughout his diverse career he has forged a path in the classical musical world from the London, Berlin and Bremer Philharmonic Orchestras to historic events at Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day 2019, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli and the Beijing Olympics.
William holds honorary doctorates from both Griffith University and the University of Sydney. He has released 5 albums on the ABC Classics label including Heartland 2022 with Veronique Serret and the words of William’s mother, Aunty Delmae Barton. William has been developing a new musical language, which is epitomised in this record. William was named Queensland Australian of the Year for 2023 and was an Australian of the Year Nominee. In 2023 he also received the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.
In 2022 he was recognised for his work with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for the Soundtrack of the film River. River won Best Soundtrack Album and Best Original Song Composed for the Screen at the APRA AMCOS Screen Awards, Best Original Score in a Documentary at the AACTA Awards and Best Original Soundtrack at the ARIA Awards. His other awards include the prestigious Don Banks Music Award from the Australian Council in 2021, winner of Best Original Score for a Mainstage Production at the 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards and Winner of Best Classical Album at the ARIA Awards for Birdsong At Dusk in 2012.
KATHRYN RADCLIFFE SOPRANO
In 2021, Kathryn Radcliffe sang Leila in Victorian opera’s production of The Pearl Fishers – appearing also in Respighi’s Sleeping Beauty and Kevin March’s new opera Echo and Narcissus. In 2022, she appeared in Elektra for VO and was soprano soloist in Melbourne Symphony’s Messiah and Melbourne Bach Choir’s Creation.
2023 engagements for Victorian Opera included Ilia (Idomeneo) and Italian Singer (Capriccio) and Orff’s Carmina Burana for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Kathryn made her Opera Australia mainstage début as Delia in Il viaggio a Reims. For Victorian Opera, she has sung Berta in The Barber of Seville and The Queen in The Princess and the Pea; for Tasmanian Symphony – Frasquita in Carmen.
Winner of the 2014 Herald-Sun Aria, she starred the following year as Pamina in Opera Australia’s touring production of The Magic Flute and won the Opera Foundation Vienna Award.
For the Vienna State Opera, she made her debut in The Cunning Little Vixen and covered roles such as Pamina, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Ortlinde in Die Walküre, Pousette in Manon, Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and The High Priestess in Aida.
ANDREW GOODWIN TENOR
Andrew Goodwin has appeared with opera companies and orchestras in Europe, Asia and Australia including the Bolshoi Opera, Gran Theatre Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, La Scala Milan, Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, the New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Moscow and Melbourne Chamber Orchestras, and in recital with pianist Daniel de Borah at Wigmore Hall, the Oxford Lieder, Port Fairy and Canberra International Music Festivals.
This year Andrew returns to Adelaide Festival as Renaud in Stravinksy’s The Nightingale and other fables, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for Elijah, Melbourne Bach Choir for Bach’s Easter and Ascension Oratorios, and each of the Australian Symphony orchestras in repertoire ranging from Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C, Haydn’s Harmony Mass to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
Recent engagements have included Handel’s Il Trionfo with Yulia Lezhneva and Dmitry Sinkovsky (Moscow), Beethoven No.9, (Brandenburg State Orchestra), Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Adelaide Festival), Jacquino, Fidelio (West Australian Symphony Orchestra), Diary of one who disappeared and Rape of Lucretia (Sydney Chamber Opera), Nadir, The Pearlfishers (State Opera South Australia), Artaxerxes title role (Pinchgut Opera).
CHRISTOPHER TONKIN BASS
Australian baritone Christopher Tonkin has appeared throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Roles include Il Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Valentin (Faust), Pollux (Castor et Pollux), Anténor (Dardanus), Robert (Iolanta), Maximilian (Candide), Sam (Trouble in Tahiti ), Ping (Turandot), Sharpless (Butterfly), Algerian (Intolleranza), Tarquinius (Rape of Lucretia), Demetrius ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Harlekin ( Ariadne auf Naxos).
In Australia, Christopher’s performances have included Marcello (La bohème), the Count (Capriccio) and Novice’s Friend (Billy Budd ) for Opera Australia; the Black Minister (Le Grand Macabre) Adelaide Festival; Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore, Green Room Award nomination) and Chou En-Lai (Nixon in China) for Victorian Opera; Silvio (Pagliacci ) for West Australian Opera and Don Giovanni for Melbourne Opera.
On the concert platform, notable performances include, Der Tod Jesu (Lucerne Festival), Carmina Burana, Messiah and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (MSO and QSO) Duruflé Requiem (Auckland Choral Society), Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater (The Barbican Centre) and Haydn’s Nelson Mass (Victoria Chorale).
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, and the VCA, Melbourne, Christopher was resident principal baritone at Staatsoper Hannover, Germany 2010–2016.
MSO CHORUS
For more than 50 years the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus has been the unstinting voice of the Orchestra’s choral repertoire. The MSO Chorus sings with the finest conductors including Sir Andrew Davis, Edward Gardner, Mark Wigglesworth, Bernard Labadie, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Xian Zhang and Nodoko Okisawa, and is committed to developing and performing new Australian and international choral repertoire.
Commissions include Brett Dean’s Katz und Spatz, Ross Edwards’ Mountain Chant, and Paul Stanhope’s Exile Lamentations. Recordings by the MSO Chorus have received critical acclaim. It has performed across Brazil and at the Cultura Inglese Festival in Sao Paolo, with The Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, at the AFL Grand Final and at the Anzac Day commemorative ceremonies.
The MSO Chorus is always welcoming new members. If you would like to audition, please visit mso.com.au/chorus for more information.
WARREN TREVELYAN-JONES CHORUS
DIRECTOR
Warren Trevelyan-Jones is regarded as one of the leading choral conductors and choir trainers in Australia. He is Head of Music at St James’, King Street, Sydney, a position he has held since relocating to Australia in 2008. Under his leadership, The Choir of St James’ has gained a highprofile international reputation through its regular choral services, orchestral masses, concert series and a regular program of recording and both interstate and international touring.
Warren has had an extensive singing career as a soloist and ensemble singer in Europe, including nine years in the Choir of Westminster Abbey and regular work with the Gabrieli Consort, Collegium Vocale (Ghent), the Taverner Consort, The Kings Consort, Dunedin Consort, The Sixteen and the Tallis Scholars.
He is also a co-founder of The Consort of Melbourne and, in 2001 with Dr Michael Noone, founded the ‘Gramophone’ award-winning group Ensemble Plus Ultra. In September 2017 he was appointed Chorus Director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has recently been appointed Chorus Master of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He is also an experienced singing teacher and qualified music therapist.
MSO CHORUS PERFORMING IN THIS CONCERT
SOPRANO
Shirin Albert
Giselle Baulch
Anne-Marie Brownhill
Eva Butcher
Ariel Chou
Gabrielle Connell
Michele de Courcy
Clarissa Dodawec
Keren Evans
Catherine Folley
Carolyn Francis
Karina Gough
Juliana Hassett
Penny Huggett
Gina Humphries
Theresa Lam
Natasha Lambie
Katie Lewis
Charlene Li
Susie Novella
Karin Otto
Tanja Redl
Beth Richardson
Jo Robin
Danielle Rosenfeld-Lovell
Jodi Samartgis
Jillian Samuels
Jemima Sim
Eleanor Smith
Fiona Steffensen
Elizabeth Tindall
Katy Turbitt
Fabienne Vandenburie
Asami Weaver
Tara Zamin
Veryan Croggon
Correct as of 21 June 2024.
ALTO
Ruth Anderson
Judy Anderson
Catherine Bickell
Cecilia Bjorkegren
Kate Bramley
Jane Brodie
Alexandra Chubaty
Juliarna Clark
Lesley Collins
Mari Eleanor-Rapp
Dionysia Evitaputri
Lisa Faulks
Debbie Griffiths
Ros Harbison
Jennifer Henry
Kristine Hensel
Helen Hill
Yvonne Ho
Helen MacLean
Christina McCowan
Penelope Monger
Nicole Paterson
Natasha Pracejus
Alison Ralph
Kate Rice
Kerry Roulston
Lisa Savige
Melvin Tan
Jacqueline Cheng
Claudia Funder
Julie Lotherington
TENOR
James Allen
Adam Birch
Kent Borchard
Steve Burnett
Allan Chiang
Keaton Cloherty
James Dal-Ben
James Dipnall
Simon Gaites
Lyndon Horsburgh
Michael Mobach
Jean-Francois Ravat
Colin Schultz
Robert Simpson
Cameron Tait
Elliott Westbury
Stephen Wood
BASS
Maurice Amor
José Miguel Armijo
Fidalgo
Kevin Barrell
Richard Bolitho
Stephen Bordignon
Roger Dargaville
Peter Deane
Simon Evans
Andrew Ham
John Howard
Jordan Janssen
Tim March
Douglas McQueenThomson
Douglas Proctor
Stephen Pyk
Liam Straughan
Caleb Triscari
YOUNG VOICES OF MELBOURNE
Young Voices of Melbourne was founded by Mark O’Leary OAM in 1990, and is now regarded as one of Australia’s finest choral programs for young singers. Its choirs are admired for their passionate performances, engaging repertoire and outstanding Kodály based music education program (Sight Singing School) which is now used in over 50 countries.
Young Voices of Melbourne performs regularly in and around Melbourne, and has released 13 recordings. The choir has performed for major events such as the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, as well as at popular events such as the National Folk Festival in Canberra, and Festival of Voices in Hobart.
It regularly hosts visiting choirs from overseas and interstate, and its voice was widely heard singing the theme song of Chris Lilley’s popular television shows We Can be Heroes, and Summer Heights High.
The choir has a proud history of touring, having undertaken 40 tours to all states and territories of Australia as well as to Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, the USA, Ireland, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Samoa, New Zealand and Japan.
PERFORMING IN THIS CONCERT
Teresa Anthony
Alex Brown
Kian Carter-Fourcroy
Ryan Carter-Fourcroy
Lila Chatfield
Adele Finn
Benjamin Fullarton
Jarrah Gillan
Marcus Harders
Poppy Heyden
Zoe Kalanis
Celia Langley
Pearl Lee
Ava Loke
Evelyn Mitchell Kempe
Sabrina Mott
Marianne Panas
Nyah Trewin
Hailey Wu
Bella Xie
PROGRAM NOTES
RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Don Juan
In Nicolas Lenau’s incomplete drama Don Juan (1884), the eponymous antihero sets out to experience the love of women in the most comprehensive way possible. But as the posse of spurned lovers, enraged fathers and illegitimate children begins to prove bothersome, the Don begins to tire of the chase. Challenged to a duel, and fatigued by the prospect of yet another victory, he throws away his sword and is run through by his adversary.
Taking the Lisztian notion of the tone poem as his guide, while still adhering reasonably closely to traditional sonata form, the young Strauss set out to ‘dramatises’ through music the various stages of Don Juan’s career, clearly contrasting the predatorial Don with the token protestations of his conquests. Gradually, however, as we enter the mind of Don Juan, fleeting doubts and wisps of dark themes begin to creep in. They are held at bay for a time by recapitulation of the main themes and the perennial sense of action bursting forth. But the end is inevitable, and the duel’s huge orchestral crescendo comes to a dramatic halt: the sword through the gizzard is conveyed in a sustained pianissimo chord, pierced suddenly by a trumpet shriek, and a few dying whimpers.
The 25-year-old Strauss conducted the premiere, on 11 November 1889. It was a huge was a huge success, despite the initial reticence of an orchestra who had never encountered such technical difficulties before. Several of the wind players pleaded
for mercy during rehearsals, but they soon recognised that these ‘novelties’ actually demonstrated a phenomenal understanding of the instruments, and Don Juan has remained one of Strauss’ most played orchestral works.
Adapted from a note by Martin Buzacott © 2001
PETER SCULTHORPE (1929–2014)
Earth Cry
William Barton yidaki
Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe graduated from the University of Melbourne and then studied at Oxford with Egon Wellesz and Edmund Rubbra before returning to Australia. He taught at Sydney University and was a visiting professor at both the University of Sussex and Yale University. In his own music, Sculthorpe attempted to express something uniquely Australian, and the inspiration and many of the titles of his works reflect his awareness of the vast Australian landscape, the influence of Aboriginal languages and music, and— later—the complex rhythms of several of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Rim.
Earth Cry was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Company in 1985 and was composed the following year. It was premiered in Adelaide on August 22, 1986 by the Adelaide Symphony under the direction of Jorge Mester. The composer himself prepared a program note, which has been made available by his publisher, Faber Music:
My initial idea for this work was to write the second piece of a projected Mangrove series. I found, however, that my thoughts were more concerned with Australia as a whole than with particular parts of it. For instance, whenever I have returned from abroad in recent years, this country has seemed to me to be one of the last places on earth
where one could honestly write quick and joyous music. I decided, therefore, to write such a piece. Reflecting upon this, it soon became clear that it would be dishonest of me to write music that is altogether quick and joyous. We still lack a common cause, and the selfinterest of many has drained us of much of our energy. A bogus national identity and its commercialisation have obscured the true breadth of our culture. Most of the jubilation, I came to feel, awaits us in the future. We need to attune ourselves to this continent, to listen to the cry of the earth, as the Aborigines have done for many thousands of years. Earth Cry is a straightforward and melodious work. Its four parts are made up of a quick ritualistic music, framed by slower music of a supplicatory nature, and an extended coda. It owes a debt to a setting of Aboriginal poetry, The Song of Tailitnama, that I completed in 1976. While the music of Earth Cry is very much in my own personal idiom, the treatment of the orchestra represents a new departure. This is particularly noticeable in the way that instruments are doubled. First and second violins, for instance, sing in unison for most of the work; and lower strings often sing with the lower brass. I have done this in order to summon up broader feelings and a broader landscape. (Peter Sculthorpe)
Eric Bromberger © 2019
CARL ORFF (1895–1982)
Carmina Burana
Kathryn Radcliffe soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor Christopher Tonkin bass
In 1803 a large collection of medieval poetry was discovered in the abbey of Benediktbeuern in Bavaria. Its 320 poems, written on parchment and illustrated with illuminated capital letters, represent an anthology of styles and languages including medieval Latin, Old French and Middle High German. It seems that the collection was compiled for the Bishop of Seckau in 13th century Austria. The Bishop must have been quite worldly as the collection includes songs of springtime and love as well as drinking songs. In the mid 1930s the collection came to the attention of Carl Orff who later remarked:
Fortune smiled on me when she put into my hands a Würzburg secondhand books catalogue, in which I found a title that exercised on me an attraction of magical force: Carmina burana: Latin and German songs and poems of a 13th century manuscript from Benediktbeuern, edited by J.A. Schmeller.
Orff spoke more truly than he knew: certainly Carmina burana (Songs of Beuern) would make his fortune, at least artistically. But its success put much of his subsequent achievement in the shade.
Orff was born in 1895 into a military family with intellectual and artistic interests and studied music from an early age including, significantly, research into non-European music. His early opera Gisei for instance is based on Japanese Nōh drama. In 1917 he enlisted in the German army, but was wounded and invalided out. The 1920s saw the gradual development of the music-education theories for which,
apart from Carmina burana, he is best remembered today.
Orff’s own compositions during the 1920s show an increasing interest in the use of percussion often with piano (influenced partly by Stravinsky’s Les Noces), harmony which is essentially diatonic but avoids the goal-directed feel of traditional tonal music, and rhythm characterised by the ‘Stravinskylike’ use of repeated figurations. These musical techniques reached their first realisation in 1931’s Carmina Catulli, settings of one of the great Roman poets. Carmina burana followed a few years later, and was first performed in Frankfurt in 1937.
1937 was of course a time when Hitler and the Nazis were doing their utmost to win the hearts and minds of Germany. Carmina burana comes perilously close to the kind of music favoured by the regime; the cheerfully hedonistic poetry (‘I am the Abbot of Cockaigne’) similarly reflects the growing anti-clericalism in 1930s Germany.
For this reason we need to take with a grain of salt Orff’s assertion that the work never got a good review in Nazi Germany. Generally critics praised the work in language redolent of much Nazi propaganda, noting its ‘radiant strengthfilled life-joy’.
Wherever it has been performed, Carmina burana retains its ability to evoke what Alex Ross calls ‘primitive, unreflective enthusiasm’. And that’s partly because of the texts. Orff described the reading the collection:
On opening it I immediately found, on the front page, the long-famous picture of ‘Fortune and her wheel’ and under it the lines O fortuna/velut luna/statu variabilis…Picture and words seized hold of me…a new work, a stage work with singing and dancing choruses, simply following the illustrations and texts, at once came into my mind.
The ‘O Fortuna’ chorus bookends the whole work with its mighty choral and orchestral forces and implacable rhythms. The body of the work, which uses 23 of the published poems, is divided into three main sections. The first, ‘Springtime’ and ‘On the Meadow’, uses the conventional genres of pastoral poetry: spring returns, the sun warms the earth, forests awaken, and a young person’s thoughts turn to love. But not before a brief spell ‘In the Tavern’, a maledominated environment in which Orff creates a number of memorable characters. None more so, if only musically, than the Roasting Swan, a high tenor whose lament is for the loss of his whiteness as much as for his imminent consumption. Finally ‘The Courts of Love’ take up the erotic threads of ‘Spring’ contrasting delicacy and robust humour before the soaring soprano solo of ‘Dulcissime’ and ecstatic chorus to ‘Blanziflor and Helena’. The ecstasy will, of course, be swept away by Fate, so the music returns to ‘O Fortuna’. As Michael Steinberg has noted, one wouldn’t guess from the music that the last line of the poetry is ‘mecum omnes plangite’ (come, weep with me).
Gordon Kerry © 2006
Help the MSO Chorus to SINGapore!
To attract the best singers regardless of financial circumstances, the MSO Chorus does not charge membership fees. That’s why, despite our Chorus’ unquestionable artistic value, we need your support to help the MSO Chorus to SINGapore on their first international tour in 15 years!
Under the baton of MSO Chief Conductor, Jaime Martín, members of the MSO Chorus will perform side by side with the MSO, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and their chorus over two nights in August.
Donating alongside your ticket purchase will help reduce financial barriers by subsidising travel costs for choristers participating in the tour.
Annual gifts of $500+ also welcomes you into MSO’s Patron Program with special events and opportunities that bring you closer to the music.
Let’s help them SINGapore! Thank you for your support.
To support the MSO Chorus on tour, please scan the QR code or call MSO Philanthropy on (03) 8646 1551.
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CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE THEATRE PROJECTION POST PRODUCTION EVENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATE COMMUNICATION VIDEO PRODUCTION LIVE EVENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE RECORDING VIDEO PRODUCTION THEATRE PROJECTION POST PERFORMANCE RECORDING VIDEO PRODUCTION LIVE CAMERA TO SCREEN THEATRE PROJECTION POST PRODUCTION EVENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATE LIVE CAMERA TO SCREEN THEATRE PROJECTION POST PRODUCTION EVENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE RECORDING
LIVECAME R A TO SCREEN
CVP Events, Film & Television is Australia’s leading complete vision solutions company
Whether we’re making a television commercial or a piece of corporate communication, recording your performance, using multiple projectors to create a 60metre wide image, providing live to screen services at your concert or managing the entire event for you — at CVP — each component of the event is handled by staff who are specialists in their field.
We believe in excellence — it’s reflected in everything we do.
SUPPORTERS
MSO PATRON
Her Excellency Professor, the Honourable
Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE
The Gandel Foundation
The Gross Foundation
Besen Family Foundation
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio
Harold Mitchell Foundation
Lady Primrose Potter AC CMRI
Cybec Foundation
The Pratt Foundation
The Ullmer Family Foundation
Anonymous (1)
ARTIST CHAIR BENEFACTORS
Chief Conductor Chair Jaime Martín
Besen Family Foundation
Concertmaster Chair
David Li AM and Angela Li
Cybec Assistant Conductor Chair
Leonard Weiss CF
Cybec Foundation
Acting Associate Concertmaster
Tair Khisambeev
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio
Cybec Young Composer in Residence
Naomi Dodd
Cybec Foundation
PROGRAM BENEFACTORS
Now & Forever Fund: International
Engagement Gandel Foundation
Cybec 21st Century Australian
Composers Program Cybec Foundation
Digital Transformation Perpetual Foundation – Alan (AGL) Shaw Endowment
First Nations Emerging Artist Program
The Ullmer Family Foundation
East meets West The Li Family Trust, National Foundation for Australia-China
Relations
Community and Public Programs
AWM Electrical, City of Melbourne, Crown Resorts Foundation, Packer Family Foundation
Live Online and MSO Schools Crown Resorts Foundation, Packer Family Foundation
Student Subsidy Program Anonymous
MSO Academy Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio, Mary Armour, Christopher Robinson in memory of Joan P Robinson
Jams in Schools Melbourne Airport, Department of Education Victoria, through the Strategic Partnerships Program, AWM Electrical, Jean Hadges, Hume City Council, Marian and EH Flack Trust, and Flora and Frank Leith Trust.
Regional Touring AWM Electrical, Creative Victoria, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, Robert Salzer Foundation, Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation
Sidney Myer Free Concerts Sidney Myer
MSO Trust Fund and the University of Melbourne, City of Melbourne Event Partnerships Program
PLATINUM PATRONS $100,000+
AWM Electrical
Besen Family Foundation
The Gross Foundation
Margaret Jackson AC
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio
David Li AM and Angela Li
Lady Primrose Potter AC
Anonymous (1)
VIRTUOSO PATRONS $50,000+
Jolene S Coultas
Dr Harry Imber
Packer Family Foundation
The Ullmer Family Foundation
Anonymous (1)
IMPRESARIO PATRONS
H Bentley
The Hogan Family Foundation
$20,000+
Julia and Jim Breen
Nigel and Sheena Broughton
Shane Buggle and Rosie Callanan
Elizabeth Proust AO and Brian Lawrence
Weis Family
Lady Marigold Southey AC
Gai and David Taylor
The Yulgilbar Foundation Anonymous (2)
MAESTRO PATRONS
$10,000+
John and Lorraine Bates
Margaret Billson and the late Ted Billson
Jannie Brown
Mary Davidson and the late Frederick Davidson AM
Andrew Dudgeon AM
Val Dyke
Jaan Enden
Kim and Robert Gearon
Dr Mary-Jane H Gething AO
Hanlon Foundation
David Horowicz
David R Lloyd
Peter Lovell
Dr Ian Manning
Maestro Jaime Martin
Rosemary and the late Douglas Meagher
Farrel and Wendy Meltzer
Paul Noonan
Opalgate Foundation
Ian and Jeannie Paterson
Hieu Pham and Graeme Campbell
Janet Matton AM & Robin Rowe
Liliane Rusek and Alexander Ushakoff
Glenn Sedgwick
The Sun Foundation
Athalie Williams and Tim Danielson
Lyn Williams AM
PRINCIPAL PATRONS
$5,000+
The Aranday Foundation
Mary Armour
Alexandra Baker
Barbara Bell in memory of Elsa Bell
Bodhi Education Fund
Lynne Burgess
Ken Ong Chong OAM
John Coppock OAM and Lyn Coppock
Cuming Bequest
The Dimmick Charitable Trust
Tim and Lyn Edward
Bill Fleming
John and Diana Frew
Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser
Carrillo Gantner AC and Ziyin Gantner
Geelong Friends of the MSO
Dr Rhyl Wade and Dr Clem Gruen
Cecilie Hall and the late Hon Michael Watt KC
Louis J Hamon OAM
Dr Keith Higgins and Dr Jane Joshi
Dr Alastair Jackson AM
John Jones
Merv Keehn and Sue Harlow
Peter T Kempen AM
Suzanne Kirkham
Lucas Family Foundation
Dr Jane Mackenzie
Gary McPherson
The Mercer Family Foundation
Anne Neil in memory of Murray A. Neil
Newton Family in memory of Rae Rothfield
David Ponsford
Jan and Keith Richards
Dr Sam Ricketson and Dr Rosemary Ayton
Andrew and Judy Rogers
Guy Ross
Helen Silver AO and Harrison Young
Brain Snape AM
Dr Michael Soon
P & E Turner
Mary Waldron
Janet Whiting AM and Phil Lukies
Dawna Wright and Peter Riedel
Igor Zambelli
Anonymous (2)
ASSOCIATE PATRONS
$2,500+
Carolyn Baker
Marlyn Bancroft and Peter Bancroft OAM
Janet H Bell
Alan and Dr Jennifer Breschkin
Dr Lynda Campbell
Oliver Carton
Janet Chauvel and the late Dr Richard Chauvel
Sage Foundation
Kaye Cleary
Michael Davies and Drina Staples
Leo de Lange
Sandra Dent
Sophie E Dougall in memory of Libby Harold
Barry Fradkin OAM and Dr Pam Fradkin
Janette Gill
R Goldberg and Family
Goldschlager Family Charitable Foundation
Colin Golvan AM KC and Dr Deborah
Golvan
Charles & Cornelia Goode Foundation
Jennifer Gorog
Miss Catherine Gray
Marshall Grosby and Margie Bromilow
Mr Ian Kennedy AM & Dr Sandra Hacker AO
Susan and Gary Hearst
Gillian Hund OAM and Michael Hund
Geoff and Denise Illing
Paul and Amy Jasper
Sandy Jenkins
Jenny Tatchell
Ann Lahore
Carolynne Marks
Margaret and John Mason OAM
Ian McDonald
H E McKenzie
Dr Isabel McLean
Ian Merrylees
Dr Paul Nisselle AM
Simon O’Brien
Roger Parker and Ruth Parker
Alan and Dorothy Pattison
Ruth and Ralph Renard
Peter and Carolyn Rendit
James Ring
Tom and Elizabeth Romanowski
Dr Ronald and Elizabeth Rosanove
Christopher Menz and Peter Rose
Marshall Segan in memory of Berek Segan
OBE AM and Marysia Segan
Jeffrey Sher KC and Diana Sher OAM
Steinicke Family
Caroline Stuart
Robert and Diana Wilson
Shirley and Jeffrey Zajac
Anonymous (5)
PLAYER PATRONS
($1,000+)
Dr Sally Adams
Jessica Agoston Cleary
Helena Anderson
Margaret Astbury
Robbie Barker
Justine Battistella
Michael Bowles & Alma Gill
Allen and Kathryn Bloom
Richard Bolitho
Joyce Bown
Drs John D L Brookes and Lucy V Hanlon
Stuart Brown
Suzie Brown OAM and the late Harvey Brown
Jill and Christopher Buckley
Dr Robin Burns and Dr Roger Douglas
Shayna Burns
Ronald and Kate Burnstein
Daniel Bushaway and Tess Hamilton
Peter A Caldwell
Alexandra Champion de Crespigny
Joshua Chye
Breen Creighton and Elsbeth Hadenfeldt
Mrs Nola Daley
Panch Das and Laurel Young-Das
Caroline Davies
Rick and Sue Deering
John and Anne Duncan
Jane Edmanson OAM
Diane Fisher
Grant Fisher and Helen Bird
Alex Forrest
Chris Freelance
Applebay Pty Ltd
David and Esther Frenkiel
Mary Gaidzkar
Anthony Garvey and Estelle O’Callaghan
David I Gibbs AM and Susie O’Neill
Sonia Gilderdale
Dr Celia Godfrey
Dr Marged Goode
Hilary Hall, in memory of Wilma Collie
David Hardy
Tilda and the late Brian Haughney
Cathy Henry
Gwenda Henry
Anthony and Karen Ho
Rod Home
Lorraine Hook
Doug Hooley
Peter and Jenny Hordern
Katherine Horwood
Penelope Hughes
Jordan Janssen
Shyama Jayaswal
Basil and Rita Jenkins
Jane Jenkins
Emma Johnson
Sue Johnston
John Kaufman
Angela Kayser
Drs Bruce and Natalie Kellett
Dr Anne and Leonard Kennedy
Akira Kikkawa
Dr Judith Kinnear
Dr Richard Knafelc and Mr Grevis Beard
Tim Knaggs
Professor David Knowles and Dr Anne McLachlan
Dr Jerry Koliha and Marlene Krelle
Jane Kunstler
Kerry Landman
Janet and Ross Lapworth
Bryan Lawrence
Dr Jenny Lewis
Dr Kin Liu
Andrew Lockwood
Elizabeth H Loftus
Chris and Anna Long
Wayne McDonald and Kay Schroer
Lois McKay
Lesley McMullin Foundation
Dr Eric Meadows
Sylvia Miller
Ian Morrey and Geoffrey Minter
Anthony and Anna Morton
Barry Mowszowski
Dr Judith S Nimmo
Laurence O’Keefe and Christopher James
George Pappas AO, in memory of
Jillian Pappas
Susan Pelka
Ian Penboss
Kerryn Pratchett
Peter Priest
John Prokupets
Professor Charles Qin OAM and Kate Ritchie
Eli and Lorraine Raskin
Cathy Rogers OAM and Dr Peter Rogers AM
Marie Rowland
Viorica Samson
Martin and Susan Shirley
P Shore
Janet and Alex Starr
Dr Peter Strickland
Dr Joel Symons and Liora Symons
Russell Taylor and Tara Obeyesekere
Geoffrey Thomlinson
Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher
Andrew and Penny Torok
Christina Turner
Ann and Larry Turner
Sandra and the late Leon Velik
Jayde Walker
Edward and Paddy White
Nic and Ann Willcock
Lorraine Woolley
Dr Kelly and Dr Heathcote Wright
George Yeung
Demetrio Zema
Anonymous (14)
OVERTURE PATRONS $500+
Jane Allan and Mark Redmond
Mario M Anders
Jenny Anderson
Doris Au
Lyn Bailey
Mr Robin Batterham
Peter Berry and Amanda Quirk
Miranda Brockman
Dr Robert Brook
Roger and Coll Buckle
Jungpin Chen
Robert and Katherine Coco
Dr John Collins
Gregory Crew
Sue Cummings
Dr Oliver Daly and Matilda Daly
Suzanne Dembo
Carol des Cognets
Bruce Dudon
Margaret Flatman
Brian Florence
Elizabeth Foster
M C Friday
Simon Gaites
David and Geraldine Glenny
Hugo and Diane Goetze
Louise Gourlay OAM
Christine Grenda
Dawn Hales
George Hampel AM KC and Felicity Hampel AM SC
Dr Jennifer Henry
William Holder
Gillian Horwood
Oliver Hutton
Rob Jackson
Wendy Johnson
Leonora Kearney
Irene Kearsey & Michael Ridley
John Keys
Lesley King
Dr Kim Langfield-Smith
Heather Law
Pauline and David Lawton
Paschalina Leach
Kay Liu
David Loggia
Helen Maclean
Eleanor & Phillip Mancini
Joy Manners
Morris and Helen Margolis
Sandra Masel in memory of Leigh Masel
Janice Mayfield
Gail McKay
Shirley A McKenzie
Dr Alan Meads and Sandra Boon
Marie Misiurak
Adrian and Louise Nelson
Marian Neumann
Ed Newbigin
Valerie Newman
Amanda O’Brien
Brendan O’Donnell
Sarah Patterson
The Hon Chris Pearce and Andrea Pearce
William Ramirez
Geoffrey Ravenscroft
Dr Christopher Rees
Professor John Rickard
Michael Riordan and Geoffrey Bush
Fred and Patricia Russell
Carolyn Sanders
Dr Marc Saunders
Julia Schlapp
Hon Jim Short and Jan Rothwell Short
Madeline Soloveychik
Tom Sykes
Allison Taylor
Dr Hugh Taylor and Dr Elizabeth Dax
Reverend Angela Thomas
Mely Tjandra
Chris and Helen Trueman
Noel and Jenny Turnbull
Phil Parker
Rosemary Warnock
Amanda Watson
Michael Whishaw
Deborah and Dr Kevin Whithear OAM
Adrian Wigney
Charles and Jill Wright
Anonymous (13)
FUTURE MSO ($1,000+)
Justine Battistella
Shayna Burns
Jessica Agoston Cleary
Alexandra Champion de Crespigny
Josh Chye
Cara Cunningham
Akira Kikkawa
Barry Mowszowski
Jayde Walker
Demetrio Zema
MSO GUARDIANS
Jenny Anderson
David Angelovich
Lesley Bawden
Peter Berry and Amanda Quirk
Joyce Bown
Patricia A Breslin
Jenny Brukner and the late John Brukner
Peter A Caldwell
Luci and Ron Chambers
Sandra Dent
Sophie E Dougall in memory of Libby
Harold
Alan Egan JP
Gunta Eglite
Marguerite Garnon-Williams
Dr Clem Gruen and Dr Rhyl Wade
Louis J Hamon OAM
Charles Hardman and Julianne Bambacas
Carol Hay
Dr Jennifer Henry
Graham Hogarth
Rod Home
Lyndon Horsburgh
Katherine Horwood
Tony Howe
Lindsay and Michael Jacombs
John Jones
Pauline and David Lawton
Robyn and Maurice Lichter
Christopher Menz and Peter Rose
Cameron Mowat
Laurence O’Keefe and Christopher James
David Orr
Matthew O’Sullivan
Rosia Pasteur
Penny Rawlins
Margaret Riches
Anne Roussac-Hoyne and Neil Roussac
Michael Ryan and Wendy Mead
Anne Kieni Serpell and Andrew Serpell
Jennifer Shepherd
Suzette Sherazee
Professors Gabriela and George Stephenson
Pamela Swansson
Tam Vu and Dr Cherilyn Tillman
Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher
Peter and the late Elizabeth Turner
Michael Ullmer AO
The Hon Rosemary Varty
Francis Vergona
Terry Wills Cooke OAM and the late Marian Wills Cooke
Mark Young
Anonymous (23)
The MSO gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Estates:
Norma Ruth Atwell
Angela Beagley
Barbara Bobbe
Michael Francois Boyt
Christine Mary Bridgart
Margaret Anne Brien
Ken Bullen
Deidre and Malcolm Carkeek
The Cuming Bequest
Margaret Davies
Blair Doig Dixon
Neilma Gantner
Angela Felicity Glover
The Hon Dr Alan Goldberg AO QC
Derek John Grantham
Delina Victoria Schembri-Hardy
Enid Florence Hookey
Gwen Hunt
Family and Friends of James Jacoby
Audrey Jenkins
Joan Jones
Pauline Marie Johnston
Christine Mary Kellam
C P Kemp
Jennifer Selina Laurent
Sylvia Rose Lavelle
Peter Forbes MacLaren
Joan Winsome Maslen
Lorraine Maxine Meldrum
Prof Andrew McCredie
Jean Moore
Joan P Robinson
Maxwell and Jill Schultz
Miss Sheila Scotter AM MBE
Marion A I H M Spence
Molly Stephens
Gwennyth St John
Halinka Tarczynska-Fiddian
Jennifer May Teague
Elisabeth Turner
Albert Henry Ullin
Jean Tweedie
Herta and Fred B Vogel
Dorothy Wood
Joyce Winsome Woodroffe
COMMISSIONING
CIRCLE
Cecilie Hall and the late Hon Michael Watt KC
Tim and Lyn Edward
Weis Family
FIRST NATIONS CIRCLE
John and Lorraine Bates
Equity Trustees
Colin Golvan AM KC and Dr Deborah Golvan
Maestro Jaime Martín
Elizabeth Proust AO and Brian Lawrence
Guy Ross
The Sage Foundation
Michael Ullmer AO and Jenny Ullmer
ADOPT A MUSICIAN
Margaret Billson and the late Ted Billson
Peter Edwards
Shane Buggle and Rosie Callanan
Roger Young
Andrew Dudgeon AM
Rohan de Korte, Philippa West
Tim and Lyn Edward
John Arcaro
Dr John and Diana Frew
Rosie Turner
Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser
Stephen Newton
Dr Mary-Jane Gething AO
Monica Curro
The Gross Foundation
Matthew Tomkins
Dr Clem Gruen and Dr Rhyl Wade
Robert Cossom
Jean Hadges
Prudence Davis
Cecilie Hall and the late Hon Michael Watt KC
Saul Lewis
The Hanlon Foundation
Abbey Edlin
David Horowicz
Anne Marie Johnson
Dr Harry Imber
Sarah Curro, Jack Schiller
Margaret Jackson AC
Nicolas Fleury
Di Jameson OAM and Frank Mercurio
Elina Fashki, Benjamin Hanlon,
Tair Khisambeev, Christopher Moore
Peter T Kempen AM
Rebecca Proietto
Rosemary and the late Douglas Meagher
Craig Hill
Professor Gary McPherson
Rachel Shaw
Anne Neil
Eleanor Mancini
Newton Family in memory of Rae Rothfield
Cong Gu
Patricia Nilsson
Natasha Thomas
Andrew and Judy Rogers
Michelle Wood
Glenn Sedgwick
Tiffany Cheng, Shane Hooton
Anonymous
Rachael Tobin
HONORARY APPOINTMENTS
Life Members
John Gandel AC and Pauline Gandel AC
Jean Hadges
Sir Elton John CBE
Lady Primrose Potter AC CMRI
Jeanne Pratt AC
Michael Ullmer AO and Jenny Ullmer
MSO Ambassador
Geoffrey Rush AC
The MSO honours the memory of Life Members
The late Marc Besen AC and the late Eva Besen AO
John Brockman OAM
The Honourable Alan Goldberg AO QC
Harold Mitchell AC
Roger Riordan AM
Ila Vanrenen
MSO
BOARD
Chairman
David Li AM
Co-Deputy Chairs
Margaret Jackson AC
Di Jameson OAM
Managing Director
Sophie Galaise
Board Directors
Shane Buggle
Andrew Dudgeon AM
Martin Foley
Lorraine Hook
Gary McPherson
Farrel Meltzer
Edgar Myer
Glenn Sedgwick
Mary Waldron
Company Secretary
Demetrio Zema
MSO ARTISTIC FAMILY
Jaime Martín
Chief Conductor
Benjamin Northey
Principal Conductor
Artistic Advisor – Learning and Engagement
Leonard Weiss CF
Cybec Assistant Conductor
Sir Andrew Davis CBE †
Conductor Laureate (2013–2024)
Hiroyuki Iwaki †
Conductor Laureate (1974–2006)
Warren Trevelyan-Jones
MSO Chorus Director
Erin Helyard
Artist in Residence
Karen Kyriakou
Artist in Residence, Learning and Engagement
Christian Li
Young Artist in Association
Katy Abbott
Composer in Residence
Naomi Dodd
Cybec Young Composer in Residence
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO
First Nations Creative Chair
Xian Zhang
East meets West Ambassador
Artistic Ambassadors
Tan Dun
Lu Siqing
The MSO relies on your ongoing philanthropic support to sustain our artists, and support access, education, community engagement and more. We invite our supporters to get close to the MSO through a range of special events.
The MSO welcomes your support at any level. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible, and supporters are recognised as follows:
$500+ (Overture)
$1,000+ (Player)
$2,500+ (Associate)
$5,000+ (Principal)
$10,000+ (Maestro)
$20,000+ (Impresario)
$50,000+ (Virtuoso)
$100,000+ (Platinum)
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
Thank you to our Partners
PREMIER PARTNER
MAJOR PARTNERS
VENUE PARTNER
INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM PARTNER
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
EDUCATION PARTNERS
ORCHESTRAL TRAINING PARTNER
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Quest Southbank Ernst & Young
MEDIA AND BROADCAST PARTNERS
TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
Flora & Frank Leith Trust, Sidney Myer MSO Trust Fund
