As Victoria reopens, musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) are reuniting with regional audiences in a series of uplifting and inspiring live concerts.
An Evening with the MSO will be performed in Warrnambool, Hamilton, Horsham and Mallacoota, while Handel’s Messiah takes to the stage in Warragul, and via livestream to Bendigo.
Managing Director Sophie Galaise said it was wonderful that MSO will be able to reconnect with regional audiences and resume our annual activity after the extended lockdowns.
“We are also very excited to be performing in Mallacoota for the first time having initially scheduled this activity after the Black Summer bushfires in 2020,” said Galaise.
In Warrnambool, Hamilton and Horsham, three memorable evenings of classical masterpieces will feature Vivaldi’s adrenaline-charged virtuosity, The Four Seasons and Dvorák’s charming Serenade for Strings, which will delight with its soaring and lively melodies.
Fabian Russell will conduct these performances, which showcase four brilliant soloists from the MSO’s strings section – Tair Khisambeev, Kirstin Kenny, Freya Franzen and Tiffany Cheng.
The following week, the Mallacoota Golf and Country Club will host a special free event. Originally planned to raise awareness of the incredible work done by Mallacoota Wildlife Shelter immediately after the bushfires, COVID restrictions have delayed the concert until now.
MSO Cybec Assistant Conductor, Nicholas Bochner will conduct a stunning selection of beloved works specially arranged for chamber orchestra. Evoking the beauty and fragility within our natural world, the concert will begin with Beethoven’s Symphony No.6, affectionately known as the Pastoral Symphony.
The concert will also feature arrangements from great operas such as the Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and the Flower Duet from Delibes’ Lakme, before concluding with Ravel’s masterful Boléro.
Making the most of their visit to Mallacoota, members of the MSO will deliver workshops to students at Mallacoota College and perform a free lunchtime concert at Mallacoota District Health and Support Service.
Students at Mallacoota Primary and Kindergarten, along with Horsham and Hamilton, will also benefit from the online delivery of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, a fun and interactive education tool for primary school students.
The MSO will perform Handel’s Messiah at the West Gippsland Arts Centre in Warragul on Monday 13 December, also rescheduled from June this year.
Led by conductor Graham Abbott, the performance will feature soloists Samantha Clarke (soprano), Sally-Anne Russell (mezzo), Samuel Sakker (tenor) and Pelham Andrews (bass) and the MSO Chorus.
The MSO is delighted to announce a livestream of Handel’s Messiah concert on Saturday 11 December from Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall to the City of Bendigo as a free community event to celebrate the newly installed outdoor screen in the central pedestrian zone.
The MSO will provide pre-show engagement teaching members of the audience to sing the Hallelujah chorus so they can join in across the concert.
For more information about Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s concerts across regional Victoria, visit: www.mso.com.au for details.
Image: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (supplied)