Queensland Symphony Orchestra announces free 75th birthday concert
Friday 19 August in the Concert Hall – Tickets available from Tuesday 19 July from 10am
For 75 years Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) has shared the power and joy of music with Queenslanders from Townsville to Toowoomba and the Tweed, Gladstone to the Gold Coast, and Cairns to Cunnamulla, performing in town halls, on open air stages by the sea, in dusty main streets of the outback, school classrooms, remote communities and of course, in its home on stage at the Concert Hall at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC).
To celebrate this incredible milestone, QSO will do what they do best – stage a major concert event, and this time it’s free! QSO’s 75th Birthday Concert will be held on Friday 19 August in the Concert Hall at 7.30pm. This special performance is presented in association with QPAC and supported by Brisbane City Council.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch invites Queenslanders to join Queensland Symphony Orchestra for this free anniversary concert. “Queensland Symphony Orchestra has a long and proud record of enriching our lives through music,” Minister Enoch said. “This concert will be an exciting gift from Queensland Symphony Orchestra, presented to audiences as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, and I encourage Queenslanders to embrace this opportunity to experience some musical magic performed by our world-class orchestra.
“The Queensland Government is proud of our ongoing investment in the company which helps Queensland Symphony Orchestra bring communities together through outstanding concerts, tours and memorable musical experiences,” the Minister said.
The concert will celebrate the history and the future of Queensland’s state orchestra, and will feature guest artists, interviews with musicians and historical imagery. A major highlight will be the wide range of music showcasing the Orchestra’s famed signature style of playing, from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake finale to Australian composer Sean O’Boyle’s Concerto for Didgeridoo performed by acclaimed First Nations didgeridoo player Chris Williams, all under the baton of conductor Guy Noble.
In addition, Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser Johannes Fritzsch will lead a performance from QSO’s 2022 Young Instrumentalist prize winner, percussionist Chantel Chen, and will conduct Respighi’s mighty Pines of Rome: one of the greatest orchestral showpieces in the repertoire.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Queensland Symphony Orchestra debuted in Brisbane 75 years ago and it was fitting to mark the anniversary with a local audience. “Whether it’s performing classic renditions or scores to films, Brisbane residents of all ages and interests have been enriched by the magic of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra,” Cr Schrinner said. “Brisbane City Council is proud to support the Queensland Symphony Orchestra to celebrate this incredible milestone.”
Tickets to the free concert are available from 10am TODAY Tuesday 19 July at qso.com.au and are expected to reach capacity quickly.
IMAGERY HERE:
**In the image file is a shot of 3 QSO musicians marking 75 years: Ken Poggioli (Double Bass) who started in 1985, Nicolas Thomson (Principal Bass Trombone) who was appointed in December 2021 and the newest QSO member, Mia Stanton (Violin) who was appointed in June 2022.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s 75th Birthday Concert
Presented in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre and supported by Brisbane City Council
Friday 19 August at 7.30pm in the QPAC Concert Hall – Tickets at qso.com.au
CONDUCTORS Guy Noble & Johannes Fritzsch
PROGRAM
O’BOYLE Concerto for Didgeridoo mvt. 4 Fire
BERLIOZ Hungarian March (Rákóczy March), from La damnation de Faust (The Damnation of Faust)
YOUNG Fanfare for the Seventy-fifth Birthday of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
TCHAIKOVSKY Finale Act IV from Swan Lake, Op.20 No.29 Finale
ABE Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra (excerpt)
RESPIGHI Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome), P.141
75 years of Queensland Symphony Orchestra
On 26 March 1947, the 45-member Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) performed its debut concert to 2,500 music enthusiasts in Brisbane City Hall under the baton of guest conductor Percy Code. This defining moment marked a new era of music making in Queensland.
The program
performed at that historic concert in City Hall 75 years ago was Wagner’s Overture to Tannhaüser, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Berlioz’s Danse des Sylphes and Hungarian March, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 (Pathetique). Today, the Orchestra performs not only the great classical masterpieces, it commissions and premieres work from Australian composers, revels in performing modern music from the stage and screen, regularly showcases hits from Harry Potter movies to the David Bowie canon and collaborates with beat boxers and story tellers from across the country and across the globe.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra was founded by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Queensland State Government and Brisbane City Council and in its first year performed 31 concerts. In the second, QSO inaugurated the longest land-based annual concert tour in the world at that time. The company has always believed in sharing the power of music.
Music is a result of collaboration, and QSO has always been a magnet for international artists. In 1949, the Orchestra welcomed Rafael Kubelik, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Otto Klemperer. The appeal has never waned over 75 years with names like Lang Lang, Maxim Vengerov, and Paul Lewis all making the trip to Australia to play in recent years and home-grown superstars including conductor Simone Young, pianist Piers Lane, violinist Ray Chen, and didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton similarly welcoming the invitation.
Over 75 years QSO has grown to become Queensland’s largest performing arts organisation, home to 74 world-class musicians with a management and executive team. This group of people create and deliver unique musical experiences across our huge state, ensuring all Queenslanders can experience the power of live music.
In 2022, the Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser is the one and only Johannes Fritzsch, with Umberto Clerici just announced as Chief Conductor Designate for 2023 and beyond. Maestro Clerici joins a rollcall of extraordinary conductors who have led QSO over 75 years including John Farnsworth Hall, Rudolf Pekarek, Stanford Robinson, Ezra Rachlin, Patrick Thomas, Vanco Cavdarski, Werner Andreas Albert, Muhai Tang, Michael Christie, Johannes Fritzsch, and Alondra de la Parra.
QSO has its musical eyes firmly set on the future. The company continues to break new ground with digital connections and delivery platforms, touring and education is ensuring the music-makers of tomorrow are nurtured, and the Health and Wellbeing Program is working across both corporate and community sectors to unlock the power of music for the benefit of all.
This is an orchestra that is powered by music and inspired by the state it calls home.
For Queensland Symphony Orchestra
