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Meet the Australian composers behind the masterpieces of the future

12 September 2024

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s Australian Composers’ School is a unique opportunity for composers embarking on professional careers to develop their orchestral composition skills with one of Australia’s foremost symphony orchestras.

Read on to meet the four composers undertaking the 2024–2026 program.

Naomi Dodd

Emotional connection with listeners through sensitive, passionate and inspired music is at the heart of Naomi Dodd’s compositional practice.

Her place in the Australian composition world is rapidly being established, with works having been commissioned by leading ensembles around the country.

In 2024, Naomi holds the position of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Young Composer in Residence for which she is writing 3 new works to be premiered by MSO this year.

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?

To be able to work with an orchestra once is a rare opportunity, but to do so over 2 years in such detail and under such masterful mentorship is absolute gold! An invaluable opportunity! As a composer, the orchestra is like a box of artisan chocolates: each instrument with its own delicious and unique quality and timbre. To be able to bring them together in my music to create such a glorious and rich sound is such a privilege.

How did you first find your way into music composition?

As a child I loved to make up songs on the piano and flute. A family friend once recorded them for me so I could gift the album to my parents as a Christmas present! This natural inclination was then nurtured by incredibly passionate and dedicated music teachers who taught me so much and encouraged me to pursue composition in later high school and university. I have realised that writing music has always been something that has come naturally to me, ever since I was a small child. Music is how I express myself and connect with others.

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?

I am a composer. I seek to write passionate and emotive music which connects with listeners. I am often inspired by experiences from life, whether that’s natural experiences in the ocean or the mountains, or reflections on more personal experiences.

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?

Joyful. Thankful. I pour so much emotion, time, energy, and passion into these works so to hear them lifted off the page and brought to life is a very surreal experience, almost like a release.

Joseph Franklin

Joseph Franklin, a composer and bassist from Gunaikurnai country in regional Australia, splits his time between Philadelphia and Melbourne.

His innovative work blends notated and improvised music, spanning experimental, sound art, and instrument design.

Franklin has composed for major ensembles, performed internationally, and received notable awards including a Marten Bequest Fellowship and a 2020 Art Music Award. His debut solo album, a thousand tiny mutinies, was released in 2024.

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?

The last week in Hobart has shown me just how vital and rare it is to be able to workshop and perform orchestral music, in a supportive and open environment. The mentorship from Matthew and Maria has been so helpful — from the notes on the page, right through to the most effective ways to communicate ideas during rehearsal.

How did you first find your way into music composition?

I was a working as a performing musician and was hit with a very severe case of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), which took about three years to overcome. I was living in Istanbul at the time and it was there that I decided to enrol in a composition degree at Sydney University. It was a deep feeling that has been with me since childhood while listening to dubbed recordings from Marsalis to Mozart.

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?

Depends on who I’m talking to! For example, if it’s the working class community where I grew up, I might say that I compose for orchestra. If I’m talking to colleagues, I might say something about how the various rhythmic, textural and harmonic processes that I'm interested in… if they are still listening, I might go into the specific concepts, or the philosophical and social underpinnings of my practice.

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?

Very surprised and relieved!! The first few bars sounded incredible!! I wasn’t sure that the opening of the first of my works was even going to work…

Fiona Hill

Fiona Hill is a multi-award-winning composer known for her work in electro-acoustics, orchestral and chamber music, film, dance, theatre, and immersive sound.

Praised for her "striking timbral exploration" and "seamless live electronics" (Music Trust, Sydney Arts Guide), her compositions merge new technologies with organic elements to create immersive soundscapes.

In 2022, she won the International Stelvio Cipriani Composition Competition and was nominated for the APRA AMCOS Art Music Award.

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?

The Australian Composers' School is a unique opportunity to experiment and try out my ideas with an incredibly supportive team of mentors and orchestral players. To have a whole week to be in the room listening to the orchestra, absorbing the sound and asking every question I've ever wondered about an orchestra, is the most valuable experience a composer can have. Getting to develop those composing skills over two years makes the whole experience even more integral to building my orchestral composing 'chops'.

How did you first find your way into music composition?

I first started composing through playing as a dance accompanist whilst still a teenager in my Mum's ballet studio. As my career developed, I loved playing for open ballet classes at Sydney Dance Company where I got to improvise on the spot to complement the choreography and support the dancers movement. This developed into a desire to compose from a connection with my compositional voice in the art music space, but also through a collaborative based practice with choreographers and directors.

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?

This is a complex question to answer as I'm genuinely excited by all genres of music. The most rewarding thing for me is connection and collaboration, so the music can take whatever form suits the project best. That could be a lush string melody, spatialised electronic music, or an epic film score. I'm also really interested in incorporating spoken word into my music, a type of musical 'documentary', like my piece Imago which explores the history of forced adoption using a collection of transcripts. I spend a lot of time considering our connection with the planet and am always seeking new ways to bring that embodied experience into my music.

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?

At first it was very overwhelming. Suddenly hearing the dots on the page come to life with that many musicians, it was difficult to know what to listen for. As the week has progressed it's been really interesting to observe the change in my ability to hear the orchestra as a whole and communicate my intentions. To actually work with the sound and players in the room, rather than an abstract series of squiggles on the page.

Ben Robinson

Ben Robinson writes music that is equal parts thrilling, playful, reflective and chaotic.

From solo instruments to full orchestras, he uses driving rhythms and vibrant colours to draw people in, while introducing new and surprising sounds along the way.

What does the Australian Composers’ School opportunity mean to you?

Meeting and working with everyone both on and off the stage means so much to me. It’s wonderful to be collaborating with the fantastic artistic and management teams to realise a shared vision. It takes a lot of time, effort and talent to pull together a program like this, and I feel extremely grateful to be a part of it.

How did you first find your way into music composition?

I grew up learning classical piano, and often found myself improvising as a relief from the structured nature of solo practice. Once I began notating and developing these improvisations, I had started my compositional journey before I realised. Improvisation is still an important part of my creative and compositional process.

How would you describe your creative practice to someone you’re meeting for the first time?

I write music that is equal parts thrilling, playful, reflective and chaotic. From solo instruments to full orchestras, I love using exciting rhythms and vibrant colours to draw people in, while introducing new and surprising sounds along the way.

How did you feel when you heard the TSO play the first few bars of your first piece this week?

From the first note that the TSO played this week, I could tell that my music was in very safe hands. It’s so important for the composer, conductor and musicians to trust each other, and it has been easy to trust the TSO to bring these works to life.

Find out more about the Australian Composers’ School here, and signup to our newsletter below to hear about upcoming opportunities.

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Grammy award-winning opera superstar Joyce DiDonato to make her Australasian debut with the TSO

6 September 2024

The incomparable Joyce DiDonato will be performing in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 2025 and the first stop of the tour will be in Hobart with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

With multiple Grammy Awards and an Olivier Award, DiDonato has been described as ‘perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation’ by The New Yorker.

In great news for locals and visitors to Tasmania, DiDonato will kick off her long-awaited tour of Australia and New Zealand with a performance with the TSO in Hobart on 15 November 2025.

DiDonato says she is delighted to be finally heading down under and starting her tour in Australia’s southern-most state.

'What a JOY it is for me to be invited to Tasmania - a destination my mind still can’t quite comprehend! Over the years I have received the most wonderful notes and letters of support from fans in Australia and New Zealand, and I’ve always said, “I will do my best to come to you one day”. How wonderful to know that day is just around the corner!’ DiDonato says.

Tickets will open exclusively to TSO subscribers on 8 September 2024. General pre-sale tickets will open in October. Sign-up to access the pre-sale here.

In her Australian premiere, DiDonato will perform Berlioz's Les Nuits d’été, a song cycle consisting of six songs set to the poetry of Théophile Gautier.

The TSO’s chief executive officer Caroline Sharpen says the orchestra is thrilled to be joining forces with one of the major stars of The Metropolitan Opera in New York.

‘With groundbreaking, industry-leading projects, DiDonato's artistry has redefined the role of a singer in the 21st century, and we are thrilled to be bringing her talents to Tasmania,’ Ms Sharpen says.

With a voice described as ‘nothing less than 24-carat gold’ by The Times, DiDonato is not only a world-renowned performer and producer, but a powerful advocate for the arts and music education.

Her gala concert at Hobart’s Federation Concert Hall will be conducted by TSO’s Chief Eivind Aadland, and include Strauss’ Overture to Die Fledermaus, and Beethoven’s exhilarating seventh symphony.

Tickets to Joyce DiDonato’s Australian premiere in Hobart will open to TSO subscribers on 8 September 2024. General pre-sale tickets will open in October 2024.

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Musical Storytelling: Karen Gomyo on Dvořák’s Violin Concerto

19 August 2024. Written by Hugh Robertson, Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Republished with author's permission. See original here.

Karen Gomyo is on a mission to restore Dvořák’s Violin Concerto to its rightful place in the upper echelon of the repertoire.

The Canadian violinist makes her long-awaited return to Nipaluna / Hobart and Sydney in August and September to perform this exquisite masterpiece, one that she feels has been unfairly overlooked when we think not only of the great violin concertos, but also Dvořák’s best works.

"This piece was neglected," says Gomyo from Berlin, on a recent (and rare) day at home in the midst of a busy touring schedule. "It isn’t like the Mendelssohn or Tchaikovsky concertos where you know that you will see it every season, performed all over the world. But I think Dvořák has really come back as one of the true staples of the violin repertoire. And I think it deserves that place, so I'm glad to see that it’s now being programmed a lot more regularly done than it was, I think, in the last one or two decades."

For Gomyo, the connection is personal intensely, and reaches back to when she was a child and first took up the violin.

"I chose the violin because I saw a concert by the violinist Midori, who came through Montreal when she was 14 and I was five, and I was just absolutely blown away by everything that that she was. I still remember that that performance, and it really left a deep impression on me. And I think there was really no doubt that I loved music. So, yeah, it started at a very early age for me.

"And actually the first time I heard the Dvořák Violin Concerto was the Midori recording, which she made when she was 18 or 19 or something. That was my introduction to the Dvořák, and I really loved it.

"So, it was one of the first concertos I learned once I got to Juilliard. I think I may have been about 11 or so, and I think I played my student recital with that piece. It has always been one of my favourites. And I think now that people are becoming more familiar with it, they realise what a masterpiece is."

Throughout our conversation Gomyo returns again and again to the idea of a piece of music having a story, and her role as a musician is to tell that story to the audience – a tall order when you don’t have any words to help describe what is going on! But she suggests that this process has become second nature to her as a result of starting her performing career while still so young, and needing to find a way into the music that she could relate to as a child.

"I have always come from a place of storytelling," she says. "That's how, as a younger violinist, I related to whatever music I was playing – I would literally come up with a storyline; I worked very much with imagery.

"That approach is still in me, even though, unlike when I was a child, I don't actually write out a storybook to go with the music. But there’s always an emotional narrative, and that’s what I’m most interested in in any music. And I think that’s what everybody connects to, no matter what background you come from, no matter what culture you come from. I think when we say “music is a universal language”, I think this is what we’re talking about – it’s actually the emotionality, the connection that that everybody can recognise is the emotional components in the music.

"I do have my own memories of playing this piece as a child and how this piece made me feel and what images I had as a kid. As I’m playing I’m not bound to one particular story, but I think within the context of these larger emotional narratives, in any given moment I’ll explore this emotional journey that I’ve drawn for myself.

"It’s not that I follow a strict path, but there's a general direction that I've set for myself, and, and that's where I'll enter."

Gomyo won’t reveal the images or story that she has written for herself about this work, but she does share that her connection to this concerto is grounded in something she and Dvořák share: a deep love of nature.

"He loved the countryside," says Gomyo. "He loved nature. And I think you can hear that in this music. I'm also a nature lover. So I think that’s part of why this music always spoke to me.

"For example, in the second movement, you almost hear the interaction between what you might find in the forest – whether it’s a bird somewhere, and then you hear, like, the horns and the distance, representing this kind of feeling of being somewhere deep in nature, deep in a forest somewhere.

"When you walk through a forest, when you really pay attention, there is so much that one can feel. Whether it’s something that you can hear, whether it's the breeze against your skin, whether it's birdsong, whether it's reflective thoughts that are inspired by what your surroundings.

"It’s hard to describe in words, but this is what this piece evokes in me. It’s almost a universal feeling of warmth or love. You can really feel Dvořák’s love for his own culture, and the countryside that he talked about missing so much when he was away from his homeland.

"These are the elements that I try to evoke, hopefully a lot more eloquently than how I just described it,’ says Gomyo with a laugh. ‘I always find it so difficult to describe music – and this is why we're musicians! Because we evoke something that is generally very difficult to describe in words."

Having said that, Gomyo is in fact very eloquent when describing this work – perhaps especially this work. And her love for the piece shines through when asked to describe the work for someone who has never heard it before.

"The first movement is very dramatic," she says. "It's very passionate and it starts with kind of this triumphant orchestral opening followed by a virtuosic violin solo intro. Then the last movement is full of these traditional dance-like elements. And I think because the theme of the third movement is so repetitive, it's actually something that’s very…I don't like the word ‘accessible’, but even for somebody who listens to it for the first time, I think they can end up humming that theme by the end of the last movement.

"It’s just so catchy, and wonderfully exciting to listen to."

See Karen Gomyo when she performs with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra in coming weeks.

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Caroline Sharpen on her OAM and guiding the TSO into a new era

28 June 2024. Written by Stephanie Eslake.

When I congratulate Caroline Sharpen on her Medal of the Order of Australia, she is quick to reply that her success belongs not only to herself, but to those who work alongside her in the Australian arts industry.

From the virtuosic musicians on stage to the dedicated arts administrators behind it, Caroline says her colleagues at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra are part of “a giant ecosystem that is completely precious”.

Caroline received this royal acknowledgment of her “service to the performing arts through leadership roles” in the General Division of the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, which was announced this June. She says her position as CEO of the island’s major orchestra is “the best job in the world”, and it’s one she seems to embrace not for its status, but for its ability to help drive positive change and innovation from within.

“What we do in the performing arts – and that manifestation on stage – is the tip of a giant iceberg,” Caroline says.

“Underneath that is all of the work, all of the training, and all of the sacrifice and commitment that you make from a very young age.”

Caroline knows what it takes because she also trained as a professional musician, and started her post-graduate degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. It was in her first week of study that she realised she “wasn’t ever going to be one of those people that would walk out on stage” – so she chose to tread a different path, which would see her serve the arts community in a way she felt passionate about.

Her first step was volunteering with Musica Viva Australia, and it would eventually lead her to the role of Director of Business Development with the chamber music organisation.

Caroline then went on to build an impressive career that has seen her work as Director of the Australian National Academy of Music, Creative Partnerships Australia, Gondwana Choirs, and the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra; and Director of Development with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Working so closely with Australia’s top musicians for more than two decades, including through her own consultancy business, Caroline gained rare insight into what it takes for an arts organisation to support its talent – and “the things that need to be different”.

“To be so close to professional artists at the absolute peak of their career – and just knowing what it takes to walk out on stage, week after week, with a new program under your fingers – it’s nothing but profound respect, and wanting to make the environment around them as conducive, harmonious, and inspiring as possible.”

Caroline became TSO CEO in 2019, and almost immediately faced the onset of the pandemic – arguably the biggest challenge Australian arts organisations have faced in their histories. While the country went into survival mode, the orchestra found new ways of connecting with audiences despite the odds. It launched the TSO Daily Dose series of close to 200 videos, which were generated in house by the TSO team and achieved tens of thousands of views.

Soon, Caroline and the team would start thinking more about how to “enshrine change and adaptability, crystallise what Covid was teaching us, and make big decisions about the future of the company”. They worked on formulating a 10-year-plan, then realised they’d need to dig deeper if they were going to take the orchestra to the next level. They needed to come up with a new vocabulary – one that would help them define and articulate what their orchestra is really about. One that would ground them in their shared values. And who better to help pave the way than the members of the orchestra and their team?

“No CEO can walk into a company and announce what the values are going to be,” Caroline says.

“They’ve got to be deeply held, felt, embraced, embodied, and embedded by every person in the company – and you can’t do that unless you’ve had a role in creating them.”

After the TSO team discussed the question, “What does it mean to be an orchestra on this island, in this part of the world?”, a collective of five tutti musicians and five junior members of staff identified three main values for their own orchestra. These values would shape the future of “the decisions we make, the people we employ, the way we manage performance in the company”.

The three values are ‘artistry’, ‘integrity’, and ‘connection’. They reflect an intentional move away from the value of ‘excellence’ that traditionally underpins performing arts organisations.

“The dangerous thing about ‘excellence’ is that it’s often conflated with perfection – and when you’re striving for perfection, it makes you play small, and it makes you play safe,” Caroline shares.

“It’s ugly cousin is shame, so that wasn’t really a healthy dynamic we wanted to have at the heart and soul of the company. So we really interrogated that, and came up with ‘artistry’, and respect for everything that’s gone before us.”

In addition to listening to the needs of arts workers in the orchestra, Caroline is also enthusiastic about one of the TSO’s newest initiatives: an advisory group made up of kids aged 14-17 years old, who will meet with the orchestra and give opinions that could inform the way it connects to the local community.

“They know that music can have a profound effect on their mind, their motivation…and they use it as a way to connect with their friends.”

With the positive impact of music on children’s development, Caroline is excited for the orchestra to be doing some “genuinely heavy lifting for school music, education, literacy and numeracy, as well as the incredible cultural outputs that we will have as a result”. This also reflects the TSO’s goal for every child in Tasmania to experience their state orchestra by the time they reach grade three.

“Two years into the program, and already this year we’ve physically reached 7,500 kids,” Caroline says.

Next year, the TSO’s education team will launch new digital programs, adding to its already impressive collection of educational resources.

As Caroline returns to her office with the letters OAM after her name, she also embraces the news that her contract with the TSO has just been extended for another five years. In this time, she hopes the orchestra will continue to develop into a “thriving, amazing, precious jewel for all of Tasmania”.

“What I would hope to see when I come to the end of that next five-year term is a real sense of Tasmania as a place where incredible music, art, and creativity happen.”

“What I would hope to see when I come to the end of that next five-year term is a real sense of Tasmania as a place where incredible music, art, and creativity happen.”

Explore the full King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, and keep up to date with TSO news including more behind-the-scenes interviews with our team.

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What the TSO Education team has been up to in Term 1

18 Apr 2024. Written by Jack Machin, TSO Learning and Community Projects Manager.

It's been a busy start to 2024 for the TSO Education team as we hit the road for our inaugural Northern Residency, launched two new initiatives for schools, participated in the 35th Residential Summer String Camp, and celebrated Samuel Hooper as our 2024 Rising Star.

TSO in the North!

On Thursday 8 Feb, the TSO hit the road for our inaugural Northern Residency. It was a fantastic three days starting with sold out family concerts in Georgetown and a day of schools’ concerts, and another Family Concert, generously hosted by Scotch Oakburn College.

Actor Jane Longhurst, conductor Gary Wain and the TSO musicians explored the world of dance music and the concert concluded with a mosh pit of kids busting out their best moves – perhaps to overwrite the memory of their parents and grandparents attempting the Can Can!

On Saturday we welcomed local musicians to instrument workshops which culminated in a scratch orchestra rehearsal conducted by myself (Jack Machin) and a Brass Ensemble led by TSO Principal Trombone, David Robins. TSO Principal Piccolo and Tutti Flute, Lloyd Hudson, wrangled the biggest task of the day – preparing a ‘flutter’ (collective noun for flutes!) of ten young flute players in a masterclass while the building vibrated to the sounds of strings, clarinets, brass, percussion and a small but excellent posse of double bass enthusiasts.

Science and sound combine forces

Science and Sound is a new initiative for schools exploring high and low sounds, vibration, and resonance for students in Kindergarten to Year 4. We discover how the different instruments work and interweave this with several pieces suitable for young children.

Tim Jones (tuba) and Rachel Howie (flute) delivered 11 performances in schools across Greater Hobart, Orford and Triabunna. It was a way of engaging with almost 600 children in their natural habitat and this nimble module is a key strategic arm of performing live to every Tasmanian child.

If you would like any more information about having the TSO perform in your school, please contact schoolbookings@tso.com.au.

📸 Paul Costin for LYCO Launceston Youth & Community Orchestra Inc.

TSO heads to String Camp!

The 35th Residential Summer String Camp was held in Ulverstone in the second week of Jan. TSO musicians Emma McGrath, Yue-Hong Cha, Will Newbery, Jonathan Bekes and Matt McGrath were in attendance and worked with 180 musicians of all ages, spread across three large groups.

The camp is an important annual fixture for string players across the state, attracting mentors from as far as the USA. Camp Director and Founder Margaret Hoban said “we are so grateful for the support of the TSO in our activity – we could not do what we do to the level that we do without you!”

What a brilliant week; we can't wait to be back in future years.

Paul Costin for LYCO Launceston Youth & Community Orchestra Inc.

And the 2024 Rising Star is... Samuel Hooper ⭐️

On March 25, TSO had the pleasure of adjudicating the 2024 Rising Star competition. The candidature this year was outstanding, and all performers did themselves and their teachers proud.

The winner announced on 4th April, was a young violinist 14-year-old Samuel Hooper who displayed incredible virtuosity, maturity well beyond his years and a level of musicianship seldom witnessed in one so young.

His performance of Sarasate’s Caprice Basque had the panel absolutely captivated from the first note to the last. You can hear him perform with the TSO on Saturday 17 Aug at the Big Rehearsal (information coming soon).

Student conductors take to the stage

The brainchild of Eivind Aadland, TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, 2024 has seen students from the Hutchins School participating in the TSO’s first school-based conducting program this year.

Under the expert teaching of Will Newbury, TSO violist and local conductor, the lucky boys have already learned the basics and been treated to sitting in on a rehearsal where they had a short masterclass with Eivind.

See our education program and resources, or get in touch with Jack Machin from the TSO Education team at machinj@tso.com.au

The TSO is proud to reach students and music lovers all across the state. Please consider supporting our community and schools programs to help us increase our reach far and wide.

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Meet the Musicians: Andrew Seymour

16 Apr 2024

Meet Andrew Seymour, TSO Principal Clarinet and 2024 Season Soloist, as he talks about the process of bringing new composition Fire Music to life on stage at the recent 6pm Series concert.

**TSO: How are you feeling post performance of Fire Music, a couple of weeks on?**

AS: Oh there’s many feelings that come after a performance like that but I guess looking back now I feel pleased that we were able to create something that really resonated with the audience. Which was always the intention of the music - through the story and the emotion in the music to create that connection. I’ve been told of so many emotional responses to the music which really means a lot to me to hear that people felt these deep emotions through the music.

TSO: How did you feel on the night on the performance?

AS: To be honest I actually felt pretty great! I was just really excited to finally get to perform what I think is such an incredible piece. I actually don't even recall any real nerves, the preparation and rehearsals had been excellent so I was able to enjoy the whole experience.

TSO: Has there been a particular bit of feedback that stood out to you from your performance?

AS: I think everyone who has has spoken about having a personal experience of bushfire, hearing those stories and those responses to the music is really meaningful.

TSO: What story or feelings does this piece evoke for you personally?

AS: I find the narrative of the entire piece to be really powerful, whilst it is specifically about fire, there is also an underlying universality to it that speaks to human suffering or tragedy. But what I love is that the piece brings us through that moment of desolation to renewal, where there is hope and rejuvenation, finishing with an uplifting and joyous feeling.

**TSO: Do you have a favourite section or moment in Fire Music? If so, what makes it stand out to you?**

AS: Oh it’s hard to choose just one! When the clarinet enters in the 2nd movement (Fire) with energetic flourishes and high note screams like the bushfire is starting to roar out of control. Or the climax of the 3rd movement (Desolation) where the clarinet is playing at the top of the register letting out all of the emotion that has built up through the piece.

TSO: What were some of the most challenging aspects of bringing this piece to life? Conversely, what aspects did you find most rewarding?

AS: There are quite a number of technical challenges in the piece that took significant work to learn and achieve a result I was happy with. One passage in the 2nd movement where the clarinet plays an extended series of fast, short articulated notes with large intervals was particularly challenging, then the music changes key from D minor to D# minor which makes the fingerings much more complicated!

Another big challenge in the piece is stamina, all the playing in the extreme high register of the clarinet is really taxing on the embouchure and there are some very long passages where Jabra has basically given me nowhere to breathe! Then there's that extremely long held high note in the 3rd movement – so many people afterwards commented that they couldn't believe how long I sustained that note! I did experiment with circular breathing for that note but in the end decided against it and just planned some breathing strategies to get me through it. I do get huge reward out of overcoming those challenges and then seeing the piece come together as a whole.

TSO: Going back to the start of where Fire Music came from - how does the collaboration process work with you and Jabra?

AS: Well Jabra composes and I figure out how on earth I'm going to play the ridiculously difficult things he has written!! No, I think actually there is a lot of trust between us, I trust Jabra's vision for the piece – that he doesn't just write difficult music without reason but there is a lot of time and thought and musical intention in everything he writes. And I think Jabra trusts me as a musician and performer to interpret his writing and bring to life his musical intentions. I try not to go back to Jabra with problems saying that this or that doesn't technically work on the instrument but I prefer to work out those difficulties and find a solution that captures the musical meaning.

TSO: Is there anything else you and Jabra are working on that we can look forward to?

AS: We recently recorded Fire Music in a version for Clarinet and String Quartet. We're working on some final edits on this recording so it should be ready for release very soon! We've got the album of Music for Clarinet & Piano which was released last year and I'm taking Fire Music in this version to the international Clarinet Festival later this year. Hopefully this will see Jabra's music picked up and performed by other clarinetists all over the world.

TSO: Which 3 concerts in Season 2024 would you put in your Create Your Own bundle?

AS: The next 6pm concert [Olivia Chindamo] looks to be a cracker, with Bernstein, Gershwin and I'm particularly excited to play Joe Chindamo's piece – Fantaskatto. Joe's music is colourful, energetic and very accessible.

Karin Schaupp: Scheherazade is such a great piece that only comes up occasionally for the TSO and the Guitar Concerto is again something we don't often hear live.

Beethoven’s Fifth with Mahler's Rückert Lieder with Soprano Camilla Tilling will be just beautiful.

Create Your Own package of 2024 favourites here!

See Andrew playing the clarinet at an upcoming TSO concert in Federation Concert Hall or around the state.

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Meet the Musicians: Julian Leslie

16 Apr 2024

Meet Julian Leslie, TSO Horn player, as he talks about mentors, developing his sound concept, and the delicate balance of great frustration and immense joy the horn brings to his life.

1. You joined the orchestra just over a year ago in early 2023, what was it that most attracted you to the TSO and living in Tasmania?

I always pictured Tasmania as a place I would like to live. I enjoy cooler climates, and value having such easy access to so much beautiful nature. I also appreciate smaller cities like Hobart that offer plenty of good food and culture, but that allow for a more relaxed pace of life. The opportunity to have all of that and a full-time orchestral job in such a high-level ensemble is pretty special, and quite unique in Australia.

2. What influences inspire you in your life and music?

My first long term teacher, Campbell Barnes, could produce the most beautiful tone on the horn, and I think this really influenced my own sound concept. All my horn teachers throughout my professional training have given me invaluable lessons and inspiration, not only in terms of making music and honing my skills on the horn, but also in terms of life skills like confidence and perseverance. The same can easily be said of so many of my friends and colleagues.

3. What first attracted you to the horn, and how has your relationship with the instrument changed over the years?

When I was almost 9 years old, I was apparently interested in brass instruments. I think this was partly to do with having some neighbourhood friends who were learning trumpet...though they told me I couldn't play trumpet because they did! So, my parents took me to a local brass teacher, and I got to hear and try the different instruments – I liked the sound of the horn when the teacher demonstrated it, and am told I could get a decent sound out of it myself. At that stage I was too small to hold it properly, but gradually grew into it, and music and playing the horn have been a constant in my life since then.

Over the years, the horn has directly and indirectly influenced just about all parts of my life, from the friends I have made, and meeting my wife, to the places I have visited and lived around the world. Through playing horn I have experienced both great frustration and intense joy and learned many valuable life lessons.

4. Can you share a work or song that really fires you up when you hear it!

The opening to the Finale of Bruckner's 8th Symphony.

5. Which 3 concerts in Season 2024 would you put in your Create Your Own bundle?

Being a horn player, I would definitely include Bruckner's Fourth Symphony (Nobuyuki Tsujii).

The Video Game music concert should also be a good one – some works will definitely be nostalgic for me, but there are some really great compositions in the video game world, which can certainly be enjoyed by non-gamers.

I would also include the Beethoven's Fifth concert – Beethoven 5 is of course great, but mainly because Mahler's Rückert Lieder will be sublime.

Create Your Own package of 2024 favourites here!

6. What do you want to tell all first-time concert goers?

Leave all your daily concerns at the door, as well as any expectations or preconceptions for the concert, and simply be open to an experience.

Julian Leslie performing at Live Sessions in New Norfolk, 2023.

See Julian playing the horn at an upcoming TSO concert in Federation Concert Hall or around the state.

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Samuel Hooper announced as TSO's 2024 Rising Star!

4 Apr 2024

Our TSO 2024 Rising Star is Samuel Hooper!

Samuel, a student of TSO Concertmaster Emma McGrath, is a violin player with a great passion for music.

14 year old Samuel displayed incredible virtuosity, maturity well beyond his years and a level of musicianship seldom witnessed in one so young. His performance of Sarasate’s Caprice Basque had the panel absolutely captivated from the first note to the last. He is indeed a very worthy winner.

The candidature this year was outstanding, and all the students represented themselves incredibly, doing themselves and their teachers proud. Huge thanks to the teachers of the students, both instrumental teachers and classroom teachers and to the collaborative pianists on the Audition Day, Karen Smithies, Jen Marten-Smith, Dianne Legg and Alexey Yemstov.

Samuel will receive the Rising Star prize package including:

The Tim Bugg AM Prize worth $2500 to further the winner’s musical education.
The opportunity to perform as a soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.
Publicity opportunities as the 2024 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Rising Star.

Find out more about the annual Rising Star Competition here.

Samuel Hooper, photo by Toby Frost.

About Samuel Hooper

Samuel Hooper is 14 years old and has a passion for music. He studied violin for 10 years with local teacher Dan Evans and now studies with Emma McGrath, Concertmaster of the TSO.

Samuel completed his AMEB 8th grade violin exam in 2022 and, for this, was awarded the Australian Strings Association (AUSTA) Tasmania Prize for the most outstanding candidate in strings.

At both the 2022 and 2023 Hobart Eisteddfods, Samuel was awarded the Celeste Thomsen (Quinn) Trophy and Memorial Award for the most outstanding string performer aged 16 years & under. At the Sydney Eisteddfod in 2022, Samuel was the inaugural recipient of the Most Promising Young String Player Award. In 2023 at the Sydney Eisteddfod, Samuel was awarded second place in the Open Age String Sonata section and also performed in the 90th Anniversary Gala Concert in the alumni orchestra. Samuel has been accepted into the 2024 Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists program.

He would like to be a soloist and chamber musician and to teach violin.

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Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra joins global symphonic video streaming platform Symphony.live

22 Mar 2024

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce an Australian-first partnership with the global symphonic video streaming platform Symphony.live.

Under this partnership, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra will stream a range of concerts on Symphony.live, providing audiences around the globe with their own seat in the house at Federation Concert Hall. Through Symphony.live's applications and user-friendly interface, music enthusiasts can enjoy the TSO’s unique sound worlds across the repertoire spectrum with a unique and intimate birds-eye view.

With Symphony.live, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is taking another bold step towards audience growth and participation. The ability to enjoy the TSO is no longer limited by the number of seats in the concert hall or by our geography. The TSO can be enjoyed anywhere in the world at any time and Symphony.live's innovative platform will support the TSO in generating new sales income from its outstanding musical content.

On joining Symphony.live, TSO joins a stable of top international orchestras including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Caroline Sharpen, CEO of Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "Joining Symphony.live is a really important moment for us. We are so excited to bring global audiences to our island at the southern reaches of the world - and to provide a glimpse into the music making that happens here. From the landmarks of the canon to music emanating from the most inspiring Australian creators – we can’t wait to share our music and demonstrate what it means to be an orchestra connected to our place and our people”.

Symphony.live CEO’s, Maarten Walraven and Jeroen van Egmond, added, "We are delighted to welcome the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra to the Symphony.live family. Their commitment to artistic excellence aligns seamlessly with our mission to make classical music accessible to audiences worldwide. Through Symphony.live, we provide a unique platform for orchestras to showcase their talent and connect with enthusiasts, while also offering a sustainable way to monetize their extraordinary performances."

The collaboration between the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Symphony.live is set to bring a new dimension to the classical music landscape, fostering global connections and ensuring the reach and continued growth of TSO.

For more information visit TSO on Symphony.live

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Are you the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s next Rising Star?

4 March 2024, by Steph Eslake

For a young musician, the chance to perform solo with a world-class orchestra is the ultimate dream. And in a highly competitive music industry that requires years of training and dedication, the dream might feel distant to those who are still paving their way.

Then again, an opportunity could be just around the corner. And it could be tailored to suit young musicians themselves. It could be designed to give them an experience not only with one orchestra, but with the potential to help launch a solo career and play with other orchestras around the world in the years to come.

Sonya Pigot was just 17 years old when she won the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s 2014 Rising Star competition. A decade on, she has developed an extraordinary career in music that spans Australia to the United Kingdom – and ranges from solo performance to founding her own business.

“After performing with an orchestra like the TSO, this can put you in a position to get other opportunities with orchestras of international standing that I have been lucky enough to get over the years,” Sonya says. One of the opportunities she is quick to highlight is working in Italy with conductor Marius Stravinsky – a relative of famous composer Igor Stravinsky.

The TSO’s annual Rising Star Competition is now open for entries, providing a rare opportunity for one classical vocalist or orchestral instrumentalist up to the age of 22 years. Entrants will audition for the role of Rising Star – following in the footsteps of artists like Sonya – and will prepare to perform a movement from a concerto or similarly structured solo for orchestra.

The Rising Star will also win the Tim Bugg AM Prize worth $2500, which will help support their music education.

When she entered Rising Star, Sonya was “on the cusp” of leaving Australia to commence her music degree at the Royal College of Music. The competition gave her a memorable send-off: her own performance of the Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2 with the TSO.

“The TSO is an orchestra with such a depth of sound and intelligence that it was a beautiful moment to be on stage with them,” Sonya remembers.

Showing what's possible for Rising Stars

Sonya has since graduated from her Bachelor of Music (Honours), and studied her Masters of Performance at the Royal College of Music too. She used her Rising Star achievement to help launch a successful international performance career, winning competitions and giving recitals in venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and Steinway Hall – not to mention those in Spain, Hong Kong, Germany and beyond.

But perhaps the most unique of her professional experiences since Rising Star is her role as founder of Fearless Silk – an agency that provides garment design and tailoring for classical musicians who need to look and feel their best while performing.

Having developed Fearless Silk since 2020, Sonya says her business is “focused on connecting concert pianists with designers to allow the individual personality of the performer to be expressed through what they wear on stage”.

“I can't emphasise enough the importance of diversifying your abilities to produce multiple streams of income,” Sonya says about her dual career as soloist and entrepreneur.

“Every musician, no matter how successful, has to think of the longevity of a career and not just what their lives will look like their 20s. We are essentially entrepreneurs, and we have to market ourselves and act as such.”

Reaching for the stars

Flautist Kara Thorpe won the Rising Star Competition in 2023. She was studying her second year of a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

“As a young musician, I had really looked up to the previous Rising Star winners, and it always had been a goal of mine to play with the TSO,” Kara says.

It took her a few auditions – and then she made the cut, and enjoyed “an amazing experience performing with the TSO” as its Rising Star.

“I love the feeling of connection and musical conversation when playing with an orchestra, and the TSO brought the concerto to life with so much colour,” she shares.

“I feel really privileged to have been able to play with the musicians from the TSO who have been inspiring and important mentors for me throughout my musical journey.”

This year, Kara continues her studies and since Rising Star has also participated in the career-shaping Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp, which often involves an intense period of rehearsals culminating in a professional-level performance.

“Playing with the TSO was a great learning experience to prepare me for future performances, and gives me a lot of confidence approaching other solo performances.”

Like Sonya, Kara plans to undertake further study in Europe – and has big dreams to play flute in a professional orchestra.

"An amazing opportunity"

The annual Rising Star Competition is now open for entries, with audition dates scheduled on the TSO website.

Looking back on her experience, Sonya understands the way “competitions play a part in building the visibility of a musician’s profile, which is the most important thing when building a career”.

But it’s only the beginning of the story – and after an achievement like Rising Star, Sonya believes a career in music becomes a “culmination of networking, marketing, likability, the ability to learn things quickly, perform consistently, and all added together with a dollop of good luck for good measure”.

For Kara, the rare experience of playing with the TSO was a “musical highlight in 2023”.

“It is such an amazing opportunity to be able to play with a professional orchestra as a young musician, and I would really encourage anyone interested in applying to go for it!”

Learn more about the Rising Star Competition and past winners on the TSO website.

Entries close 5pm, Friday 15 March 2024.

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