News

Ravel Festival at The Hedberg

2 December 2025.

In March, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra presents a week-long Ravel Festival in Tasmania, celebrating the sound world of French composer Maurice Ravel.

Acclaimed French pianist Cédric Tiberghien joins the TSO across orchestral, chamber and solo programs in Hobart.

Festival program

Orchestral concerts – Federation Concert Hall

Eivind Aadland wearing glasses and a blue shirt stands in the foreground, facing the camera. Behind them, a black-and-white image of a Eivind mid-motion with a baton is visible against a dark, blurred background, creating a strong visual contrast.

Eivind Conducts Mahler’s Titan

Wednesday 18 March, 7.30pm

Cédric Tiberghien appears in our first Federation Concert Hall Series concert of the year.

See Concert

Ravel, Mahler and Beethoven

Wednesday 25 March, 7.30pm

Tiberghien returns with the TSO for a second orchestral program, again featuring the music of Ravel.

See Concert

At The Hedberg – piano recital and chamber music

A person playing a grand piano, viewed from the front with focus on their upper body and hands. The blurred background and lighting highlight the individual's concentration and create a sense of depth.

Cédric Tiberghien In Recital

Saturday 21 March, 7.30pm

This recital celebrates the brilliance of French piano music including Ravel’s sparkling Le Tombeau de Couperin and works by Debussy, Rameau and Couperin.

See Concert

Parisian Twilight

Saturday 21 March, 2pm

TSO string players join pianist Karen Smithies for Debussy’s sonatas for cello and violin with piano. We end with Ravel’s String Quartet in F major.

See Concert

Double exposure image of musicians playing cellos, featuring close-up views of hands and instruments. The composition is enhanced by vibrant orange and red hues, creating a dynamic and intense visual effect that conveys movement and energy.

The Art of Lightness

Sunday 22 Mar, 11am

An exquisite morning of music by Ravel and Debussy, featuring TSO winds and strings, as well as harp and piano.

See Concert

Talks and Q&A events

A black and white photograph of Maurice Ravel

Eivind Conducts Mahler’s Titan

Saturday 21 March

A public talk on Maurice Ravel, exploring his life, music and legacy.

Details to be announced soon.

Ravel, Mahler and Beethoven

Sunday 22 March

Eivind Aadland and musicians discuss Ravel’s music, followed by an audience Q&A.

Details to be announced soon.

Who was Maurice Ravel?

Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) was a composer, pianist and conductor. He enjoyed international acclaim in the 1920s and 1930s and was a contemporary of fellow French master, Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918).

‘The most perfect of Swiss clockmakers’ is how Russian composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) famously described Ravel.

TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland also speaks of the perfection in Ravel’s music:

‘Ravel has a relatively small output, but all of his works are gems – they’re all perfect!’ says Eivind.

‘He did not compose quickly, but the results feel utterly natural, as if the music could only ever be that way.’

Join us for the Ravel Festival at The Hedberg and Federation Concert Hall as the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra brings these perfect creations to life.

Ravel Festival at The Hedberg.

Explore all events in the Ravel Festival from 18-25 March 2026.

See Events

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Michael Johnston looks back on life in the TSO

1 December 2025.

After almost 40 years in the TSO’s violin section, Michael Johnston will be hanging up his bow at the end of this year.

His final concert as a musician will be Christmas with the TSO on 6 December.

A stalwart of the orchestra since the late 1980s, Michael has helped shape the sound and spirit of the TSO on and offstage.

As he prepares to retire, we look back on memorable concerts, life on tour and how his musical journey started – in the foothills of the Himalayas!

'Great fun' is how Michael Johnston describes his career with the TSO.

Hi Michael, how would you describe your decades with the TSO?

Great fun – nearly always. There’s something to enjoy about every call, and the things that used to make me intensely anxious don’t worry me nearly as much now.

Our home was the Odeon for years and, when I started, the acoustics were pretty terrible. When we toured to Sydney, playing at the City Recital Hall was like another world. I remember Beethoven’s Seventh there, the excitement in the last movement was almost hysterical and the audience clearly felt it too. We came up from Tassie and made a bit of a mark.

What are some of your highlights since the TSO moved to Federation Concert Hall?

Our 2016 performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with Nina Stemme is a big one. I also love doing Beethoven with Eivind (TSO Chief Conductor Eivind Aadland) – he has a real knack for bringing out the best in the music.

You also play outside the orchestra. Can you tell us about that?

I enjoyed playing in the Bouzouki Boys, a local Greek band. We played lots of weddings at the Greek Club. I loved the immediate contact with the audience and all the lovely Greek dances.

You’ve done a lot of touring with the orchestra. Any memorable stories from the road?

We travelled quite a bit in the early days. On one tour we went to Darwin and then down to Alice Springs – the musicians were in one small plane and the music and costumes in another.

The second plane was late, so the concert started at 10pm instead of 7pm. The venue put on free champagne and we played quartets in the foyer, so everyone was happy. But by the time we got to the concert, I somehow played four chords instead of three at one point!

We also toured to Japan, Indonesia and South Korea, among many other places.

How did you first come to the violin?

I started at school when I was eight. I grew up in Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills in India, where my parents were teachers at a co-educational boarding school and music was part of school life.

When I moved to Australia, I used my violin to get enough points to get into science at uni, but I soon moved across to the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.

Michael's enjoyed many memorable tours and concerts with the TSO.

Michael and his colleagues mid-flight during our 6pm Series in 2025.

What were the next steps in your professional training and career before joining the TSO?

I spent time in the ABC National Training Orchestra in Sydney under Robert Miller – he was tough, but that was good for me. After that I had a six-month stint with WASO before joining the Elizabethan Melbourne Orchestra, playing major opera productions in the days of Joan Sutherland.

Will we see you in the audience at the TSO from now on?

I’m not a great audience member – sitting in the hall doesn’t quite compare with being on stage and feeling the music around you.

But I’ve got many grandchildren who are keen to come to concerts, so I’ll have to learn!

Join us for Michael's final concert as a member of the orchestra – Christmas with the TSO on 6 December.

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Three more years of 'beautiful music' for Eivind with the TSO

29 November 2025.

We are extremely pleased to announce that Eivind Aadland has extended his contract as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the TSO until the end of 2028.

Eivind is one of Norway’s leading conductors and is well known to audiences across Australia. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Leader of Norway’s Trondheim Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons from 2004 and was Principal Guest Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra from 2011 to 2013.

Eivind took up the position of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the TSO in 2020 and has been praised for bringing energy, nuance and dynamism to each performance.

Eivind says he feels more connected than ever to the TSO and Tasmania, adding that the contract extension also brings a continuing sense of ‘challenge and responsibility’.

‘I like to keep things fresh and to keep challenging myself and the musicians. That shouldn’t change – you always have to look for opportunities to develop,’ he says.

‘I’m extremely happy to have an opportunity to continue making music with this excellent group of musicians. I’ve really enjoyed my time with the TSO and I think we will have many more opportunities to make beautiful things together.’

TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland.

Our CEO Caroline Sharpen says Eivind's leadership has been invaluable.

‘We congratulate Eivind on extending his tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director and thank him for his superb contribution to the TSO,’ she says.

Caroline says Eivind has also generously offered to provide insights and advice as needed on artistic succession.

‘This a truly generous gesture – one that strengthens the connection between Tasmania and the rest of the world, expands our artistic frame of reference and sets a global benchmark for artistic leadership,’ she says.

Eivind looks forward to recording two Beethoven symphonies with the TSO.

Having just released an album of works by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, Eivind says more international recording is on the horizon for the TSO.

‘To continue recording is something that I’m looking forward to. Our next project is going to be to record two Beethoven symphonies,’ he says.

Upcoming events

Eivind returns to Tasmania in March for our Season 2026, which opens with Mahler’s monumental Titan symphony and a series of concerts featuring works by Ravel.

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Joyce DiDonato 'triumphant' in her TSO debut

24 November 2025.

Globally renowned opera singer Joyce DiDonato made her long-awaited Australian debut with the TSO in Hobart in November.

Described as a ‘triumph’ in a five-star Limelight review, the performance marked the TSO’s gala event for 2025 and was led by Chief Conductor Eivind Aadland.

DiDonato was effusive in her praise of Tasmania, which was the first stop in her highly limited tour of Australia and New Zealand.

‘I’ve had four days here and I am absolutely stunned by not only the majesty and vastness of the nature, but the people. This combination of the two immediately makes me feel very welcomed here but very humble,’ DiDonato said.

‘I see a world in this Tasmanian community that’s based on respecting nature, with an atmosphere of kindness. It’s balm for a world that feels, in many places, like it’s full of chaos and confusion.'

‘To be here and see the possibility of what can be nurtured in a community is very inspiring, humbling and reassuring,’ she said.

DiDonato was effusive in her praise of Tasmania, which was the first stop in her long-awaited visit to Australia and New Zealand.

Thunderous applause resulted in DiDonato returning for two encores.

After 'a fizzing performance' (Limelight) of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus Overture byhe TSO, DiDonato joined Eivind and the orchestra for Berlioz’s Les nuit d’eté (Summer Nights).

Limelight’s Peter Donnelly said the six Berlioz songs were ‘an ideal vehicle to demonstrate DiDonato's vocal range and colour’.

‘Shepossesses a powerful but pure-toned and flexible voice that exudes a warmth and charisma that entrance the listener,’ Donnelly wrote.

Thunderous applause resulted in DiDonato returning for two encores – Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and Arlen/Harburg’s Over the Rainbow.

Limelight gave the performance a perfect five stars, describing DiDonato's Australian debut with the TSO as a 'triumph'.

The concert began with a 'fizzing' performance of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus Overture and ended ecstatically with Beethoven's seventh.

Audience members were clearly delighted by these generous extras and the latter had many concert goers in tears.

After the break, the orchestra and Eivind returned for a 'superbly wrought' (Limelight) performance of Beethoven’s seventh.

‘It is a great credit to the orchestra and its conductor Eivind Aadland that the first half of the program does not overshadow a superbly wrought Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A,’ Donnelly wrote in his Limelight review.

‘Aadland is a distinguished interpreter of this familiar repertoire and he brings buoyant rhythms, high energy and scrupulous attention to dynamic detail to this great work.’

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See the TSO live on screen in Burnie

17 November 2025.

Music lovers in Burnie can experience Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra concerts live on screen thanks to our partnership with the University of Tasmania.

Members of the public are encouraged to come along to Symphony by the Sea at the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus, to experience an immersive livestream of the orchestra’s concerts.

The next livestream, on Saturday 22 November at 7.30pm features Elgar’s Cello Concerto, conducted by TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland.

The TSO’s international standard livestreams take the viewer onto the stage and right into the action with multiple camera angles and high-quality audio.

Many of our Federation Concert Hall performances are livestreamed to The Makers Hub in Burnie.

A room with large video screen and people seated on couches and soft chairs.

On the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus, The Makers Hub in Burnie provides a warm and relaxed community setting for concert viewers.

University of Tasmania Pro Vice-Chancellor Cradle Coast region, Professor Sonya Stanford, says the partnership offers locals a powerful orchestral experience in a warm and relaxed community setting.

‘Symphony by the Sea is a beautiful embodiment of what we’re striving for at the Cradle Coast campus – bringing world-class cultural experiences into our regional communities in ways that are accessible, inclusive, and deeply enriching,’ she says.

‘The collaboration with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra allows us to beam the brilliance of Hobart’s Federation Concert Hall directly into Burnie, creating shared moments of wonder and reflection through music.’

‘As someone who values the arts as a catalyst for belonging and wellbeing, I see Symphony by the Sea as more than a concert series. It’s a strategic and soulful contribution to our vision of “Building our Village, Together”,’ she adds.

Our next livestream, on Saturday 22 November features internationally renowned cellist Daniel Müller-Schott.

A conductor wielding his baton before an orchestra on stage.

TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland leads the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Federation Concert Hall.

Upcoming TSO livestream concerts in Burnie:

Elgar’s Cello Concerto
Saturday 22 November
The Makers Hub, UTAS Cradle Coast Campus, Burnie

Tickets are $10 per person or $20 for a group of 4, which includes light refreshments.

Keep an eye on our Concerts page for more livestream concert events.

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International album release: Bartók

20 October 2025.

Our new international album release solidifies Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s reputation as one of the ‘Four Bs’ of classical music - alongside Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.

The album, Bartók: Divertimento & Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, is available to listen on streaming services and CDs are available at the TSO Box Office.

The recording team was led by internationally acclaimed producer Jørn Pederson and included ABC Classic sound engineer Veronika Vincze.

The TSO led by Eivind Aadland perform a piece by Béla Bartók.

The album, curated and conducted by TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland, was recorded in Federation Concert Hall.

Hailing from Norway, Eivind has a career-long connection to Bartók, having trained under Yehudi Menuhin and Sandor Végh, both of whom worked directly with Bartók.

‘In Norway, Bartók was considered one of the main composers – equal to Beethoven and Brahms. I have performed his music throughout my career,’ Eivind says.

‘In music we talk about the “Three Great Bs”, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. For us it was always Four Great Bs and that included Bartók. He's one of the great composers.’

A black and white photo of Eivind Aadland. The photo is a portrait of Eivind from teh waist up and he is clasping his hands while looking directly at the camera.

TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland.

Bartók was originally commissioned to write the works in the 1930s for Switzerland's Basel Chamber Orchestra, which was famous for its adventurous programming.

'The two works we've recorded are among the most important works for string orchestra from the last century. They're huge pieces, very important and absolutely wonderful, Eivind says.

The Divertimento features nods to the Baroque ‘concerto grosso’ form, which refers to the music passing between individual groups of players.

In the work, Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste, the ‘strings’ include harp and piano. The ‘percussion’ referenced in the title includes timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, xylophone and celeste – a keyboard percussion instrument.

The beautiful score culminates in a brilliant finale with dance and folk rhythms.

TSO viola player Anna Larsen Roach (centre front) and guest musicians.

TSO Principal Timpani Matthew Goddard.

The album has been released internationally by Rubicon Classics and is available on streaming services.

CDs of the album are available from the TSO Box Office for $20 (a $5 postage fee applies within Australia).

Outside of Australia, CDs are available via Rubicon Classics.

TSO Box Office

10am–4pm Monday to Friday

1800 001 190 — boxoffice@tso.com.au

TSO viola player William Newbery.

The percussion section led by Gary Wain (left).

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Welcome to your Season 2026

16 October 2025.

We’re thrilled to launch the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Season 2026.

Our year begins in February, with The Wolfe Brothers and Gaming Music 2.0. We’re performing these showstoppers in Hobart and in Launceston, making a long-awaited return to the beautifully refurbished Albert Hall.

Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland opens our Federation Concert Hall Series on 18 March with Mahler’s Symphony No 1, the ‘Titan’.

Chief Conductor of the TSO, Eivind Aadland.

TSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland.

‘In this enormous work, Mahler redefines what a symphony is. He says a symphony should be like the world, it should embrace everything,’ Eivind says.

The 18 March concert also features French pianist Cédric Tiberghien performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand in D.

In November, Eivind leads the TSO in another monumental work, Shostakovich’s Tenth. Also in this concert is a new work by globally renowned composer Sally Beamish for our Principal Clarinet, Andrew Seymour.

‘We have a very exciting program that I think our audiences will enjoy,’ Eivind says. ‘I strongly believe in the power of music to be uplifting and life-affirming. A live concert can take us away from our everyday worries.’

Across the year, we’ll host international stars playing some of the most loved music of all time –

Spanish pianist Javier Perianes performing Mozart,
New Zealand pianist Sylvia Jiang performing Shostakovich,
American violinist Benjamin Beilman performing Mendelssohn,
Australian Vienna-based soprano Eleanor Lyons singing Mozart and Beethoven, and
German cellist Maximilian Hornung performing Haydn.

Acclaimed artists making their TSO debuts include –

Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund,
Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa,
young Eurovision star, Austrian violinist Leonhard Baumgartner, and
Serbian-French violinist Nemanja Radulovic.

Serbian-French violinist Nemanja Radulovic
makes his TSO debut with Prokofiev’s
Violin Concerto No 2.

Hailing from Norway, Tabita Berglund is
an exciting and in-demand conductor,
renowned for her alert, charismatic style.

TSO musicians also shine as soloists in diverse programs ranging from timeless masterpieces to modern works of genius. See –

Concertmaster Emma McGrath, Principal Tuba Rachel Kelly and Principal Piccolo Lloyd Hudson in our 6pm Series,
Principal Clarinet Andrew Seymour in the Australian debut of a work by Scotland’s Sally Beamish,
Principal Cello Jonathan Békés performing Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto, and
Principal Trumpet Fletcher Cox, making his mainstage solo debut (alongside Sylvia Jiang) with Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings.

Australian soprano Eleanor Lyons –
returning from Vienna – performs two
brilliant concert arias by Mozart and
Beethoven.

Eighteen-year-old Austrian violinist
Leonhard Baumgartner won the Eurovision
Young Musicians Competition in 2024,
under the baton of TSO Chief Conductor
and Artistic Director, Eivind Aadland.

Our musicians return to Longford’s Woolmers Estate after another sell-out Music at Woolmers Series in 2025.

In 2026, we replicate these much-loved chamber music concerts in Hobart with Music at The Hedberg.

Hobart’s St David's Cathedral and Launceston’s St John’s Church are filled with glorious sound in February and October with our Brass and Percussion concerts.

St John’s also once again hosts the TSO Chorus and, throughout 2026, we’ll be bringing our laid-back Live Sessions gigs to venues across regional Tasmania.

In our 6pm Series, TSO Concertmaster
Emma McGrath performs the modern
masterpiece that is John Corigliano’s film score to The
Red Violin.

TSO Principal Clarinet,
Andrew Seymour, returns to the
spotlight to perform a new international
co-commission by globally renowned
composer Sally Beamish.

‘We’re proud to launch an incredibly rich and full year of musical experiences, which will take place right across the island,’ our CEO Caroline Sharpen says.

‘This season fits beautifully with our theme of Feel More. We will undoubtedly feel more when we experience the orchestra performing the monumental symphonic writing of Mahler and Shostakovich and when TSO musicians take the stage as soloists.’

Caroline explains that 18-year-old Austrian violinist Leonhard Baumgartner won the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Norway in 2024, under the baton of TSO’s Chief Conductor.

‘Eivind conducted that competition and was staggered by the talent of this young man – promptly inviting him to Hobart to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. We're very proud to present his Australian debut in 2026,’ Caroline says.

TSO’s Principal Tuba Rachel Kelly makes her mainstage solo debut in our 6pm Series with Vaughan William's Tuba Concerto, revealing her instrument’s lyrical voice and astonishing agility.

Our 6pm Series opens with Australian composer Harry Sdraulig’s
dazzling Icarus, written for our Principal
Piccolo Lloyd Hudson.

Sign up to the TSO mailing list to receive exclusive pre-sale access to 2026 concerts on 19 November 2025.

Explore upcoming concerts.

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Making our concerts and workplace more accessible

22 September 2025.

At the TSO we are passionate about increasing accessibility to our workplace and concert venues for our artists, staff, and audiences.

As part of that, we’re proud to be part of the Hidden Disability Sunflower initiative, a globally recognised program supporting people with non-visible disabilities.

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower?

Some disabilities, conditions or chronic illnesses are not immediately obvious to others.

The Sunflower symbol lets people discreetly indicate (by wearing a sunflower badge, lanyard or wristband) that they may need extra support, time or understanding.

Our staff are trained to recognise and assist people who wear the Sunflower or who otherwise indicate that they need help or patience and understanding.

We understand some concert goers may need:

Help getting around the venue

Extra time when purchasing tickets

A quiet space if feeling overwhelmed.

Sunflower lanyards or badges are available at the TSO Box Office.

As our Customer Service Manager Cameron Bryer says, the TSO is passionate about making sure our concerts are enjoyable, welcoming and safe for all music lovers.

‘That’s why we’re excited to become a Hidden Disability Sunflower member organisation, joining a global initiative to support people and raise awareness of non-visible disabilities,’ Cameron says.

A box containing Sunflower lanyards on the counter of the TSO Box Office.

Sunflower lanyards are available at the TSO Box Office.

St Lukes staff members Josh Lovell (right) and Mollie Barrett (standing right) deliver sensory packs to TSO team members Cameron Bryer (front left) and Cath Adams (standing left).

Sensory support

Tasmanian not-for-profit St Lukes is a TSO Business Collective member and has donated sensory packs to the TSO, helping make our concerts more accessible for people with sensory needs.

Each pack includes a blanket, noise-reducing headphones, sunglasses, and a fidget toy. These items are designed to help create a more comfortable and enjoyable concert experience.

Sensory packs are free to borrow from our Box Office at any TSO concert.

Relaxed performances

Relaxed Performances are designed for kids aged 5–10 who find it hard to sit still, have sensory needs or may feel nervous trying something new.

These informal 50-minute concerts are held in the safe and welcoming TSO Studio.

What to expect at a Relaxed Performance:

Choose where to sit – on a chair, a favourite cushion that you bring, in a group, or by yourself – wherever is comfortable

Meet the musicians and their instruments

Enjoy the music

You’re free to move around, make noise, and come and go as you need

Visit the TSO Box Office inside the Hotel Grand Chancellor and we’ll guide you from there.

If you’d like to hear more about how we can make your visit to the TSO more enjoyable, please contact our friendly Box Office team. Call 1800 001 190 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday or email boxoffice@tso.com.au

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Meet our piano tuning graduates

22 September 2025. By Stephanie Eslake.

To address the urgent lack of piano tuners in Tasmania, the TSO developed the Professional Piano Tuning and Technician Services Scholarship.

Launceston-based May Thomas and Hobart's Sam Lilburn were selected from a large field of applicants and undertook a 12 month course at the KJPIANOS Academy of Piano Technology in Sydney.

Both completed the highly demanding course with distinction and are now back on home soil, working across Tasmania while receiving ongoing mentorship from veteran piano tuner Rod Collins.

Stephanie Eslake tells the story.

Piano tuning scholarship recipients May Thomas and Sam Lilburn. Photo by Jake Parker.

You’ve settled into your seat for a piano performance with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and the house lights start to dim. Silence falls on the concert hall, and from it emerges a round of applause as a world-class pianist enters the stage. They might adjust their seating position in front of their instrument, but aside from that, their hands are raised and ready to play without hesitation.

The reason they can approach their instrument with confidence is because they know it will sound beautifully in tune. And that’s because somebody woke up in the early hours of the morning to adjust the piano in ways that seem incomprehensibly small, but elevate an average performance to a brilliant one.

The TSO regularly collaborates with renowned pianists including Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Nobuyuki Tsujii and Javier Perianes.

Without a skilled piano tuner, these concerts could not happen.

Tamara-Anna Cislowska perfoming with the TSO.

Nobuyuki Tsujii performing with the TSO.

Veteran technician Rod Collins in Hobart comes from a family of piano tuners, and his own career spans five decades.

He and Launceston-based Alistair Strating, a second generation piano tuner, are among the few technicians in Australia with the skills and experience to work with the calibre of piano soloists who perform with our symphony orchestras.

Rod occasionally starts as early as 4.30am to prepare for a TSO concert.

He ensures each piano is in tune and 'mechanically perfectly, or as near as is possible'.

This can depend on factors ranging from the construction to the ambient temperature of the room.

He also adjusts the 'voice' of the instrument, sometimes preparing two or three pianos so the musician can take their pick.

Piano tuner Rod Collins.

“One of those pianos will be slightly sweeter … the other one might be a little bit more bity in its tonal quality,” Rod says.

To address the urgent lack of piano tuners, the TSO developed the Professional Piano Tuning and Technician Services Scholarship, in partnership with the Tasmanian Music Teachers’ Association and local music institutions, with funding from the Allport Bequest.

Dr Jody Heald AM – a piano pedagogue, adjudicator, and professional accompanist – helped to initiate the scholarship.

Concerned about the increasing need for piano tuners, Jody approached TSO CEO Caroline Sharpen who took action to facilitate the new program.

As Caroline says, everyone involved 'knew what was at stake if this vital artisan profession wasn't replenished'.

'Jody and I pulled together a working group of people who are knowledgeable about Tasmania’s large and priceless "piano fleet". Together we conceived the scholarships and post-program mentoring to build the capacity of ambitious Tasmanians keen to pursue this career,' Caroline says.

'The vision was shared by The Allport Bequest who generously supported both scholarships. We were genuinely blown away by the number and quality of applicants.'

For Jody, a driving force is the importance of fostering the next generation of musicians and technicians.

'Over a number of years, I could see a gradual decline in the piano tuning profession as the apprentice system of training disappeared,' she says.

The two scholarship participants, May Thomas and Sam Lilburn, received support to train with Keven Jenkinson at the KJPIANOS Academy of Piano Technology in Western Sydney – both completing the 12 month course with distinction.

'Being part of the whole process, including the selection committee, has been a significant chapter in my own career, and I am happy that the effort has proved to be so worthwhile,' Jody says.

Meet our scholarship graduates

Sam Lilburn has a background in audio engineering, and found his detail-oriented approach to sound served him well during the scholarship, and into his new career.

'It’s using all the skills I’ve developed over the years, but pushing it into a different channel,' Sam says.

'In future, the "pie in the sky" for me is working on some of the beautiful instruments with the TSO.'

Since the scholarship, he has been 'travelling around Tasmania, and meeting musicians and getting to know their instruments'.

He’s worked for piano teachers, local concerts, University of Tasmania musicians at The Hedberg, and in domestic settings.

'Once that first booking came through, it has just kind of gone crazy since then. Each month has been busier than the last, which has just been awesome,' Sam says.

Sam Lilburn tuning a piano at The Hedberg.

May Thomas has also used the scholarship to develop her career, while simultaneously working part time as a paramedic.

Piano tuning and paramedicine may sound like very different paths, but May sees 'many similarities'.

May Thomas juggles piano tuning with her part time role as a paramedic.

'Just like people, pianos are intricate, individual and complex beings. Each instrument has its own personality and more than 10,000 individual parts,' May says.

'No two pianos are the same, just as no two people are the same.'

'The combination of science and art involved in the tuning and maintenance of a piano never ceases to amaze me. The two mediums are the ultimate combination of human knowledge and human expression and emotion,' she says.

As a musician herself (piano and French horn), May was drawn to the scholarship because, she says, 'it would be devastating to see an aspiring and potentially brilliant Tasmanian musician quit because of being discouraged when met with a suboptimal instrument'.

'A well-regulated and tuned piano is pivotal to each musician being able to progress with their musical journey and enjoy playing without distraction.'

May has loved networking with experienced piano tuners, visiting workshops, and observing different approaches to the craft.

As she says, it has allowed her to 'draw some nuggets from an absolute gold mine of experience that has been acquired by others over many decades'.

'From antique bird-cage pianos passed through the family generations to shiny concert grand in performance venues, there is never a day one doesn’t learn something new,' May says.

During the scholarship year, a favourite learning experience was touring a workshop that made copper-wound bass strings, giving May and Sam an elevated appreciation of the intricacies of the piano.

They now bring that appreciation to their work in Tasmania.

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News

Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon curate Obscura

20 September 2025.

This October, we present one of our most exciting collaborations of the year. Australian dance legend Graeme Murphy AO and his creative and life partner, Janet Vernon AM are joining us as co-curators of Obscura | Sequenza.

The program pairs dancers from the Queensland College of Dance with TSO musicians performing Luciano Berio’s astounding Sequenzas.

The extremely talented young dancers, who are on the cusp of professional careers, will perform with the musicians as they play some of the most challenging solos.

‘Berio pushes instruments to the extremes – it’s a Mt Everest for the musicians,’ Graeme says. ‘With the dancers, I’m trying to do what Berio does with the music – find new ways to challenge the body.’

Graeme and Janet with dancers from the Queensland College of Dance.
Images by Adam Robins.

For over three decades at the helm of the Sydney Dance Company, Graeme and Janet created some of Australia’s most distinctive and enduring productions.

Together, they built a body of work that bridged ballet, opera, film and contemporary dance.

So why Berio? Why now?

The concert marks the 50th anniversary of Graeme and Janet’s connection to composer Luciano Berio, whom they met in Europe in the early 1970s.

That encounter led Murphy to choreograph Berio’s Sequenza VII for The Queensland Ballet in 1975.

Both Murphy and Vernon performed in the work.

Berio's Sequenzas stretch instruments to their limits, demanding acrobatics of breath, bow, and finger.

To listen to the works on recording, Graeme and Janet argue, is like ‘watching Gone with the Wind on an iPhone’.

‘By seeing/hearing/feeling Berio's Sequenzas live, we discover whole new sound-worlds where everything appears primal and unpremeditated,’ Graeme and Janet say.

'By throwing human bodies into this world, we witness both musicians and dancers engaging in the eternal battle of the survival of the fittest and the finest.'

The TSO musicians who will take turns performing as soloists in five of Berio’s remarkable Sequenzas are Jonathan Békés on cello, David Robins on trombone, Andrew Seymour on clarinet, Lily Bryant on flute and Rachel Bullen on oboe.

For both orchestra and guest curators, Obscura Sequenza is a deeply Tasmanian collaboration.

Graeme grew up in regional Tasmania before training at The Australian Ballet School, where he met Janet – then a fellow student.

They divide their time between Beauty Point in Tasmania and Sydney, while jetting off regularly to Brisbane to mentor their young dance protegees for this program.

‘I think half of Beauty Point is coming to the concert,’ laughs Janet.

Images by Adam Robins.

The couple has extended a warm invitation to the entire Tasmanian community to witness this new collaboration.

‘We reach out to you, dear audience, to thank you and we celebrate your curiosity and courage in joining us on this wild journey. Ears on alert! Eyes on stalks!’ they say of what will be a ‘rich visual and aural event’.

Experience Berio's Sequenzas live with the TSO

‘Through the music's brutality and tenderness we have bonded in the extreme technical, physical and artistic challenges.'

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