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Feel speechless in a sea of voices

11 June 2025.
Voices en Masse, the TSO’s massed choral singing event, returns for its third year on Saturday 11 October in Hobart’s Federation Concert Hall. For singers and audience members alike, it's shaping up to be a powerfully moving event.

Led by world-renowned British chorusmaster Simon Halsey, Voices en Masse brings together hundreds of singers from across Australia – both seasoned choristers and enthusiastic novices.

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The 2025 program features highlights from Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro as well as other favourites.

Keen to join the chorus?

Singers who register to join the community choir will receive music and rehearsal materials in advance, allowing them to prepare at home.

Everyone will come together in Hobart for two formal rehearsals with Simon Halsey and the TSO Chorus in the week leading up to the performance.

No auditions are required, just enthusiasm, the ability to follow a score, and – for those from further afield – a willingness to travel to Hobart for the rehearsals and event.

As TSO Chorus Coordinator Nadeena Beck puts it: “To be immersed in hundreds of voices singing in harmony is a powerfully emotional and exhilarating experience. It will definitely send shivers up your spine.”

  • Registrations to join the community choir open 10am Wednesday 11 June. It costs $230 to register. Register here.

Sit back and enjoy the power of choral music

Those who simply want to soak up the music as an audience member can expect a full surround-sound effect as the Federation Concert Hall fills with music and movement.

Audience tickets cost $60 for adults, $35 for students and $15 for those aged 17 and under.

All seats will provide a thrilling viewpoint, but we recommend sitting up in the balcony to get the full view of the hundreds of singers, the orchestra and of course Simon Halsey's 360 degree style of conducting.

This year’s concert builds on the success of previous editions, which featured Brahms’ German Requiem in 2023 and Mozart’s Requiem in 2024.

It continues the TSO’s aims of engaging with the community and exploring how orchestral and choral music can be experienced in new ways.

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Voices en Masse: Choral Classics. Saturday 11 October

Hundreds of voices. The best of choral music. One extraordinary sound.

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Feel like a TSO roadie with our Annual Appeal

11 June 2025.

At the TSO, we believe in the power of music to move people – to spark joy, connection and curiosity in every corner of our island.

Whether it’s a child hearing live music for the first time, a community ensemble inspired by professional mentorship, or an aged care resident lighting up during a performance, music has a unique ability to help us feel more.

Through the generosity of our supporters, we bring the TSO to thousands of Tasmanians each year – in concert halls, classrooms, local halls and lounge rooms.

Our 2025 Annual Appeal is your chance to help make these moments possible.

Rachel Kelly

From tiny listeners to lifelong supporters

‘I’ve just come back from a week of education concerts and community workshops in the north-west. We played for 3,000 students in five days – and nothing compares to watching their world open up as they experience the orchestra, often for the very first time,’ says TSO Principal Tuba Rachel Kelly.

Thanks to community support in 2024, the TSO reached over 12,000 students in more than 100 schools. And we travelled thousands of kilometres around the state, performing in aged care homes, community halls, and regional centres.

With your help, we can go even further in 2025.

Every year, we also welcome thousands of students and families into the world of orchestral music with performances in our concert hall and studio.

‘These small interactions, the opportunities for families, students and communities to connect – those are the most rewarding moments,’ says Rachel.

TSO cellist Nick McManus agrees, saying that some of his highlights last year were taking part in our classroom Science and Sound sessions and performing for communities across the state.

‘Whether onstage for a concert at the Odeon or taking to a local hall up in Queenstown, the opportunity to make music with and for the Tasmanian community is something I value highly,’ Nick says.

Bringing new music to new audiences

Earlier this year the TSO premiered a new saxophone concerto by Tasmanian composer and musician Jabra Latham. Described as 'thrilling', 'powerful', 'sublime' and 'vulnerable’, Jabra's performance as soloist in the newly-commissioned work brought many concert goers to tears.

The concerto commission was made possible by a group of music-loving friends who banded together to fund the new work.

As TSO Director of Development Sarah Morrisby says, 'you don't have to move mountains'  – even a small gift has a big impact.

When you donate, you can choose which area of the TSO you'd like to support, from new artistic commissions, to our work in schools.

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Why your support matters

‘In 2024, the philanthropic impact of TSO donors was felt across the Tasmanian community like never before,’ Sarah says.

‘From new commissions and education programs to aged care performances and regional touring, your generosity helped us bring music to more people, in more places, than ever before.’

‘Whether you’ve attended a TSO concert, tuned in online, or simply shared a favourite tune with a friend, you’ve felt the impact of music. Now you can share that feeling with others,’ Sarah says.

How to contribute

Donate online today or call us on (03) 6232 4405.

Your gift to the 2025 TSO Annual Appeal helps us:

  • Bring music to schools, aged care homes and regional communities
  • Support community ensembles and youth music development
  • Help commission new works and train the next generation of performers and composers
  • Deliver meaningful, transformative musical moments in all corners of the state
Orchestra musicians on stage wearing colourful costumes.
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Support Your Orchestra.

Donate via the link below or call us on (03) 6232 4405.

No matter the size of your gift, it helps bring music – and joy – to Tasmanians across the state.

Thank you for helping us share the feeling.

Donate Today

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'A force of nature': Joyce DiDonato

10 June 2025.

When ABC Classic presenter Mairi Nicolson is not exaggerating when she describes Joyce DiDonato as ‘the very model of a 21st-century opera singer'.

‘She’s the whole package vocally and dramatically,’ Nicolson said on ABC Classic’s Legends program. ‘I’ve seen her live several times in Europe … and she totally lives up to all the hype. She’s a force of nature.’

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Now, for the first time, audiences in Australia and New Zealand will have the chance to hear that force of nature in person. DiDonato makes her debut with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in Hobart in November, followed by performances in Melbourne and Auckland.

Born in Kansas and a self-described ‘Yankee diva’, DiDonato’s rise to global fame didn’t happen overnight. As Nicolson writes in her wide-ranging article, the singer's early years were marked by rejection – 13 auditions before landing her first role, and a decade of hard work before real success arrived in her mid-30s.

Determination (and a sense of humour)

DiDonato's determination and light-hearted spirit came to the fore in 2009 when she fell on stage during her Covent Garden debut as Rosina in The Barber of Seville and broke her leg.

She continued the remainder of the show’s season in a wheelchair, her leg in a pink cast!

'What is essential to me is to live the role'

DiDonato is renowned for the emotional depth and fierce intelligence she brings to the characters she embodies, from Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro to Berlioz’s Queen Didon.

‘What is essential to me is to live the role not merely to play it,’ she has said of these roles.

It’s not just her extraordinary voice and theatrical instincts that have made DiDonato one of the most admired artists of her generation – it’s also her activism and passionate belief in the empowering role of music and education.

‘The key to getting new audiences isn’t changing what we do,’ she has said. ‘It’s making sure we go to where the people are.’

Throughout her career, DiDonato has used her incredibly artistry and influence to champion education, community outreach, and social justice through music.

As Nicolson puts it: ‘She’s glamorous, she’s funny, she’s warm – and she has serious star power’.

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Joyce DiDonato with the TSO on 15 November.

Don't miss this chance to see the multiple Grammy Award winner performing Berlioz’s sublime Les Nuits d’été, with our Chief Conductor Eivind Aadland.

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Aaron Wyatt on juggling music, fatherhood and a PhD

5 June 2025.

Ahead of his appearance with the TSO for our Family Concert on 19 June, we asked conductor, composer and educator Aaron Wyatt to share a little about his music, motivations, and managing life’s many moving parts.

Aaron Wyatt seated on a stall, playing violin and wearing a red beanie.

Hi Aaron, please tell us about your piece that the TSO will perform (with you on the podium) for our concert Australia: One Land, Many Stories.

The Things Which Are Most Important Don't Always Scream the Loudest was actually my first piece for full orchestra. The references to nature in the piece come from the local Noongar (traditional Indigenous language of south-west WA) words for the four classical elements of Boodjar (earth), Maar (wind), Kep (water), and Kaal (fire).

I wrote it for the opening of the Bob Hawke College performing arts centre in Perth, which is why it takes its name from a hopefully totally not made up Bob Hawke quote (it's hard to find reliable sources for quotes on the internet). The piece was meant to be a kind of humble fanfare to reflect the egalitarian ethos that the school strives for.

In your Boyer lecture you talk about the importance of music education in remote areas and in particular in Indigenous communities. What role can orchestras and their communities play in increasing opportunities for aspiring musicians in regional areas?

It's a really tricky problem with no easy solution. I think one possible way forward is for orchestras to really commit to regional touring programs, and to try to maintain relationships with the communities that they visit well after they've returned home.

Whether that's in the form of follow-up visits from smaller chamber ensembles, or bringing kids from the regions to the cities to see concerts or engage in workshops, or something else entirely, would depend on the exact situation. Even though online instrumental lessons are less than ideal, using them to supplement less frequent, in-person lessons can be a way to maintain some continuity as well.

But of course all of this comes at a cost. So it really needs a government in office that is prepared to invest money in both the arts and in education, and that can see the value and importance in that.

What are you currently working on (and how do you manage the juggle!)?

Too many things! Currently making my way through a stack of commissions, preparing for a few different conducting engagements, and trying not to put off writing my PhD too much.

As well as trying to balance out work and family life with a small toddler to worry about.

For me, there's definitely no such thing as a typical day. Although I will say that far too much of my compositional output gets written between the hours of 10pm and 3am. Would not recommend, even though it is guaranteed quiet time.

You've won a spot in the Australian Conducting Academy – what are you most looking forward to with this training program?

For any emerging conductor, one of the most difficult things is getting access to time in front of an orchestra. So the Australian Conducting Academy has been so incredibly invaluable on that front.

And it helps that it's with such an amazing mentor in Ben Northey and that I'm going through the program with a really supportive group of peers.

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Lastly, what would be your dream conducting gig?

At the risk of sounding corny, I always feel like my dream conducting gig is the next one.

It's such a huge privilege to be able to work as a conductor in any capacity with the major performing arts organisations in this country, and it's certainly not something I would ever take for granted.

Aaron Wyatt is a violist, violinist, conductor, composer, programmer, and academic. Originally from Perth, he spent many years performing as a regular casual with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra before moving to Melbourne to take up an assistant lecturer position at Monash University. In 2021 he became the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a state symphony orchestra in concert, and has since gone on to have engagements with the Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. As a composer, Aaron has written for Ensemble Offspring, GreyWing Ensemble, Ensemble Dutala, and is currently Artist in Residence with Speak Percussion.

Aaron Wyatt will conduct One Land, Many Stories with the TSO on 19 June.

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Meet the Musicians: Principal Trumpet Fletcher Cox

2 June 2025.
Fletcher Cox describes his musical career so far as ‘one giant adventure’. From singing a solo in New York's Carnegie Hall, to sitting alongside his old music teacher at WASO, we chat with Fletch about what it's taken to get to his dream role at the TSO.
Fletcher Cox holding a trumpet

Fletcher, congratulations on your appointment as TSO Principal Trumpet!

Thank you so much – I’m over the moon. Being a part of an orchestra has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager (a dream that sometimes felt very out of reach). To have been welcomed into such a talented pool of musicians and just a wonderful group of people is something I’m so grateful for. I couldn’t be happier!

What did it take to get to this point in your career?

I’d describe my journey prior to the TSO as one giant adventure. As with any adventure, it’s had its fair share of ups and downs and I’m grateful for everyone who’s helped guide me and for each experience that got me to this point.

I have moved around a lot for work, so joining the TSO means I finally have the opportunity to establish some roots.

It’s like letting go of a breath I’ve been holding for several years and it feels amazing.

We love adventures! Please tell us more about your career journey.

As a freelance musician, I lived and worked all around the country with most of the state orchestras, including extended contracts with WASO and taking part in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle with QSO. I’m also a proud alumnus of the Sydney Symphony Fellowship Program, the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Perth Modern School.

All these experiences helped me tackle my biggest hurdle – getting to the other side of an audition process. They’re often likened to the Olympics for musicians … and aptly so! Since my first audition in 2017, I’ve taken over 18 auditions for full-time positions with professional orchestras around the country.

Can you share a memorable moment from your early music life?

I wasn’t the most dedicated trumpet student in my early years and my trumpet teacher had an uphill battle trying to help me fix my embouchure, which led to several suggestions of maybe pursuing a different path. Fast forward several years, I was back in Perth working as Acting Associate Principal Trumpet for WASO, and one of the guest musicians in that week was none other than my high school teacher. He couldn’t stop saying how proud he was (and shocked!). We still keep in touch to this day and laugh about it.

Another story is actually to do with singing. I was heavily involved in my high school choir and later joined a local choir in Perth that ended up travelling to New York for a massed choral performance with Grammy Award–winning composer Eric Whitacre in Carnegie Hall. One of his pieces needed a soloist – I auditioned and he ended up choosing me! There was no time for a soundcheck, so my first time singing the solo in Carnegie Hall was during the performance itself. Thankfully, by all accounts it went well, and it became an experience that helped me trust in my abilities and made me really consider music as a viable option for a career.

Selfi of Fletcher Cox with an historic European city in the background.

In Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic earlier this year.

Fletcher Cox wearing sunglasses, with his hands in his pockets, on holiday in a European city.

Recent travels in Prague.

How do you find living in Hobart so far? And is there something you’re still getting used to?

I love the natural beauty and walkability of the city. I still pinch myself every time I get a good mountain view from the top of my street or look out over the wharf and see the beautiful seascapes.

I also love that I can really feel a strong sense of community and local pride. Tasmanians seem to have an openness and generosity that’s really distinctive. It’s so special.

As to the ‘getting used to’ side of things, you can probably guess my answer. Having grown up in 40° summers, I’m bracing for my first Tasmanian winter. But I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got my puffer jacket and my central heating ready to go – now all I need is a good recipe for mulled wine!

What are your interests aside from music?

I’ve had a few hobbies over the years, but the ones that have persisted are travelling, gardening and collecting gin.

Having amassed quite the collection while pursuing the latter, I’ll have to figure out how to slowly transport it down to Hobart. If only there were some distilleries in Tasmania to tide me over until then (he said with a gleam in his eyes).

My most recent travel adventures have taken me to the Czech Republic and Germany and I’m set to go to France in July.

Conversely, travelling has made gardening a hard hobby to maintain, but I’m looking forward to finally being able to cultivate a little garden of my own.

Mark [TSO Tutti Trumpet Mark Bain], in addition to being an amazing trumpet colleague, is also quite the skilled gardener and I’m looking forward to picking his brains about how to look after plants in Hobart. He’s even given me a small herb garden to get me started.

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Fletcher, third from right, performing with the Cat Empire in 2024.

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Fletcher (middle) and Mark Bain (second from right) with colleagues in Hobart's St David's Cathedral.

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Five minutes with Australian composer Iain Grandage

26 May 2025.

Composer, musician and festival director Iain Grandage is driven by a passion for creating space on major stages for artists whose voices have long gone unheard.

Over a 30-year career spanning opera, theatre, dance, and orchestral music, he has become one of Australia’s most respected collaborative artists – and a champion of First Nations storytellers.

He recently completed a five-year tenure as Artistic Director of Perth Festival, where he fused large-scale events with deep place-based storytelling.

This winter, his percussion concerto Dances with Devils is performed by Claire Edwardes and the TSO in our 6pm concert Psycho! (5 June).

We caught up with Iain to hear about the gothic tales that inspired the piece – and the ingenious percussion contraption Claire will be wearing on stage.

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Composer Iain Grandage.

Hi Iain, please tell us about your collaboration with percussionist Claire Edwardes – and the unusual ‘contraption’ that we’ll see her wear during our concert on 5 June.

Claire and I have worked together for many years, and she's always up for pushing boundaries. For one section of the concerto, Dances with Devils, she needs to play tubular bells with a shifting pitch.

So, we built a contraption together that lets her lower the bells into water mid-performance, creating this eerie, warped sound.

It starts with a euphoric glockenspiel solo, but slowly descends into a much darker, more internal emotional space, and the theatre of submerging the bells supports this.

Claire Edwardes performing with the 'contraption' she and Iain built for Dances with Devils.

The concerto draws on gothic stories from Australia’s colonial past. What drew you to that theme?

This all began with a dance work I developed over several years with the brilliant Sally Richardson – who now works with Ten Days on the Island. She introduced me to a trove of unsettling colonial-era gothic tales. Although that original score is separate, when the opportunity arose to write a concerto for Claire – an incredible soloist and charismatic presence on stage – I returned to those narratives.

At their heart, these stories are about fear and strength. They're set in the Australian bush - a landscape that for the colonial imagination (when the stories were written) embodied mystery and danger. That sense of vastness and isolation speaks to unsettled internal worlds as well as the external landscape.

Could you share more about the specific stories that inspired each movement?

The first movement is based on Barbara Baynton’s The Chosen Vessel – a harrowing story about a woman left alone in the bush, terrified of a returning swagman. A passing rider hears her cries for help but mistakes her for a ghost and rides on. The music echoes the tension of that moment, with marimba and triplet rhythms suggesting horse hooves.

The second movement is a Sarabande inspired by Edward Dyson’s The Conquering Bush, where a woman is driven to a tragic decision by the overwhelming sound of birds and her own isolation. This is where we use water to alter the pitch of the instruments – symbolising a psychological unravelling.

The final movement is a kind of gothic release: a wild Tarantella inspired by Lola Montez and her scandalous Spider Dance, which wowed the Australian goldfields in the 1850s. It’s defiant and exhilarating – just like Claire.

You recently finished up as Artistic Director of Perth Festival. What’s next?

I’m curating a concert series at UKARIA in Adelaide – four concerts a year, blending new commissions with more familiar works.

It’s specifically with pop and crossover artists like Kate Miller-Heidke and Missy Higgins, and this year, Grace Barbé and Mama Kin. No Tasmanians yet, but I’m working on it!

On the composing side, I’m still writing for film and orchestral commissions. But more and more, I find joy in creating space for others.

Championing artists – especially First Nations artists – has been a long-standing part of my work, and I want the future to reflect the full richness and diversity of voices we have in this country.

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Big feelings and goosebumps.

21 May 2025

We have a collection of concerts coming up in Federation Concert Hall that will give you goosebumps.

Nothing to do with the chilly weather, everything to do with big feelings.

Love on stage, vivacious conductors, stories of trolls and desperate escapes, and a self-proclaimed "yankee diva".

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TSO powerhouse shine in Sinfonia Concertante

Husband and wife Ji Won Kim and Caleb Wright share the spotlight as co-soloists in Mozart’s sunny and profound work, Sinfonia Concertante.

Calling Tassie home since 2023, you may have seen Ji Won (Associate Concertmaster) and Caleb (Principal Viola) on stage already, this time they step out of their sections and join forces.

See Concert
A man playing an instrument.
How much does a conductor change the way the music sounds?

A lot, actually. And you'll hear it firsthand in this concert with Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto.

Famous for his spirited concerts that take you deep into the culture of Finnish folk music, Kuusisto will bring his own arrangements of songs from his childhood to Tassie. We guarantee you won't hear these anywhere else. He'll lead from the podium in a dance of sorts, violin in hand while directing the orchestra.

The night finishes (or Finnishes?) with Kuusisto's interpretation of Beethoven's Symphony No 1 – bound to be strikingly different to any rendition heard on our stage before.

Known for his artistic freedom and innovative approach to repertoire, Kuusisto will bring one of the most unique orchestral performances of the year to the TSO.

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The Big Bang Theory

Joseph Haydn’s epic oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation) tackles no less a theme than the creation of the universe. 

Haydn brings his unbounded musical imagination to this grand story, painting vivid pictures of Adam and Eve in paradise, the creation of animals and plants and of course the moment of 'let there be light!'.

You'll feel the power radiating into the concert hall - with the orchestra, chorus, soloists and Eivind Aadland there'll be over 100 people on stage.

And creating a sound so heavenly you'll feel the universe unfolding around you.

See Concert
A woman in an elegant black dress sits gracefully in profile with her hands pressed together, lifted toward her face in a serene, prayer-like gesture. The scene is lit dramatically, with shadows playing against the textured concrete backdrop, highlighting her peaceful expression and stylish short hair.
From the Met Opera to Tasmanian shores

This is a rare opportunity to hear Olivier Award and multi-Grammy Award winning opera singer Joyce DiDonato perform live.

A regular at both the Met Opera and Covent Garden's Royal Opera House – where she famously broke her leg during the opening performance of The Barber of Seville and performed in a wheelchair for the rest of the season!

A self-proclaimed "yankee diva" from Texas, Joyce commands every stage and role she steps into with her impeccable technique and dazzling sound while remaining true to herself.

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Don't wake the mountain trolls

Grieg’s Suite No 1 based on the play Peer Gynt is a bit of a TSO favourite. Maybe it's our Artistic Director Eivind Aadland's Norwegian roots, or maybe it's the sheer fun of playing a musical enactment of a hot-headed peasant running away from mountain trolls.

We start with the blissfully serene and iconic Morning Mood, where our friend Peer awakes in a Moroccan desert before we traipse underground for a dramatic tale of escape, In the Hall of the Mountain King. This piece is neither blissful nor serene, but a gripping and intense musical depiction of Peer being chased by trolls after insulting their king.

Also featuring Mendelssohn's 'Italian' Symphony, this concert will feel like Euro Summer in the middle of June.

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Booking multiple concerts? Create your own package with three or more concerts and enjoy savings.

See all TSO concerts happening across Tasmania here.

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Plan your Off Season with the TSO

20 May 2025

No longer a time to hibernate, winter is one of the best times of year to visit Tasmania.

At the TSO, some of our biggest concerts of 2025 are in the coldest months, including our Dark Mofo collaboration with Robert Ames in June and our gig with pop rock duo Lime Cordiale in August.

We have four major concerts in our Federation Concert Hall Series in winter, including Peer Gynt in late June and Beethoven's Emperor in mid August, as well as two Family Concerts.

To top it off, we have two exciting one-hour concerts at 6pm, Baroque & Roll on 24 July and Obscura 2 | Electronica on 21 August.

Here's a taste of what's on offer at the TSO this Off Season.

A piano.
In the Hall of the Mountain King

This concert begins with crowd favourite, Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Suite No 1. This famous piece opens with the blissfully serene Morning Mood, and concludes with the intensely dramatic In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Then, the TSO is joined by Tamara-Anna Cislowska performing Poulenc’s Concert champêtre, followed by Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ symphony.

On the podium is award-winning Finnish conductor Emilia Hoving, making her TSO debut.

Meet the mountain king
An orchestra on stage
Electronica meets orchestra

Violinist and electronica artist Hannah Solveij joins us as curator and soloist for our second Obscura concert for the year (our first sold out, so book early!).

Expect electronic rhythms against a soaring orchestral backdrop.

Sam Weller, the 'mullet wearing super conductor shaking up the classical music world' (The Sydney Morning Herald), directs this hour of experimental music at Hobart's Odeon Theatre.

Book Obscura
Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk
Prepare to swoon

Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is one of the best-loved works for piano and orchestra, performed here by the TSO and acclaimed pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk.

The Russian connection continues in the second half of the concert with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, a compilation of the most beautiful episodes from Stravinsky’s luscious ballet score.

The concert starts with the Suite No 1 from Falla’s Spanish-themed ballet The Three-Cornered Hat.

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Cellist Jonathan Bekes
Baroque chaos at 6pm

This is the concert for anyone who thinks orchestral music is too slow. We think the audience will love this hour of Baroque madness.

Starting with Rebel's take on the explosive creation of life on Earth, this concert also includes music from Handel’s opera Orlando, Rameau’s Suite from Zoroastre and (leaping forward in time) a piece by Australian composer Joe Chindamo.

Our viola player Will Newbery will once again be on hand with his expert insights, delivered with his usual dry humour.

Starring mezzo-soprano Caitlin Shulcup and conducted by Benjamin Bayl.

Baroque & Roll!
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Indie pop meets orchestra

Get ready for a genre-bending spectacle as pop-rock duo Lime Cordiale teams up with TSO for an unforgettable concert! Experience their biggest hits like never before—lush, cinematic, and more electrifying than ever.

Experience favourite tracks like Robbery, Temper Temper, Dirt Cheap and more like never before. 

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Beethoven's most brilliant work for piano

Spanish pianist Javier Perianes returns to Tasmania to play Beethoven’s incomparable ‘Emperor’, the most brilliant and symphonic of the composer's five piano concertos.

The concert opens with Through the Eye of the Pegasus, a powerful new score by contemporary Swedish composer Albert Schnelzer.

It ends with Robert Schumann's Symphony No 2, one of the great symphonies of the Romantic Age.

Under the direction of our Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Eivind Aadland, this is a truly must-see experience.

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Dark Mofo collaboration

British conductor, curator and arranger Robert Ames collaborates with the likes of Philip Glass and Taylor Swift, blending classical tradition and contemporary music.

In Hobart for this year's Dark Mofo, Ames joins with the TSO for two nights, performing his work To The Silent Earth, I Flow.

Under Ames's curation and direction, the TSO will present a symphony of abstract waterscapes melodic streams, trickling textures, currents of creation and dissolution.

Leap into the dark
Booking multiple concerts? Create your own package with three or more concerts and enjoy savings (excludes Lime Cordiale and Dark Mofo).
See all TSO concerts happening across Tasmania here.

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Engaging with students across Tasmania's North West

12 May 2025.

Earlier this month, TSO musicians spent a packed week on the road in the North West, connecting with young people, educators and community musicians.

Supported by our education team – Kim Waldock and Jack Machin – our musicians engaged with nearly 3,000 students through 24 school performances and eight community ensemble visits.

‘By basing ourselves just outside of Burnie, we were able to traverse the northwestern coast line visiting Stanley, Forth, Burnie, Ulverstone, Somerset, Hillcrest, Devonport and Latrobe, says Kim.

By day, the TSO’s Science and Sound shows allowed school students to explore the relationship between music and physics in a fun, interactive setting. In the evenings, TSO musicians worked side-by-side with local ensembles, sharing encouragement, coaching and musical insight.

The week long residency was supported by Variety Tasmania, with CEO Mohammad Aldergham (pictured below left with TSO team members) describing it as a valuable experience for young people across the region.

'As a Community Partner of the TSO, we're proud to support the orchestra in bringing this valuable educational experience to children on the North West Coast – many of whom may not have had the opportunity to experience a program like Science and Sound,' Mohammad says.

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The TSO's Jack Machin, Jennifer Owen and Rachel Kelly with Variety Tasmania CEO Mohammad Aldergham.

Young students learning to play musical instruments with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra musicians.

Photo courtesy of Crescendo Music Hub.

The support of Variety Tasmania made the entire week-long residency free for all participating schools, bringing us closer to achieving our vision: that every Tasmanian child will experience their orchestra by Grade 3.

Deepest thanks also to Launceston Airport, our Presenting Partner for Northern Tasmania, for helping us reach more music lovers across the state.

TSO Artistic Development Director Kim Waldock says it was a wonderful opportunity to support the dedicated teachers and ensemble leaders of the region.

‘There are many, many faithful music educators and ensemble directors who have been working with young people and community musicians in the North for many years, and this is our way of supporting them and endorsing their efforts,’ says Kim.

'Here’s to the educators, community leaders, students and musicians who make the North West such a musically vibrant place. We’re already looking forward to our next visit.'

Young students learning to play musical instruments with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra musicians.

Photo courtesy of Crescendo Music Hub.

A group of school students play brass and woodwind instruments in a classroom band rehearsal. The students are seated with music stands in front of them, playing saxophones, euphoniums, and tubas, while colorful educational posters decorate the walls behind them.

Photo courtesy of Crescendo Music Hub.

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News

Protecting Tasmania's orchestra

9 May 2025.

We're calling for legislated protection of TSO operations and revenue during and after construction of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium.

Our CEO Caroline Sharpen says the planned stadium at Macquarie Point would have a direct impact on the TSO’s operations and revenue, during stadium construction and operation.

‘The planned stadium is just 170m from the TSO’s highly sensitive recording, livestream and broadcast facilities including Federation Concert Hall,’ Caroline says.

‘We’ve identified a range of controls that, if adopted together, will help to protect our concert hall, recording facilities and operations.’

Learn more about the TSO’s intensive activities at 1 Davey St, Hobart in this behind-the-scenes video.

The TSO has engaged acoustic, legal and financial consultants to assess and quantify the potential impact on the orchestra of the stadium build and operation and to identify mitigations.

In its response to the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s Draft Integrated Assessment Report (IAR), the TSO has outlined mitigation measures including:

  • additional soundproofing of the TSO’s concert hall, recording and rehearsal studios;
  • legislative protections relating to stadium construction noise and vibration;
  • temporary relocation to other venues for time critical operations such as album recordings; and
  • compensation if concerts or commercial activities need to be cancelled.
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TSO concerts are streamed live and available for delayed viewing. They are shown around Australia via ABC iView and internationally via Symphony.live.

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Multiple cameras give our online viewers more than 300 viewpoints of the orchestra, conductor and soloists.

The total cost of controls is $4.45 million. This includes capital costs of $2.35 million for the proposed engineering, legislative and management controls. The cost of temporarily relocating the orchestra for essential contracted activities, including to suitable alternative studio album recording facilities in Melbourne, is estimated at $2.1 million.

More details are available in the TSO’s full response to the TPC’s Draft IAR.

‘Our work relies upon our facilities and these are highly sensitive to noise and vibration. We cannot leave this to chance – the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra needs legislated protection,’ Caroline says.

‘The orchestra is a strong supporter of the Tasmania Devils and we understand their need for fit-for-purpose facilities. We know how much we rely on our own high-performance centre.’

The TSO is Tasmania’s number one cultural export through its radio and television broadcasts, video on demand, global online streaming and studio album recordings.

‘We are Australia’s most broadcast, streamed and recorded orchestra, reaching millions of people each year, both here and internationally. We’re also an important business in Tasmania employing 237 people directly, including 47 full-time musicians,’ Caroline says.

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