News

‘A dark, brooding and sublime night’: Satu Vänskä in Hobart

28 October 2024

Boundary-pushing violinist and vocalist Satu Vänskä is promising a ‘dark, brooding and sublime’ concert when she teams up with some old friends for a concert in Hobart next month.

Image

Violinist and vocalist Satu Vänskä performing with ACO Underground. Photo by Daniel Boud.

Satu is the founder, curator, front-woman, violinist and vocalist of the critically acclaimed ACO Underground, the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s electro-infused, experimental spinoff project.

Born in Japan, Satu is Finnish and has lived in Australia since early adulthood.

As well as being the Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, she has performed with ACO Underground in venues across Sydney and Melbourne as well as New York.

In Hobart on Thursday 21 November, Satu will join with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra musicians, and her long-time collaborators, Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie on guitar and Violent Femmes’ Brian Ritchie on bass guitar.

The concert at Hobart's Odeon Theatre is the final collaboration in the TSO's Obscura series for 2024 and will feature works by Finnish composers Kaija Saariaho and Jean Sibelius as well as original works by Satu’s husband, violinist Richard Tognetti.

‘It’s a program where I’m going to lead the orchestra, play the violin and sing a couple of songs,’ Satu says.

Describing the format as ‘chamber punk’, Satu says she will also perform a song by English folk rock musician Nick Drake, who died tragically young in the 1970s.

Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil), Satu Vanska (ACO) and Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes) perform Nick Drake’s They're Leaving Me Behind. Courtesy of Northern Beaches.

Satu says she is looking forward to being back in Hobart for what is the TSO’s final Obscura concert for 2024.

It promises to be, she says, a ‘dark and brooding and sublime night’.

While Brian Ritchie is best known internationally as the bassist for American alternative rock band Violent Femmes, he is well known in Tasmania as a multi-instrumentalist and for curating Mona events such as Mona Foma.

While Ritchie has worked with the TSO on many projects, this will be the orchestra’s first collaboration with guitarist, songwriter and author Jim Moginie.

The TSO’s Obscura series at Hobart’s Odeon Theatre returns in 2025 with collaborations with oud player Joseph Tawadros on 14 February, electronic artist Hannah Solveij on 21 August and choreographer Graeme Murphy on 2 October.

In Obscura 3 | Transfiguration, Satu Vänskä, Jim Moginie and Brian Ritchie will perform with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra musicians on Thursday 21 November at 6pm at Hobart's Odeon Theatre. Book now.

Sign up for TSO news

Be the first to hear about TSO concerts, programs and news! Join our mailing list today.

Sign Up