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'Classical to heavy metal': TSO heads to Westbury

17 October 2024.

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra will take over the Westbury Town Hall on October 25 for a sold out concert melding musical genres and showcasing unusual instruments.

Thanks to TSO Principal Cello and Live Sessions curator Jonathan Békés, the concert will include works by The Beatles, Billy Joel and Frank Zappa along with Mendelssohn and Beethoven.

The Westbury Live Sessions follows similar concerts in Queenstown and Sorell earlier this year.

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Live Sessions MC and Curator, Jonathan Békés.

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TSO musicians performed at Queenstown's Paragon Theatre in July 2024.

In this relaxed and family friendly concert, the TSO’s wind section – along with some brass and percussion – will perform classic hits from the ‘80s as well as work by Tasmanian composer Jabra Latham and classical works by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

As well as a diversity of musical genres, a multitude of instruments will be on display, Jonathan says.

‘The winds really suit those synth-y sounds of those ‘80s bangers and I’ve tried to get in as much colour as possible. People are used to seeing flute and oboe, but there’s also piccolo, cor anglais, and a whole multitude of different clarinets. There will be some unusual wind instruments as well, not to mention a couple of horns and a drum kit,’ he says.

Earlier this year the TSO performed a Live Sessions strings concert at Sorell and a brass concert at Queenstown’s Paragon Theatre, which included reimagined versions of Toto’s Rosanna and Rage Against The Machine’s Killing in the Name.

Aside from surprising and delighting the audience, another aim of Live Sessions is to showcase the work of Tasmanian musician and composers.

The recent Queenstown concert featured original work by Tasmanian composer (and former TSO Principal Tuba) Tim Jones and the Westbury gig will feature orchestral arrangements by local musician and composer Jabra Latham.

Jonathan says he loves the freedom that comes with curating the Live Sessions concerts.

‘I like that it’s a completely blank slate and there are no rules and no conventions. It goes from anything that’s beautifully classical to heavy rock and everywhere in between,’ he says.

‘The whole point is that it’s completely out of the box. There is good music to be found everywhere, and surprising people is what it’s all about.’

While most concert goers enjoy the laid-back, high-energy format, it is not quite universally loved.

‘Mostly the feedback from audiences is really positive, but we do get some responses from people who haven’t liked something. If I didn’t get those responses I wouldn’t be doing my job. If people come with an open mind and a willingness to not see what they’ve always seen, they’ll have a lot of fun,’ Jonathan says.

Jonathan has been the TSO’s Principal Cello since 2021. He originally hails from Sydney, where he was raised on an eclectic diet of classical and contemporary music.

‘My mum is a piano teacher and has much more of a classical focus, while my dad (a visual artist), and loves the music of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Between the two of them I’ve learnt to appreciate a lot of different music,’ he says.

Stay tuned for soon-to-be-announced Live Sessions concerts across Tasmania in 2024. Visit our Live Sessions page for more information and sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear about new events.

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