What’s on for Queensland Symphony Orchestra 2016

I am always surprised at just how excited I am at the launch of a new Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) season program and then disappointed that I have let another year go by.

I have to concede that I am not a regular QSO subscriber and each year at the launch I wonder why the hell not! On August 13 at the wonderful concert hall at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) the 2016 QSO program was unveiled, and this time we were right on our phones booking seats for the wonderful things to come such as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark with live orchestra music in February and QSO with Tom Thum (international beatboxer and QSO artist-in-residence) appearing for one night at the Brisbane Festival in September after a sell-out show this past May. Tom Thum demonstrated his remarkable talent on the night during an interview with launch host ABC Radio National’s Richard Aedy. Check out Tom & QSO’s interview here.

it’s seriously cool stuff. We also booked in for the QSO WorldBeat event in February, The Year of the Monkey to bring in the Chinese New Year with a fusion of traditional Chinese music, Western masterpieces and Qigang Chen’s Reflection of a Vanished Time. The other wonderful experience for the evening was the appearance of ensemble-in-residence The Australian Voices who left me with chills and a true appreciation for the acoustics of the concert hall.

This year QSO has unveiled a great new initiative to help younger audiences get along to their shows (and really take the word ‘younger’ lightly) – the Young Professional Circle is a social networking group that meet-up to attend concerts with others who are interested in classical music so nobody needs to go it alone. The package for 2016 includes QSO plays Mahler (Feb 27), Beethoven Cycle #1 (May 21), Lang Lang (June 14) and Bella Italia! (October 20). Aside from the programmed performances, there are also special events planned for the Circle from winery tastings to exclusive parties and behind the scenes meetings. It’s a great way to dip ones toe into the world of orchestra without feeling overwhelmed.

The 2016 QSO program is high gloss and bursting at the seams with a huge year of music ahead from the likes of De La Parra, Damidenko, Lang Lang (his name caused much excitement in the crowd), Young, and Venegrov.

The extensive program information can be found online at the QSO website, and for more information about the Young Professionals Circle check out their website. With discounted early bookings it’s a great idea to plan the year of music ahead of us.