PRINCIPAL PARTNER ACO COLLECTIVE 29 APRIL ˜ 8 MAY... · ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Born Mar del Plata, ......

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS

29 APRIL – 8 MAYWA TOUR

PRINCIPAL PARTNER ACO COLLECTIVE

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA2

MESSAGE FROM THEMANAGING DIRECTOR

Richard Evans

Rather than four seasons in one day, we give you 12 seasons in one concert!

Antonio Vivaldi, whose name is synonymous with the Four Seasons opts for a

very literal approach, delivering meteorological tone paintings. While in South

American tango master Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons, you can hear the bustle of

the streets and inhale the aromas of Buenos Aires. And Philip Glass, the mercurial

American composer, leaves the assignation of which movement is which season

entirely up to the listener!

It is a great pleasure to welcome Finnish violinist, composer and leader Pekka

Kuusisto as Artistic Director of ACO Collective in 2016. The musicians of ACO

Collective represent the country’s finest young string players, with many going on

to careers with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the ACO.

We were delighted that Pekka and ACO Collective opened our 2016 season in

February with an 11-concert tour, thrilling audiences around the country with our

inspiring program, Beethoven & The 21st Century.

In 2016, we also welcome Wesfarmers as ACO Collective’s Principal Partner.

Thanks to their generosity and vision, we are able to continue our extensive

regional touring and education programs.

On a personal note, it’s a privilege to take on the role as Managing Director of the

ACO, and I look forward to many exciting seasons ahead.

Wesfarmers’ association with the Australian Chamber Orchestra goes back a

long way. Eighteen years after we first worked together to bring this wonderful

orchestra to Perth on a regular basis, we are now delighted to be able to help the

ACO reach out into our regional communities in Western Australia and beyond

as the Principal Partner of ACO Collective.

This tour – ACO Collective’s first regional tour under the leadership of its first

Artistic Director Pekka Kuusisto – will show communities across Western

Australia the vitality and energy that has delighted audiences right across the

country since the ensemble was formed as ACO2 in 2007.

It is a privilege and a joy to support the tremendous work of the ACO as part of

our commitment to making a broader contribution to the communities in which

we live and work. We hope you enjoy this performance as much as we have

enjoyed bringing it to you.

Richard Goyder AO

Managing Director

Wesfarmers

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA 3

MESSAGE FROM THETOUR PARTNER


PROGRAM

Pekka Kuusisto Artistic Director & Violin

ACO Collective

VIVALDI The Four Seasons, Op.8, Nos.1–4

PIAZZOLLA (arr. Desyatnikov) The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

PHILIP GLASS Violin Concerto No.2 ‘The American Four Seasons’

This concert will run for approximately one hour and 50 minutes, including

a 20-minute interval.

ALBANY

Entertainment Centre

Fri 29 Apr, 7.30pm

BUNBURY

Regional Entertainment Centre

Wed 4 May, 7pm

GERALDTON

Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross

Sun 8 May, 3pm

MANDURAH

Oakmont Theatre, Frederick Irwin Anglican School

Fri 6 May, 11am

MANJIMUP

Town Hall

Sun 1 May, 2pm

MARGARET RIVER

Cultural Centre

Tue 3 May, 7pm


ANTONIO VIVALDIBorn Venice, 1678. Died Vienna, 1741.

Vivaldi made a suitably dramatic entrance into the world, during an earthquake.

He was almost two months premature – if his parents’ marriage certificate is a

reliable indication – and the midwife was anxious enough about his health to

conduct an emergency baptism. He was to su� er from a ‘tight chest’, perhaps

either asthma or angina, for the rest of his life.

Venice, the city of his birth, made in any case a dramatic backdrop to a new

life. At the wealthy crossroads of Eastern and European culture and trade,

it had a reasonable claim to possessing the finest musicians, artists, writers

and artisans. The cathedral of St Mark had been a major musical powerhouse

for more than a hundred years; but what the city really thrived on was opera.

Canaletto, for example, learned his craft painting scenery. Young guns of

the aristocracy flaunted their investments in opera houses, in a fashion not

entirely unlike ‘dotcoms’ (and often with a similar rate of success). Vivaldi,

despite being known to us today almost solely through his concertos, spent

a considerable portion of his compositional life devoted to the stage, and it

would be nice to think that this interest in drama spilled over into the strong

contrasts found within his instrumental music.

In 1703, Vivaldi was newly ordained as a priest and was employed by the

Ospedale della Pietà, where opera was very definitely not a priority. A nun-run

orphanage for girls, by the time Vivaldi arrived as violin master and composer

in residence it already had a good reputation for music. He seems to have

done so well at teaching his pupils that the Pietà saved on their payroll and

didn’t renew his appointment in 1709. He was back again in 1711. It is probably

not a coincidence that earlier that year he had had his greatest compositional

successes to date, with the publication of concertos collectively titled L’estro

armonico and La stravaganza. They were seized upon by enthusiastic

composers all over Europe, and their influence can be seen in the music of JS

Bach and right across the continent to France and Britain. The emphasis on a

three-movement, fast-slow-fast structure was a new step away from traditional

sonatas and concerti grossi, but his greatest innovation was to free up the role

of the single soloist within this framework.

In total we know of about 330 solo concertos by Vivaldi, mostly (about 220)

for violin. The four concertos which make up the ‘Seasons’ were eventually

published as part of a larger collection – 12 in all – that goes by the title


ABOUT THE MUSIC

THE FOUR SEASONS, OP.8, NOS 1–4

Spring, in E major, RV269

I. Allegro

II. Largo

III. Allegro

Summer, in G minor, RV315

I. Allegro non molto

II. Adagio

III. Presto

Autumn, in F major, RV293

I. Allegro

II. Adagio molto

III. Allegro

Winter, in F minor, RV297

I. Allegro non molto

II. Largo

III. Allegro

Antonio Vivaldi

Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’invenzione, or The Contest between Harmony

and Invention. The translation requires a bit of understanding at this distance

– probably it was intended to suggest a struggle between the established

formality of counterpoint ‘rules’ and the individual creative impulse.

The Four Seasons is unquestionably Vivaldi’s best-known work; among the

most-often recorded pieces in history, and the source of his continuing fame.

Each concerto represents a season, which is a subject understood by everyone.

Even without knowledge of the sonnets which accompanied the concertos

(by an unknown poet, possibly Vivaldi himself), a listener can guess at the

picture being drawn in music. There were countless performances during the

composer’s lifetime, which was not always the case in an era which valued the

new and innovative.

Concertos, though, however publicly rewarding, were not enough. Vivaldi was

drawn irresistibly to opera, and it proved his undoing. He encountered a series

of financial and artistic woes, which eventually made it prudent for him to

leave his beloved Venice and travel north in search of further encouragement

from Emperor Charles VI. Unfortunately, Charles died (from eating poisonous

mushrooms) not long afterwards, in October 1740. Vivaldi was by then an old

man, and less than a year later he too was dead, laid to rest with minimal fuss

in the commoners’ cemetery in foreign Vienna. His funeral was held in the

local parish place of worship: St Stephen’s Cathedral, where among the young

choirboys was one Joseph Haydn.

Like other Baroque composers, Vivaldi’s music all but disappeared during the

19th century and the first half of the 20th, until the early music revival began

to gain some traction with audiences. The Seasons also lend themselves to

adventurous adaptation, not always successfully; the solo violin line has been

earnestly thieved by most other treble instruments, but also by voice (singing

the sonnets), cello, harp, bassoon, kazoo, the Cambridge Buskers (accordion

and tin whistle) and so on. It is the work which took Nigel Kennedy to fame

outside the usual range of classical audiences.

And so it can prove to be a challenge for serious performers. There is the

psychological weight of all those other versions – what is left for ‘me’ to say? It

is quite physically tiring to perform all four concertos in one concert. There are

the technical demands of its virtuoso solo parts, which are considerable. And

ideally it should sound as fresh as if we were all hearing it for the first, surprising,

delightful time; those are birds, there are icicles cracking, that’s a storm. . .



ASTOR PIAZZOLLABorn Mar del Plata, 1921. Died Buenos Aires, 1992.

Piazzolla, although considered the quintessential Argentinian composer, in

fact spent many of his formative years in New York, growing up tough and

streetwise. He retained his ‘Little Italy’ American accent all his life. It was

his accordion-playing father who purchased his first bandoneón (a type of

accordion which is at the heart of tango bands) from a second-hand shop.

Hoping to find a better life than in Depression-hit America, the Piazzollas

returned to Argentina in 1930. Nine months later they went back to New York,

where the budding musician would dress up as an adult and sneak into the jazz

clubs of Harlem.

Other important musical influences also made their mark at this time. The

Piazzollas’ next-door neighbour was Bela Wilda, a former pupil of Rachmanino� .

Astor grew to love the sound of the piano in the next apartment; and from

Wilda he learned to read music and to foster a lifelong adoration of Bach.

In 1935 the famous tango singer Carlos Gardel visited New York. Vincente

Piazzolla sent his son over to the Argentinian idol’s apartment with a gift. In

a scene straight out of Hollywood, the apartment’s owner had locked himself

out and asked the adolescent Astor to scramble through a window. In return,

Gardel gave him two signed photos and breakfast. Astor became something of

an uno� icial translator and ‘gofer’ for Gardel, soaking up the tango sounds until

the singer’s death in an accident two years later.

In 1937, the Piazzollas again returned to their homeland, where Vicente opened

a bicycle shop and a bar called Nueva York. Tango groups played in the bar,

as did Astor. This was the beginning of Piazzolla’s real interest in the tango.

The music was everywhere, and on the radio he heard the more innovative

approach of some high-profile ‘orquestas típicas’ – tango bands. However, he

loathed the hidebound approach of tango traditionalists.

His heart was really with classical music. He had a good job with one of the

top orquestas típicas, playing for Aníbal Troilos, but he also took composition

lessons with Alberto Ginastera, whom Piazzolla later described as ‘a better

composer than teacher’. Yet he was always grateful for the grounding in

composition, orchestration and harmony which he received.

In 1946 Piazzolla started his own band, but his love of the classics kept wider

popular success at bay. He was writing ‘for ears, not for dancing’, and this

confused and annoyed many tango aficionados. Much of his income was drawn

from film scores – a medium in which he felt free to experiment musically.

FOUR SEASONS OF BUENOS AIRES

(ESTACIONES PORTEÑAS)

Composed 1964-1970.

I. Buenos Aires Autumn

(Otoño Porteño)

II. Buenos Aires Winter

(Invierno Porteño)

III. Buenos Aires Spring

(Primavera Porteña)

IV. Buenos Aires Summer

(Verano Porteño)

Astor Piazzolla

In the early 1950s, one of his ‘serious’ orchestral scores (Buenos Aires, Op.15)

won a prestigious competition. The premiere caused a riot. The conductor

stood on stage with Piazzolla and watched the rival groups of tango

traditionalists and ‘evolutionists’, reminding him of the similar reception of

The Rite of Spring. Piazzolla also gained an important prize: the chance to go

to Paris and study with Nadia Boulanger, teacher and mentor of Stravinsky,

Copland, Virgil Thomson and countless others.

Boulanger’s success as a teacher can perhaps be measured best by the

individuality she encouraged in her students. In Piazzolla’s case, she compelled

him (against his better instincts) to play his bandoneón for her.

‘This is Piazzolla,’ she said afterwards. ‘Don’t ever leave it.’ His unique blend of

tango, jazz and classical music is at the heart of his popular acclaim. He went

on to form various ensembles to record and play his music. His synthesis of

styles became known as tango nuevo.

Piazzolla’s four ‘seasons’ were originally individual tangos written for his

quintet of violin, piano, guitar, bass and bandoneón. They weren’t written as a

set, but were composed gradually between 1964 and 1970, and Piazzolla only

occasionally performed them all together. Indeed the form in which we hear

them here – with a virtuosic solo violin and obvious references to Vivaldi –

would be surprising to Piazzolla for whom the works were simply some of many

tango nuevo (or ‘new tango’) compositions he wrote.

The Brazilian composer and producer Jaques Morelenbaum was the first to

extend the concept, arranging all four seasons for an instrumental ensemble

in 1991 and coining the title, The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Then, later in

the decade, after Piazzolla’s death, the Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov

conceived of the idea of matching these seasons to Vivaldi’s own, arranging the

work for violin and string orchestra, and incorporating the snatches of Vivaldi’s

own seasons which makes this version so beguiling. But also clever: recognising

that Venice in winter coincides with the Buenos Airean summer, Desyatnikov

incorporates Vivaldi’s winter into Piazzolla’s summer, and so on. The final result

is a unique bridge between the highly familiar world of Vivaldi’s concertos and

the sultry mystery of the Argentinian tango.



PHILIP GLASSBorn Baltimore, 1937.

Philip Glass is best known as one of the founding composers of minimalism

in the 1960s, along with Steve Reich, Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Born in

Baltimore, Maryland, Glass studied at the Juilliard School and after that, went to

Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. While in Paris, he was hired to transcribe

Ravi Shankar’s score for Chappaqua into western musical notation. And it was

in Shankar’s extraordinary music that Glass heard the possibilities for his own

compositional voice to come to the fore.

Glass has written more than 50 film scores, as well as music for opera, dance,

theatre, chamber ensemble and orchestra. The ‘minimalist’ label is applied

freely to all of Glass’ compositions, but he prefers to call it ‘music with repetitive

structures’, as the very word ‘minimal’ infers simplicity when quite often, they

are anything but. . .

Glass’ second violin concerto, scored for solo violin, strings and synthesizer

was written for American violinist Robert McDu� ie. McDu� ie explained the

work’s genesis:

“I’d always been in love with [Vivaldi’s Four Seasons]. I thought it would be

fantastic to create a project where the Four Seasons could be combined with

a modern piece. Then I thought: ‘Oh my gosh. Philip Glass is America’s Vivaldi!

Wow. That’s perfect. I’m going to go to him and tell him that’. . . ”

So Robert McDu� ie met Philip Glass in his house in New York’s East Village.

“I said: ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I think that you’re America’s Vivaldi.’ And he

answered, ‘I am honored. . . He’s a genius and I love that comparison. Thank you

very much.’”

McDu� ie did not hold back when laying out what he wanted Glass to produce

when writing this concerto:

“I want it to be the same instrumentation as Vivaldi, but instead of the

harpsichord I want you to use the synthesizer and to tap into the indigenous

Philip Glass rock ‘n’ roll kickass texture that turned David Bowie on to your

music, that turned David Byrne on to your music, and that turned Paul Simon

on to your music. I want that indigenous Philip Glass sound to come through

so that people can hear the sound of the Philip Glass ensemble.”

VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.2,

‘THE AMERICAN FOUR SEASONS’

Composed 2009

Movement I

Movement 2

Movement 3

Movement 4

Philip Glass

‘The American Four Seasons’ was premiered in Toronto on 9 December

2009. Whereas Vivaldi’s Seasons have accompanying sonnets and the works

themselves indicate which of the seasons is being depicted, Glass and

McDu� ie disagreed so adamantly on which was which in his concerto that they

decided to leave it up to the listener. In addition to the four ‘seasons’, Glass

wrote four solo pieces (a Prologue and three songs), rather like cadenzas.

The composer himself wrote of the work:

The Violin Concerto No.2 was composed for Robert McDu� ie in the Summer

and Autumn of 2009. The work was preceded by several years of occasional

exchanges between Bobby and myself. He was interested in music that

would serve as a companion piece to the Vivaldi “Four Seasons” concertos.

I agreed to the idea of a four-movement work but at the outset was not

sure how that correspondence would work in practice – between the Vivaldi

concertos and my own music. However, Bobby encouraged me to start with

my composition and we would see in due time how it would relate to the

very well-known original.

When the music was completed I sent it onto Bobby, who seemed to have

quickly seen how the movements of my Concerto No.2 related to the “Seasons.”

Of course, Bobby’s interpretation, though similar to my own, proved to be also

somewhat di� erent. This struck me as an opportunity, then, for the listener to

make his/her own interpretation. Therefore, there will be no instructions for the

audience, no clues as to where Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall might appear

in the new concerto – an interesting, though not worrisome, problem for the

listener. After all, if Bobby and I are not in complete agreement, an independent

interpretation can be tolerated and even welcomed. (The mathematical

possibilities, or permutations, of the puzzle are in the order of 24.)

Apart from that, I would only add that, instead of the usual cadenza, I provided

a number of solo pieces for Bobby – thinking that they could be played

together as separate concert music when abstracted from the whole work.

They appear in the concerto as a “prelude” to the first movement and three

“songs” that precede each of the following three movements.

All notes by Australian Chamber Orchestra © 2016



Recently described by one critic as a musician “who surely has the most

personal sound of any classical violinist now alive”, Pekka Kuusisto is

internationally renowned for his fresh approach to the repertoire. An advocate

of new music, Kuusisto works with composers such as Nico Muhly, Daniel

Bjarnason, Thomas Adès and Sebastian Fagerlund. As soloist, he performs

with Seattle, Toronto, BBC Scottish, Singapore and Cincinnati symphony

orchestras, as well as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic,

MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Bamberger Symphoniker, Orquesta Sinfónica

de Galicia and Philharmonia Orchestra.

Collaborating with performers across the artistic spectrum, Kuusisto joined

forces with actress Seela Sella and director Kristian Smeds for a new theatrical

production Tabu at the Finnish National Theatre, which featured Kuusisto as

both composer and performer. A keen chamber musician, regular partners

include Anne Sofie von Otter, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Nicolas Altstaedt,

Alexander Lonquich and Olli Mustonen.

Kuusisto is widely recognised for his directing work, and, in addition to his

position with ACO Collective, he becomes Artistic Partner with Saint Paul

Chamber Orchestra from September 2016. He also regularly directs the Mahler,

Swedish and Irish chamber orchestras, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and

Britten Sinfonia.

Pekka Kuusisto received the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2013 and is Artistic

Director of the award-winning ‘Our Festival’, based in Sibelius’ home-town. His

latest recording features Fagerlund’s Violin Concerto with the Finnish Radio

Symphony Orchestra (BIS).

Pekka Kuusisto plays a Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini violin of 1754 kindly on

loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

PEKKA KUUSISTOARTISTIC DIRECTOR & VIOLIN

Photo by Mick Bruzzese


ACO Collective is the ACO’s critically acclaimed 17-piece string ensemble which

delivers the ACO’s regional touring and education programs Australia-wide.

ACO Collective (formerly known as ACO2) combines musicians of the ACO with

Australia’s most talented young professional musicians at the outset of their

careers, creating a combined ensemble with a fresh, energetic performance

style. These young professionals have all participated in the ACO’s year-long

Emerging Artists’ Program and are in demand from Australia’s professional

orchestras, but dedicate themselves to the ACO’s high-octane performance

style for intense touring periods.

ACO Collective commenced touring as ACO2 in 2007 and since then has

performed in more than 80 regional centres in every state and territory, all

of Australia’s state capitals, and has toured to Japan. The Ensemble works

regularly with guest artists of the highest calibre, both international and

Australian, including violinists Elizabeth Wallfisch, Benjamin Schmid, Henning

Kraggerud and Thomas Gould; cellist Daniel Müller-Schott; harpist Alice Giles;

recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey; singer/songwriter Tim Freedman from The

Whitlams; and oud player Joseph Tawadros.

In 2013, the ACO presented the Ensemble in a national subscription tour led

by Richard Tognetti and it was named by The Australian as “one of the year’s

must-see concerts”. Biennially, the Ensemble is the Orchestra-in-Residence at

the Vasse Felix Festival in Western Australia and in 2014 it was the Orchestra-

in-Residence at the Canberra International Music Festival.

This year, internationally acclaimed Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto takes up

the inaugural position as ACO Collective Artistic Director. ACO Collective,

under Kuusisto’s direction, opened the ACO’s 2016 National Subscription

season with an 11-concert tour of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra,

Adelaide and Newcastle. ACO Collective will also undertake a tour of regional

New South Wales, under the direction of special guests, the celebrated string

quartet, Meta4, later this year.

ACO COLLECTIVE


MUSICIANS ON STAGE

Violin

Pekka Kuusisto

Zoë Black 1

Benjamin Adler 2

Amy Brookman 3

Peter Clark 3

Madeleine Jevons 3

Liam Keneally

Thibaud Pavlovic-Hobba 1 3

Riley Skevington 2

Rollin Zhao

Viola

Caroline Henbest 1

Nathan Greentree 2

Elizabeth Woolnough 2

Cello

Daniel Yeadon 1

Alexandra Partridge 2

Anna Pokorny 3

Double Bass

Bonita Williams 2

Theorbo

Samantha Cohen

Keyboard

Brenda Jones

1 ACO

2 2016 Emerging Artist

3 Emerging Artist alumni

RILEY SKEVINGTON VIOLIN Riley Skevington is currently studying at the Australian National Academy of

Music under Robin Wilson.

Originally from Western Australia, Riley was the recipient of numerous awards

and scholarships including Tunley Music Scholarship (UWA); the Lynn Kan

Memorial Prize (UWA), the Margrete Bello and Flora Bunning Memorial Prizes

for Chamber Music (UWA) and the WA Curriculum Council Music Exhibition as

the highest performing student in the Tertiary Entrance Examination.

Internationally, Riley has performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the BBC Proms,

the Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, as well as Beijing, Copenhagen, Berlin

and Amsterdam.

He has participated in masterclasses with Henning Kraggerud, Kurt Nikkanen,

Professor Robert Hill, Mischa Maisky, Maxim Vengerov, Stefan Jackiw, Daniel

Dodds, Boris Kuschnir and the Goldner, Takács, Elias, Doric, Borodin Quartets

and the Australian String Quartet.

Riley frequently performs live on both 3MBS and ABC Classic FM.

BENJAMIN ADLER VIOLINBenjamin Adler completed a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney

Conservatorium in 2015 under Alice Waten, with whom he continues to study.

He started playing violin and piano at five, attending Newington College on a

full music scholarship.

Ben was selected for the 2010 Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra

Summer Music Institute in Washington. In 2013, he won Best Performance of an

Australian Piece in the Kendall National Violin Competition, and was a

semi-finalist in the Gisborne International Music Competition. He has since

performed as a soloist with the Sydney Conservatorium Wind Symphony and

the Conservatorium Chamber Orchestra. Ben was leader of the Chamber

Orchestra from 2013 to 2015, and concertmaster of the Conservatorium

Symphony Orchestra. He received the 2014 Frank Hutchens Student of the

Year Prize.

Ben is also first violinist of the Hillel String Quartet, with whom he has toured

Europe, Melbourne and Western Australia.


2016 EMERGING ARTISTSThe Emerging Artists’ Program connects the next generation of string musicians with the stars of the ACO in a

dynamic ensemble with a fresh and unique sound of their own.


NATHAN GREENTREE VIOLANathan Greentree took up viola in 2012, having previously studied violin. In

2015, he completed a performance degree at the Sydney Conservatorium,

under Roger Benedict. He received the Frank Hammond Merit Scholarship and

Helen Bainton Award, and was principal viola in the Symphony and Chamber

orchestras. He participated in the SSO Sinfonia (2013-15) and worked alongside

members of the Royal Concertgebouw and London Symphony orchestras

during their Australian tours.

Nathan has performed both nationally and internationally with his ensemble,

the ‘4’ String Quartet, including the Conservatorium’s Estivo Chamber Music

Summer School, the Today Show, Fine Music 102.5 and TEDxSydney, and was a

finalist in the 2014 Musica Viva Chamber Music Awards.

Nathan has taken part in several masterclasses with such artists as Wolfram

Christ, Paul Silverthorne, Ivo-Jan Van Der Wer� , and the Goldner and Amaryllis

String Quartets. He was the RAI Grant Music Scholar at the Shore School.

In 2016 Nathan will also take part in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s

Fellowship Program.

ELIZABETH WOOLNOUGH VIOLAElizabeth Woolnough is in her final year of a Bachelor of Music (Performance)

at the Sydney Conservatorium, studying with Roger Benedict. Elizabeth has

been a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), and is currently the

violist in the Hillel String Quartet, with whom she performed throughout Europe

in January this year.

In 2012, Elizabeth won the Central Coast Concerto Competition and in the

same year participated in a masterclass with Paul Silverthorne, Principal

Viola of the London Symphony Orchestra. She was Principal Viola of Bishop

Orchestra at National Music Camp in 2013. Recent achievements include

participating in the 2013 AYO International Tour, playing with the Sydney

Symphony Orchestra, performing with the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, playing

with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and being invited to perform in Verona

as part of the Sydney Conservatorium Estivo Summer School. In 2015, she was

a Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellow and took part in the Australian World

Orchestra’s Chamber Music Festival.


ALEXANDRA PARTRIDGE CELLOAlexandra Partridge holds a Masters of Musical Arts from the New Zealand

School of Music. During her time there, she received numerous scholarships

and awards including the Barbara Finlayson Trust Scholarship, the Freemasons

Lankhuyzen Award and the NZ School of Music Director’s Scholarship.

She is currently studying at the Australian National Academy of Music,

under Howard Penny.

Alexandra’s piano trio, the Queensbridge Trio, was finalist of both the ANAM

Chamber Music and the Great Romantics competitions. In 2016, Alexandra

toured with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Germany, having successfully

auditioned for their residency program.

From a young age, Alexandra has been passionate about orchestral playing

and has been principal cellist of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra. She

is also a casual player with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra

Wellington and has been a contract player with the Southern Sinfonia.

Alexandra has participated in masterclasses with the Borodin String Quartet,

the London Haydn Quartet, Torleif Théeden, Tim Hugh and Lynn Harrell.

BONITA WILLIAMS DOUBLE BASSAfter completing undergraduate studies at the Victorian College of the

Arts under Sylvia Hosking, Bonita Williams moved to the USA to undertake

her Masters of Music at Boston University. There she studied with Boston

Symphony Orchestra double bassists Ed Barker and Todd Seeber. She also

participated in masterclasses with several renowned musicians such as Hal

Robinson (Philadelphia Orchestra), Ben Levy (Boston Symphony Orchestra),

and Donald Palma (Orpheus Ensemble).

Bonita has performed regularly with Orchestra Victoria and Melbourne

Symphony Orchestra. In the USA, she worked with several orchestral

ensembles including the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Hawaii Symphony,

New Haven Symphony, and was Principal Bass in the prestigious early music

ensemble, the Cantata Singers.

Bonita was recently appointed as Section Bass with the Australian Opera

and Ballet Orchestra. She continues teaching double bass privately as well as

through the Sydney Youth Orchestra program.


The ACO pays tribute to all of our generous donors who have contributed to our National Education Program, which

focuses on the development of young Australian musicians. This initiative is pivotal in securing the future of the ACO

and the future of music in Australia. We are extremely grateful for the support that we receive.

If you would like to make a donation or bequest to the ACO, or would like to direct your support in other ways, please

contact Sally Crawford on (02) 8274 3830 or [email protected]

ACO NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

EMERGING ARTISTS

& EDUCATION PATRONS $10,000+

Mr Robert Albert AO & Mrs Libby Albert

Australian Communities Foundation – Ballandry Fund

Philip Bacon AM

Daria & Michael Ball

Steven Bardy & Andrew Patterson

The Belalberi Foundation

Guido & Michelle Belgiorno-Nettis

Luca Belgiorno-Nettis AM

Andre Biet

Kay Bryan

Liz Cacciottolo & Walter Lewin

Rod Cameron & Margaret Gibbs

Stephen & Jenny Charles

Rowena Danziger AM & Ken Coles AM

Dr Ian Frazer AC & Mrs Caroline Frazer

Ann Gamble Myer

Daniel & Helen Gauchat

Andrea Govaert & Wik Farwerck

Dr Edward C. Gray

John Grill & Rosie Williams

Kimberley Holden

Angus & Sarah James

Di Jameson

Miss Nancy Kimpton

Wayne Kratzmann

Elmer Funke Kupper

Irina Kuzminsky & Mark Delaney

Bruce & Jenny Lane

Prudence MacLeod

Anthony & Suzanne Maple-Brown

Alf Moufarrige

Jim & Averill Minto

John & Anne Murphy

Louise & Martyn Myer Foundation

Jennie & Ivor Orchard

Bruce & Joy Reid Trust

Andrew & Andrea Roberts

Mark & Anne Robertson

Margie Seale & David Hardy

Rosy Seaton & Seamus Dawes

Tony Shepherd AO

Peter & Victoria Shorthouse

Anthony Strachan

John Taberner & Grant Lang

Leslie C. Thiess

The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP & Ms Lucy Turnbull AO

David & Julia Turner

Bruce & Jocelyn Wolfe

E Xipell

Peter Yates AM & Susan Yates

Professor Richard Yeo

Peter Young AM & Susan Young

Anonymous (2)

The ACO would like to thank the supporters of ACO Collective’s Western Australia Tour. In particular, we thank our

government and corporate partners, the trusts and foundations, members of ACO Next and the many generous

patrons of our Emerging Artists’ and Education Programs who have made this tour possible.



TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

VENUE PARTNERS

PATRONS – NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

Marc Besen AC & Eva Besen AO Janet Holmes à Court AC

THANK YOU

Holmes à Court Family Foundation The Neilson Foundation The Ross Trust

Perth Theatre Trust

Shire of Manjimup

Arts Margaret River

Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre

Mandurah Performing Arts Centre

Queens Park Theatre


Pekka Kuusisto with Richard Tognetti. Photo by Mick Bruzzese.

The Luminous World exhibition was

on show from January to March

this year at the National Art School

in Darlinghurst, Sydney. It featured

50 works by leading Australian and

New Zealand artists, all from the

Wesfarmers Collection. Luminous

World brought together a selection

of contemporary paintings, objects

and photographs in a conversation

about light.

The ACO was invited to use the

exhibition space for a photo shoot

to welcome Pekka Kuusisto to

his new role with ACO Collective

as Artistic Director and to help

launch Wesfarmers’ new Principal

Partnership of ACO Collective.

This photo, featuring Lydia Balbal’s

painting Winnpa (2008), was taken

just after Pekka and Richard Tognetti

had played their priceless antique

Italian violins surrounded by priceless

contemporary antipodean artworks.

We thank Wesfarmers for sharing

their art with us and the world. It was

a magical day.

Richard Tognetti AO Artistic Director

Pekka Kuusisto ACO Collective Artistic Director

Richard Evans Managing Director

Phillippa Martin ACO Collective Manager

Caitlin Gilmour Education Assistant

Opera Quays, 2 East Circular Quay

Sydney NSW 2000

PO Box R21

Royal Exchange NSW 1225

Administration 02 8274 3800 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)

Email [email protected]

Web aco.com.au

/TarraWarraMA tarrawarrama @tarrawarrama

/AustralianChamberOrchestra

austchamberorchestra @A_C_O

PRINCIPAL PARTNER ACO COLLECTIVE 29 APRIL ˜ 8 MAY... · ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Born Mar del Plata, ......

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Transcript of PRINCIPAL PARTNER ACO COLLECTIVE 29 APRIL ˜ 8 MAY... · ASTOR PIAZZOLLA Born Mar del Plata, ......