MEDIA RELEASE: Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Unveils 2026 Season: The World Around Us

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MEDIA RELEASE

TUESDAY 5 AUGUST 2025

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Unveils 2026 Season: The World Around Us

Five orchestral programs, three world premieres, and exceptional soloists headline a season exploring music's role in connecting past and present.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra today announced its 2026 season, The World Around Us – a powerful exploration of music's role in connecting past and present. The season features three world premieres by Australian composers alongside timeless masterworks, reflecting our shared culture while amplifying contemporary creative voices.

Under the artistic direction of Sophie Rowell, the season features five orchestral programs at Melbourne Recital Centre, a three-concert chamber music series, and the return of the popular A Feast of Music festival in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs.

The season opens in February with Flexible Sky, featuring guitar virtuoso Slava Grigoryan and a world premiere by Joe Chindamo OAM. The program celebrates innovation and reinvention, including Beethoven's iconic Moonlight Sonata reimagined for strings and Bartók's folkloric Romanian Folk Dances.

Three world premieres anchor the season's commitment to new Australian music:

  • Joe Chindamo OAM – new work for the season opener

  • Alice Humphries – Cello Concerto written specially for MCO cellist Blair Harris

  • Miriama Young – DuskLit Meditations, created from field recordings by young people in climate-affected communities

MCO Artistic Director Sophie Rowell said

 

Music is both a deeply personal journey and a powerful mirror of our shared culture. It reflects who we are, where we've come from, and how we see the world around us. This season, our programs explore music's role in connecting past and present — reinterpreting history through today's lens, while amplifying the creative voices of our time.

Season Highlights

Flexible Sky (February and March) opens the season with guitar virtuoso Slava Grigoryan and a world premiere by Joe Chindamo OAM. The program celebrates innovation and reinvention, from Bartók’s folkloric Romanian Folk Dances to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata reimagined for strings.

Overgrown Paths (May) pairs Sophie Rowell’s violin artistry with acclaimed actress Helen Morse in a luminous fusion of music and poetry, culminating in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the composer’s original sonnets.

Under the Canopy (July) showcases accordion sensation James Crabb in works ranging from Rameau’s ornate beauty to Scottish traditional selections, alongside Aaron Wyatt’s moving portrait of the Australian landscape.

DuskLit (October) features pianist Andrea Lam, known for her expressive depth and brilliant technique—and familiar to many from ABC’s The Piano—performing Mozart’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 21 alongside Mendelssohn’s sun-drenched Italian Symphony. Students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music will join the orchestra, celebrating connection with the next generation of musicians.

The season concludes with Drifting Currents (November), featuring the world premiere of Alice Humphries’ Cello Concerto, written especially for MCO cellist Blair Harris. The program celebrates musical connection through works by Respighi, Vasks, and Suk.

Chamber Music and Festival

The Chamber Series draws inspiration from the deep artistic ties between Dvořák, Brahms, and Schumann—three composers whose musical and personal connections shaped the Romantic era. The series includes Romantic Echoes (March), Dancing Shadows (May), and Twilight Dialogues (October), pairing landmark works with lyrical Australian compositions. Performances take place at 75 Reid St in Fitzroy North and Narkoojee Winery in Glengarry.

A Feast of Music returns to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs from 11-13 September 2026, following the 2025 festival's sell-out success.

Subscription Benefits

MCO subscribers save 25% on standard single tickets and enjoy priority seating, free exchanges, and payment plan options. Early subscribers (by 30 September 2025) receive a complimentary ticket to the final 2025 concert, Nightingale.

Booking Information

Subscriptions are now available at mco.org.au/subscribe or by calling (03) 9119 1599.

General release tickets go on sale 11:00am, Monday 3 November 2025.

Concert dates:

  • Flexible Sky: 26 February & 1 March 2026

  • Overgrown Paths: 7 & 10 May 2026

  • Under the Canopy: 9 & 12 July 2026

  • DuskLit: 1 & 4 October 2026

  • Drifting Currents: 26 & 29 November 2026

About Melbourne Chamber Orchestra

Founded in 1997, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra is Victoria's preeminent professional chamber orchestra, dedicated to presenting exceptional musical experiences that connect audiences with both masterworks and bold new creations. Under Artistic Director Sophie Rowell, MCO delivers more than 60-70 performances each season, each of uncompromising artistic quality, finesse and passion.

The MCO's mainstage season is presented at Melbourne Recital Centre and broadcast on ABC Classic and 3MBS FM. The ensemble also hosts A Feast of Music, an annual spring chamber music festival in Daylesford, as well as a range of chamber programs that tour extensively across Victoria and beyond. MCO also delivers a wide range of education concerts across Victoria, bringing the joy of chamber music to schools and communities throughout the state.

Media Contact: Samuel Cairnduff
RESONATE Communications
samuel.j.cairnduff@gmail.com | 0401 396 755

Access media kit with 2026 Season Brochure, orchestra and artist photography

Please credit photographer Albert Comper for MCO imagery

Journalists are welcome to attend all performances, with or without review intentions.

ENDS

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