The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will dedicate the first of three free concerts to the Red Cross, they announced today.
Every year the MSO performs free concerts at Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl, driving classical music into the hands of those who wouldn’t usually be exposed to it.
While it is a free show, there will be Red Cross collectors on the night, or you can donate online by visiting redcross.org.au/mso.
“All of us at MSO are extremely saddened by what has occurred in Victoria and throughout our beautiful country,” said MSO Managing Director Sophie Galaise in a statement.
“A number of staff and musicians have been directly affected by the bushfires and our hearts go out all Australians, who have been, and continue to be, impacted by this distressing catastrophe.”
The concerts see the world-renowned orchestra perform some of the greatest hits of orchestral music, with a special on-country debut performance of Deborah Cheetham AO’s musical acknowledgment of country, Long Time Living Here.
Long Time Living Here is a part of a collaborative work between Cheetham, the MSO, Short Black Opera and language custodians and their communities. It is a project that will create a musical acknowledgment of country for each of the 11 official indigenous language groups of Victoria. This particular piece will be performed in the Boon Wurrung language, native to the area modern-day Melbourne now occupies.
The event will be conducted by Tianyi Lu. There will be performances of works by MSO Cybec Young Composer in Residence, Jordan Moore, Australian composer Matthew Hindson AM, and Dvořák’s Symphony No.9 From the New World.
The concerts will take place on the 5, 8 and 15th of February.
