Melbourne Chamber Orchestra

The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (MCO) is a professional Australian classical music ensemble based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Each year MCO gives over 50 performances including seasons of orchestral chamber music and works for smaller ensembles in its home city and on tour within the state, it runs its own chamber music festival, participates in other festivals and events, and runs workshops and masterclasses.[1]

History

Foundation and artistic direction

The orchestra was founded in 1990 under its original name, the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (APACO),[2] by oboist Jeffrey Crellin[3] who served as its first artistic director. Crellin was also principal oboist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), and because of the close association between the two ensembles, a number of MSO musicians also played in the chamber orchestra.[4]

In 2006, after 17 years in the position, Crellin resigned as artistic director and was replaced by violinist William Hennessy[5] who held the position until his retirement in 2021. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2018, Hennessy received the General Division of the Order of Australia — AM award "for significant service to music as a concert violinist, artistic director, mentor and educator".[6]

The current director is violinist Sophie Rowell, appointed from 2023, and prior to that was MSO's concertmaster.[7][8][9][10]

Change of name

In its early days, the orchestra concentrated its seasons in the Federation Square's The Edge theatre which seated 450 people. Because concert attendances had reached about 350 and were continuing to grow, the need was obvious for a larger auditorium. With the new Melbourne Recital Centre due to be opened in February 2009, the orchestra planned to make that its main performance venue.

In a report, journalist Katrina Strickland called the old name, Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, "a clunky, confusing moniker",[11] clearly a view held by others including the orchestra's then executive chairman, Brian Benjamin, who said, "We undertook an exhaustive research project, looking at chamber orchestras worldwide, and discovered that more than 80 per cent name themselves after their place of residence."[11] As a result, the decision was made by Benjamin and Hennessy for the name to be Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.[12][13]

Annual activities

MCO's repertoire ranges from early music to contemporary works including those specially commissioned for their use.[14]

Australian composers from whom works have been commissioned include Julian Yu,[15][16] Christopher Willcock,[17][18] Ian Munro,[19][20] Gordon Kerry,[21][22] Paul Stanhope,[23][24][25][26] Keith Crellin OAM,[27][28][29] Linda Kouvaras,[30][31][32] and Caerwen Martin.[33][34] MCO has also given the world premiere performances of works by composers including Deborah Cheetham Fraillon,[35][36][37] Richard Mills,[38][39] and Matthew Laing.[40][41][42]

Within Melbourne itself, MCO's orchestral season[43] is presented at the Melbourne Recital Centre which lists the orchestra as one of its "Key Presenting Partners".[44] Recitals of music for smaller chamber ensembles[45] are presented at other city venues including The Edge in Federation Square. MCO also tours regional centres in Victoria providing programs from their Melbourne season.

In September each year, MCO runs a chamber music festival called A Feast of Music at Daylesford, Victoria.[46] Another annual engagement is the Chamber Music Dining at Narkoojee[47] a winery in Glengarry, Victoria.[48]

Many concerts are accessible online through the Australian Digital Concert Hall (ADCH) subscription network[49] and are broadcast and streamed online by Melbourne's music station 3MBS and Australia's national music network ABC Classic.

Move Records records and distributes CDs of both the MCO[13] and its predecessor.[2]

References
  1. "What's On", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  2. "Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra", Move Records. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. "60 seconds with ... Jeffrey Crellin", Monash Memo, Monash University, 26 April 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  4. Usher, Robin. "New Era for Pro Arte", The Age, 16 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  5. William Hennessy AM. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  6. Commonwealth of Australia. Adjournment: Victoria: Queen's Birthday Honours. Senate Hansard, Thursday 21 June 2018, p. 3682. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  7. "Artistic Director", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  8. Paget, Clive. "Sophie Rowell appointed Artistic Director of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra", Limelight, 12 April 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  9. "Sophie Rowell, Violin: Artistic Director – Melbourne Chamber Orchestra; Former Concertmaster – Melbourne Symphony Orchestra", Australian World Orchestra, updated 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  10. Sophie Rowell, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  11. Strickland, Katrina. "Rebadge strikes chord Name changes inspires growth", Australian Financial Review, 20 August 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. Usher, Robin. "Orchestra plays its strengths", The Age, 8 August 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  13. "Melbourne Chamber Orchestra", Move Records. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  14. See, for example, a concert entitled "Illuminations" in which works by Mediaeval nun Hildegard of Bingen, Baroque singer and composer Barbara Strozzi, Romantic composer, conductor and virtuoso musician Giovanni Bottesini, and contemporary composer Andrea Clearfield were performed in September 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  15. Julian Yu: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  16. Mini rhapsody: for string orchestra by Julian Yu (1992), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  17. Christopher Willcock: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  18. Divertimento: Nolan's backyard : for string orchestra by Christopher Willcock (2008), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  19. Ian Munro: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  20. Divertimento: Melodies of afternoon by Ian Munro (2009), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  21. Gordon Kerry: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  22. Music for double chamber orchestra (multiple orchestras) by Gordon Kerry (2013), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  23. Paul Stanhope, composer. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  24. Paul Stanhope: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  25. Associate Professor Paul Stanhope, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney. Retrieved 19 August 2023
  26. Nephesh : for string octet or nonet by Paul Stanhope (2015), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  27. The work entitled In memoriam Jan Sedivka was commissioned in 2017 by AMC at the request of its Artistic Director, William Hennessy. AMC recorded it in 2021 and it was released on a CD entitled Poems & Romances: Music by Beethoven, Chausson & Shostakovich in String Orchestra Arrangements by Keith Crellin on AMC's own CD label (MCOR2021). There are no records of a public performance ever being given. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  28. Keith Crellin, violist, formerly Associate Professor, Head of the String Department, and Conductor-in-Residence, Elder Conservatorium of Music, The University of Adelaide. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  29. Keith Crellin. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  30. Linda Kouvaras: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  31. Professor Linda Kouvaras, Professor in Music (Musicology), Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  32. Piano Quartet: for piano, violin, viola and cello by Linda Kouvaras (2022), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  33. Caerwen Martin. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  34. Caerwen Martin: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  35. Deborah Cheetham Fraillon: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre
  36. Professor Deborah Fraillon, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  37. Pecan Summer: opera by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon (2010), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  38. Richard Mills: Represented Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  39. Concerto for two violins and strings (string orchestra with multiple soloists) by Richard Mills, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  40. Matt Laing - Composer - Violist. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  41. Matthew Laing: Associate Artist, Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  42. Pantomime: string orchestra by Matthew Laing (2020), Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  43. "Orchestral", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  44. "Key Presenting Partners", Melbourne Recital Centre. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  45. "Chamber", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  46. "A Feast of Music", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  47. "Chamber Music Dining at Narkoojee", Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  48. Narkoojee Winery. Retrieved 13 August.
  49. "Australian Digital Concert Hall". Retrieved 6 August 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.