Classic Adventures: Nature's Symphony
Family Concert
Saturday 17 June 2023, 2pm & 3.30pm
Perth Concert Hall
West Australian Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and Elders of Country throughout Western Australia, and the Whadjuk Noongar people on whose lands we work and share music.
How to use your Digital Program
Welcome
Welcome to Nature’s Symphony, a concert that brings the world of insects, birds and flowers to life through music.
Have you ever sat in your garden or paused on a bush walk to listen to the sounds of the environment? These are not just random noises, but a symphony of sorts where each creature has a role to play, and a message to communicate.
As we gather to watch the incredible musicians of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra perform together, we will hear works about frogs, cicadas, swans, willy wagtails and more, all of which have been inspired by the sounds or actions of the creatures themselves.
Listen out for the woodwind section as they buzz like bees, and the strings as they sing just like birds. You may hear a cheeky trumpet melody darting around like a willy wag tail or some percussionists marching like ants. But the best part of all, is when the whole orchestra plays together with music that makes our souls sing and our imaginations go wild.
We are lucky to have so many different bird, animal and insect species living around us here in Boorloo (Perth), on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people.
This biodiversity is delicately balanced, and needs our help to continue to stay strong. By learning about nature and all the creatures around us through music, we can find a way to be more connected to this land and inspire others to do so too.
We hope that you leave today’s concert feeling inspired to listen to your environment in a different way, and perhaps even make some music about it yourself!
Thea Rossen
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Classic Adventures
Nature's Symphony
Antonio VIVALDI The Four Seasons: Spring, Mvt.1 Allegro
Gina WILLIAMS Wanjoo song
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Flight of the Bumblebee
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker Suite: Waltz of the Flowers
Ross EDWARDS Ecstatic Dance for orchestra
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol: I Alborada
Victor ARUL Two Wagtails
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake: Dance of the Little Swans
Aaron COPLAND Appalachian Spring ‘Simple Gifts’
Jen Winley conductor
Thea Rossen presenter
This concert does not contain an interval.
WASO Assistant Conductor, Jen Winley is supported by the Simon Lee Foundation.
Select activities and foyer installations provided courtesy of our Classic Adventures 2023 partner, Scitech. Giant flowers provided by Jotterbook Flowers.
Willie Wagtail recording provided by Marc Anderson from Wild Ambience.
Field recordings, locally sourced from WA’s south west, provided by Josten Myburg.
Graphics and scenic design by busy bee Pip Bartlett.
WASO On Stage
About the Artists
Jen Winley
Conductor
Jen Winley is WASO’s 2022-2023 Assistant Conductor.
Jen began her career in percussion/timpani working principally with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and regularly with Orchestra Victoria and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). She then spent several years as a classroom music educator and loves being able to combine her passions for music and education when working with young people.
Jen made her professional conducting debut in 2020 with several orchestras in Perth including WASO and Perth Symphony Orchestra. 2021 saw repeat engagements including her film conducting debut of Home Alone with WASO. Jen is a highly versatile conductor and 2022 saw her conduct WASO in mainstage concerts, Family, Education and Outreach projects, regional tours, and contemporary and recording projects. Jen is also proud to have conducted the WA Youth Orchestra since 2019.
In 2023, Jen will make her debut as conductor with West Australian Opera, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and MSO, in addition to continued conducting engagements with WASO.
Image credit: Andrew Clarke
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About the Artists
Thea Rossen
Presenter
The unique body of work envisioned by percussionist, creator, collaborator and educator, Thea Rossen follows a compelling common thread: helping audiences fall in love with music by immersing them in the transformational worlds she creates.
With multiple awards and nominations to her name (2017 Hugh Rogers Fellowship winner, 2018 Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival Fellow, 2018 Freedman Fellowship finalist, and more), Rossen’s trademark intuitive and inviting approach to music-making, programming and performance continues to turn heads across Australia, and beyond.
Central to the success of Rossen’s artistic output is its depth, innovation and fierce contemporary relevance. Attracting worldwide attention, her work has featured in seasons presented by Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), and Musica Viva. A dynamic artist for the ages, Rossen is a regular collaborator with Australia’s top artists.
Image credit: Pia Johnson
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About WASO
Engage | Excite | Experience | Educate
From the centre of Perth to the furthest corners of the state, we have provided the soundtrack to life in WA since 1928.
As the State Orchestra, Perth’s first and finest, WASO is the largest employer of performing artists in Western Australia and reaches two million people with musical experiences each year on stage, in our community, and online.
From concert halls to classrooms, hospitals to aged care, we bring joy, inspire learning, and nurture participation in our community, because everybody deserves the opportunity to experience live music. Every year, through community and leading industry partnerships, we engage a new generation of young and emerging artists to help secure a bright future for music in Australia.
We celebrate our rich classical music heritage with great artists from all over the world and commission and perform new repertoire to renew and expand it. The Orchestra collaborates widely with major arts companies and independent artists, performing opera to ballet, movies to musicals, jazz to rock. We champion the diversity of music in all its forms, with a team of talented and passionate people who create unforgettable experiences for all West Australians to enjoy.
Asher Fisch is Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of our Orchestra and we are proud to call Perth Concert Hall home.
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