Mozart’s Masterworks
MASTERS SERIES
Friday 11 & Saturday 12 October 2024, 7.30pm
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
Mozart’s Masterworks
Jacques IBERT Hommage à Mozart
(14 mins)
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Symphony No.31 Paris (16 mins)
Allegro assai
Andante
Allegro
Interval (25 mins)
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Requiem (55 mins)
I. Introitus
II. Kyrie
III. Sequentia
IV. Offertorium
V. Sanctus
VI. Benedictus
VII. Agnus Dei
VIII. Communio
Umberto Clerici conductor
Samantha Clarke soprano
Ashlyn Tymms mezzo-soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
Adrian Tamburini baritone
WASO Chorus
Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert Talk
Find out more about the music in the concert with this week’s speaker, Cecilia Sun. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 6.45pm at the Terrace Level Corner Stage.
Listen to WASO
This performance is recorded for broadcast Saturday 2 November, 1pm (AWST) on ABC Classic. Date subject to change. For further details visit abc.net.au/classic
WASO On Stage
About the Artists
Umberto Clerici
Conductor
After a career spanning more than 20 years as a gifted cello soloist and orchestral musician, Umberto Clerici is widely regarded for his seamless transition to the podium as a now acclaimed conductor. The 2024 season will mark Clerici’s second as Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, in addition to being a frequent guest conductor with several leading orchestras.
Umberto began his career as a virtuoso cellist, making his solo debut at the age of 17 performing Haydn’s D Major Cello Concerto in Japan. After years of performing on the stages of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, Umberto took up the position as Principal Cello of the Teatro Regio di Torino, following which he was Principal Cello of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 2014 to 2021.
It was in Sydney in 2018 that Umberto made his conducting debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. Following a swift trajectory of prestigious conducting engagements, Umberto is now in high demand with the major symphony orchestras throughout Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to his role as Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Umberto’s 2024 conducting engagements include returns to the podiums of the Melbourne and West Australian Symphony Orchestras together with a three-week series with the Sydney Symphony for ‘Symphony Hour’ that Umberto himself has expertly curated
Other recent highlights include his debut with the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra and a hugely successful debut in opera conducting Verdi’s Macbeth with Opera Queensland.
Upcoming European conducting engagements include Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Steven Isserlis for the Volksoper Vienna, Orchestra del Teatro Massimo in Palermo and Orchestra Regionale Toscana.
As a cellist, Umberto is beloved by audiences worldwide, having performed internationally as a soloist at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Musicverein, the great Shostakovich Hall of St Petersburg, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and the Salzburg Festival. He is one of only two Italians to have ever won a prize for cello in the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Umberto plays cellos by Matteo Goffriller (made in 1722, Venezia) and Carlo Antonio Testore (made in 1758, Milano).
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About the Artists
Samantha Clarke
Soprano
Australian/British soprano Samantha Clarke is the winner of the 2019 Guildhall Gold Medal and prize winner in the 2019 Grange International Festival Singing Competition. Samantha studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, as a Sir John Fisher Foundation and Independent Opera Scholar, under the tutelage of Mary Plazas.
In addition to the 2019 Guildhall Gold Medal, Samantha is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Leverhulme Royal Northern College of Music Award, the Dame Eva Turner Award, and the Michael and Joyce Kennedy Award for the singing of Strauss.Her operatic roles include Violetta, Fiordiligi, Countess, Helena, Donna Elvira, Pamina, Anne Trulove, The Governess and Theodora.
Recent and future engagements include Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro) at Garsington, Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Japan, Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) and Theodora for Pinchgut Opera, Violetta (La traviata) with Opera Australia and West Australian Opera, and a US tour with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.
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About the Artists
Ashlyn Tymms
Mezzo Soprano
In 2024, Ashlyn Tymms sang Ježibaba in Rusalka and Dido in Dido and Aeneas for West Australian Opera and Fanny Price in Mansfield Park for New Zealand Opera; she takes the alto solos in Mozart’s Requiem for West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Bach’s St. John Passion with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Ashlyn’s 2022 performances included Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony No.3 with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. She also made her Sydney Opera House debut in Handel’s Messiah. For West Australian Opera, she has sung Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) and Flora (La traviata); in 2023, Ashlyn returned to WAO in the title role in Carmen.
International engagements include Rosimonda in Faramondo at the London Handel Festival and Judith in the world premiere of The Two Sisters with Tête à Tête Opera.
© Patrick Togher Artists’ Management 2024
About the Artists
Andrew Goodwin
Tenor
Andrew Goodwin has appeared across Europe, Asia and Australia with the Bolshoi Opera, Gran Theatre Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, La Scala Milan, Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and all the Australian Symphony Orchestras, Moscow and Melbourne Chamber Orchestras, and in recital at Wigmore Hall, the Oxford Lieder, and many Australian Music Festivals and ensembles.
This year Andrew returns to Adelaide Festival (The Nightingale and other fables), Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Elijah), Melbourne Bach Choir and the Australian Symphony Orchestras in repertoire ranging from Messiah, Mozart’s Mass in C, Haydn’s Harmony Mass to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
Recent engagements have included Handel’s Il Trionfo with Yulia Lezhneva and Dmitry Sinkovsky (Moscow); Beethoven 9 (Brandenburg State Orchestra, Germany); Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Adelaide Festival); Diary of one who disappeared and Rape of Lucretia (Sydney Chamber Opera); Nadir, The Pearlfishers (State Opera South Australia); and Artaxerxes title role (Pinchgut Opera).
About the Artists
Adrian Tamburini
Baritone
Opera singer, concert performer, music educator, director and producer, Adrian Tamburini most recently won his second Green Room Award for his performance of Hagen in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. In 2017, Adrian won Australia’s prestigious singing award, the Australian Opera Awards (YMF, MOST).
His singing has featured on cinema releases of opera, DVD, international recordings, motion picture soundtracks, radio, and television. He has worked with companies such as Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, Melbourne Opera, Lost and Found Opera, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Sydney University Graduate Choir, Melbourne Bach Choir, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and Inventi Ensemble.
Over the past few years, he has focused on sharing his passion for music by teaching the next generation of musicians at Pure Harmony Music Studio in Melbourne. In recent years, Adrian has championed new Australian works and world premieres including Jane Hammond’s The Spare Room, Nicholas Buc’s Origins, Christopher Bowen’s Redfern Oratorio and Luke Styles’ No Friend but the Mountains. Adrian has worked with renowned international conductors and directors but is most proud to have worked with Australians Jessica Cottis, Erin Helyard, Barry Kosky, Bruce Beresford, and John Bell.
About the Artists
WASO Chorus
The WASO Chorus was formed in 1988 and consists of around 120 volunteer choristers who represent the finest form of community music making, bringing together singers from all walks of life. They regularly feature in the WASO annual concert season and are directed by Andrew Foote.
The Chorus has built an international reputation for its high standards and diverse range of repertoire. While its main role is to perform with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Chorus also maintains a profile of solo concerts, tours and community engagements.
The Chorus sings with the finest conductors and soloists including Asher Fisch, Simone Young, Stephen Layton and Paul Daniel. Recent highlights have included Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem and Verdi’s Requiem. In 2019, the Chorus performed at the Denmark Festival of Voice and in 2018 toured China with performances of Orff’s Carmina burana.
In 2020, they performed two Gala events on the Kalbarri Skywalk. In 2023, the Chorus was invited to Hobart to perform Brahms’ German Requiem with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the TSO Chorus, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and members of the public, conducted by Simon Halsey.
Andrew Foote
Chorus Director
Gladys Chua
Répétiteur
SOPRANO
Lisa Barrett
Anna Börner
Caitlin Collom
Clara Connor
Rachel Doulton
Kathie Drake
Ceridwen Dumergue
Sophie Dwyer
Fay Edwards
Bronwyn Elliott
Davina Farinola
Ro Gorell
Kylie Grima
Diane Hawkins
Michelle John
Gillian King
Claire McGlew
Natasha Meyers
Elysia Murphy
Sue Nightingale Hingston
Lucy Sheppard
Sarah Shneier
Kate Sugars
Rebecca Thorne
Catherine Wade
Alicia Walter
Genevieve Walsh Cappi
Margo Warburton
Charmaine de Witt
ALTO
Marian Agombar
Llewela Benn
Helen Brown
Patsy Brown
Sue Coleson
Catherine Dunn
Kaye Fairbairn
Jenny Fay
Susanna Fleck
Louise Hayes
Mathilda Joubert
Emma Lejonberg
Kate Lewis
Tina McDonald
Lynne Naylor
Deborah Pearson
Deborah Piesse
Fiona Robson
Neb Ryland
Louise Sutton
Olga Ward
Moira Westmore
Jacquie Wright
TENOR
Chris Bedding
David Collings
Nick Fielding
Allan Griffiths
Alan Harvey
John Murphy
Andrew Paterson
Christopher Ryland
Sim Taylor
Arthur Tideswell
Stephen Turley
Malcolm Vernon
Brad Wake
BASS
Michael Berkeley-Hill
Charlie Bond
Paul Brayshaw
Bertel Bulten
Ken Gasmier
Brad Hilton
Brendon Jones
François Joubert
Francis Joseph
Eric Lim
Tony Marrion
Patrick Melling
Peter Ormond
Jim Rhoads
Mark Richardson
Stace Rogers
Steve Sherwood
Christopher Smith
Tim Strahan
Frank Sverha
Andy Tuckey
Robert Turnbull
Michael Whitby
Andrew Wong
Andrew Foote’s Final Bow
WASO Chorus Director, Andrew Foote, says farewell after eleven years with the Chorus.
With the performances of Mozart’s Masterworks at Perth Concert Hall, Associate Professor Andrew Foote takes his final bow as WASO Chorus Director after six years in the role. A Helpmann Award-winner, Andrew is one of the most experienced singers and teachers of voice in Australia, and began his engagement with the Chorus over a decade ago as WASO Chorus Vocal Coach before being appointed to the Director role in 2019.
“Eleven years ago, I began working with previous Director Chris van Tuinen and the WASO team to leverage the skills and strength of the Chorus,” said Andrew. “In the last six years we consolidated these efforts, worked hard to refine our sound, survived some of the weirdest weekly online rehearsals during the COVID lockdown period, and performed some of the most sublime and spine-tingling moments for our audiences.”
Evan Kennea (WASO Executive Manager, Artistic Planning) said:
“Dr Andrew Foote has made an incredible contribution to WASO during his six-year tenure as Chorus Director and preceding five years as the WASO Chorus Vocal Coach. Apart from his obvious gifts as a singer, vocal coach and artistic leader, Andrew is quite simply one of the most generous and caring of colleagues. His passion for the artform is infectious and his desire for constant improvement is a testament to the consummate professional he is.”
Under Andrew’s directorship the WASO Chorus has been able to navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and flourish in a post-pandemic world – presenting a number of world and WA premieres, and performing in venues across the country.
Chorus members expressed great appreciation for Andrew’s devotion to the group’s development, saying “As a singer himself, Andrew has provided valuable vocal training. We are all now better singers thanks to his dedication.”
Andrew’s time as Director will be fondly remembered by the choristers, with members listing the outdoor concerts on the Kalbarri Skywalk, Britten’s War Requiem, and Andrew’s arrangement for chorus and organ of Cherubini’s Requiem as some of their favourite performances.
Andrew steps down with immense gratitude for over a decade of collaboration with the musicians of the Orchestra, his administrative colleagues at WASO, and great pride in the work that his choristers have done. Reminiscing on his time as Chorus Director, he said;
“It’s time to pass the baton to the next Director to take it to the next level. I’m thrilled to have a successor who will provide a very different style, but demand the same levels of excellence we have all demanded for the past eleven years.
Thank you to every chorister, whether current or past, who has been a volunteer member of this wonderful Chorus. Keep sharing the gift of symphonic choral music with our audience.”
Perth-based conductor, teacher and singer, Hugh Lydon, has been appointed to the position of WASO Chorus Director and commences in the role in October 2024.
About the Music
Jacques Ibert
(1890-1962)
Hommage à Mozart (Rondo)
Ibert was a natural neo-classicist, so ideal for this tribute piece, the Hommage à Mozart, which was commissioned by Radio France for the 1956 bicentenary of Mozart’s birth. Like Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, Ibert’s piece does not quote any recognisable music by Mozart – or anyone else – nor indeed does Ibert restrict himself to the ‘Classical’ harmony or the scoring available to an 18th-century orchestra. But the work is very much in the spirit of Mozart and his contemporaries: the bustling main rondo theme falls at first into regular phrases articulated by terse gestures in the lower parts. But Ibert’s famous sensitivity to and love for wind instruments soon surfaces, with solo lines for flute, in particular, that set off more strenuous passages of contrapuntal writing, and heraldic brass writing near the work’s centre. The piece never takes itself too seriously for long as the rondo theme frequently returns to remind us of the levity of the situation.
© Gordon Kerry 2018
First performance:
1956. Eugène Bigot, conductor.
First WASO performance:
9-10 August 2024. Umberto Clerici, conductor.
Instrumentation:
two each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons; horns, trumpets; timpani and strings.
Rondo – a musical form where a main idea (refrain) alternates with a series of musical episodes. Classical composers often wrote the final movement of their symphonic works in rondo form.
Contrapuntal – a texture in which two or more musical lines or melodies played at the same time (counterpoint). Imitative counterpoint is when the various parts are playing similar or identical melodies one after the other (e.g. canons and fugues) – childhood rounds are the simplest form of imitative counterpoint.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Symphony No.31 in D, K.297 Paris
Allegro assai
Andante
Allegro
Mozart’s return to Paris in 1778, years after his first visit as a child prodigy, was not a happy one. His mother, who had travelled with him, died in Paris, and he had the difficult task of telling his father. His hopes for a brilliant salaried position outside Salzburg did not materialise, and his music was not very much appreciated by the Parisian public. Mozart responded by disparaging French taste and judgement in his letters to his father. His comments on the likely reception of the symphony he had written for Paris reveal how far he had tailored his writing to the audience as he assessed it:
‘I can answer for its pleasing the few intelligent French people who may be there – and as for the stupid ones, I shall not consider it a great misfortune if they are not pleased. I still hope, however, that even asses will find something in it to admire – and moreover, I have been careful not to neglect le premier coup d’archet [the first stroke of the bow] and that is quite sufficient. What a fuss the oxen here make of this trick! The devil take me if I can see any difference! They all begin together, just as they do in other places. It is really too much of a joke.’
The ‘first stroke of the bow’, of which the French were so proud, is exploited by Mozart in a way which verges on parody. At the same time, he was obviously excited at the possibility of writing for the large and efficient orchestra of the Concert Spirituel, whose impresario Le Gros had commissioned the symphony. The wind section included clarinets, making their first appearance in a Mozart symphony. The Parisian public expected strong contrasts of loud and soft, and Mozart provides plenty of these in the brilliant first movement, as well as orchestral build-ups (crescendos) which show the influence
of the then-famous composers based in Mannheim. The French taste for elegance is catered for in the subsidiary passages, which also feature dialogues between string and wind instruments, much enjoyed in Paris, as the craze there for concertante symphonies with wind instruments shows. Mozart, it seems, realised he must provide the audience with plenty of variety and effects.
Concert promoter Le Gros thought the slow movement was too long and contained too many modulations, but this attitude is hard to understand, and the original movement, which Mozart defended in a letter to his father, is almost always played in preference to the substitute composed at Le Gros’ request. Clarinets, trumpets and drums are omitted in the song-like, tender Andante.
The last movement again shows Mozart aware of the Parisian style – the cuts and alterations in the manuscript of this symphony show how much extra work this awareness imposed on him. Here he made a stunning effect, which he describes:
‘Since I had heard that all the final allegros here begin just like the first one – with
all the instruments at once and usually in unison – I began with only the first and second violins, playing very softly for just eight bars and a loud forte immediately afterwards. Just as I had expected, when they heard the soft beginning, the audience went: “Sh-hh…” Then came the forte…For them, hearing the forte and clapping their hands were practically the same thing. So after the symphony, out of pure joy I went right to the Palais Royal, ate a large ice, said the rosary I had promised, and went home.’
© David Garrett 1988
First performance:
12 June 1778, Paris.
First WASO performance:
14 September 1940. Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor.
Most recent WASO performance:
6-7 May 2016. Laurence Jackson, director.
Instrumentation:
two each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons; horns, trumpets; timpani and strings.
About the Music
Text & Translation
English
Introitus (Chorus and soprano solo)
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam,
ad te omnis caro veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Kyrie(Chorus)
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Sequence
Sequence
Dies irae (Chorus)
Dies irae, dies illa,
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla,
Quantus tremor est futurus,
Quando judex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus!
Tuba mirum (Solo quartet)
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulcra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupebit et natura
Cum resurget creatura
Judicanti responsura.
Liber scriptus proferetur
In quo totum continetur
Unde mundus judicetur.
Judex ergo cum sedebit
Quidquid latet apparebit:
Nil inultum remanebit.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus,
Quem patronum rogaturus,
Cum vix justus sit securus?
Rex tremendae (Chorus)
Rex tremendae majestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis;
Salva me, fons pietatis.
Recordare (Solo quartet)
Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae
Ne me perdas illa die.
Quaerens me sedisti lassus
Redemisti crucem passus;
Tantus labor non sit cassus.
Juste judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco tamquam reus:
Culpa rubet vultus meus.
Supplicanti parce, Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti
Et latronem exaudisti,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sunt dignae,
Sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta
Et ab haedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.
Confutatis (Chorus)
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis,
voca me cum benedictis.
Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis,
Gere curam mei finis.
Lacrimosa (Chorus)
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Pie Jesu Domine:
Dona eis requiem. Amen.
English
Offertorium
Dominae Jesu Christe (Chorus and solo quartet)
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
libera animas omnium fidelium
defunctorum de poenis inferni,
et de profundo lacu;
libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas Tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum.
Sed signifer sanctus Michael
repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam.
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti,
et semini ejus.
Hostias(Chorus)
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
laudis offerimus.
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
quarum hodie memoriam facimus.
Fac eas, Domine,
de morte transire ad vitam.
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti,
et semini ejus.
Sanctus (Chorus)
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus (Solo quartet)
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Agnus Dei (Chorus)
Agnus Dei
qui tollis peccata mundi;
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Communio (Soprano solo and chorus)
Lux aeterna luceat eis Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum
quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum:
quia pius es.
Principal 1st Violin
Meet the Musician – Alexandra Isted
When did you realise you wanted to become a professional musician?
There actually wasn’t a lightbulb moment for me. Ever since I was a teenager it has always felt like I’ve been chasing my goal to be the best violinist I can possibly be. That has really been what has brought me from one thing to the next.
What has been your most memorable moment with WASO to date?
Hard to pick one, but probably when we did Tristan und Isolde in 2018.
You’re passionate about chamber music. What is it that draws you to this type of music?
At its peak, playing chamber music is like having a really great conversation with your friends. Everyone has their individual voice and the freedom to choose how to interact with each other, with their own nuances in phrasing and tone. There’s a spontaneity to each performance that makes it engaging for both players and audience.
You’ve recorded soundtracks for major franchises such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. How does the recording experience differ from performing live on stage?
When I lived in London, I was lucky to freelance with the London Symphony Orchestra and do some recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios. Of course, it’s really exciting, but you get booked for a session and go in there not knowing what you’re about to record and you have to sight-read it, so it can be pretty terrifying to open up the folder and see some John Williams on the stand because his music is often fiendishly difficult to play (even if you’ve practiced it).
The recording process is done in small patches, which is very much a stop and start process, so much so that people will often bring a book to read during the gaps between checking patches. It’s very different from when we perform soundtracks live with the movie which requires lots of stamina and constant focus.
Is there a special story behind your violin?
My violin actually turns 100 years old this year! It’s an Australian instrument by Charles Clarke that was made in Sydney in 1924.
Tell us about one of your non-musical hobbies.
I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting. Over the last few years I’ve done a few oil paintings and one large drawing, but this year I haven’t had much time, so I’ve kept a small sketchbook instead.
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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Your Concert Experience
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Be sure to take a quick look at the performance schedule or enjoy a deep dive into the music with your concert program online or in the foyer. - Share with your friends
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If you arrive late or leave your seat during a performance, your auditorium entry will need to wait until a suitable break. - Drinks and nibbles
The Wardle Kitchen is open for casual dining, serving delicious hot meals before each performance, while our Grab and Go stations offer quick bites such as sushi and sandwiches. Bars are available on the first two levels, and you are welcome to bring your cold drink into the auditorium. - First Aid available
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Get tickets to your next WASO experience at the Box Office located on the ground floor (Level 1). Our Box Office is open one hour prior to each performance, and during interval, or you can email us anytime at boxoffice@waso.com.au. You can also visit us Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
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WASO in the Community
In our WASO aged care programs, small ensembles from our orchestra venture out into the wider Perth area to retirement homes and aged care facilities to provide entertaining and heart-warming concerts to their residents.
In April, two small ensembles – a string quartet and quintet – visited over 1200 aged care residents across twenty-eight homes in Perth.
A highlight for staff at one retirement home was watching the residents’ faces as they listened to the music, with one staff member saying “This concert was a pleasure to listen to. The experience was food for the soul.”
Visit our website to discover more about our WASO in the Community programs.
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Philanthropy
Join the WASO family
The transformative nature of music is yet to be matched. It can heal, it can unite, and it can inspire. It can do this and so much more all without a single word being uttered. It’s unsurprising then that it’s woven into the fabric of our celebrations and stories, providing the backdrop for countless moments in our lives.
That is why WASO is committed to empowering, enriching, and elevating the lives of all West Australians through the universal language of music. The donations we receive enable your Orchestra to continue to inspire and connect our community through its beauty.Join us in shaping our performances by contributing to the concerts you love so that together we may continue to change lives through music.
For more information or to pledge your support, please call the Philanthropy team on (08) 9326 0016 or visit our website.
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Our Supporters
2024 Trusts and Foundations
Lead Partner of Crescendo
Crescendo / Hospital Orchestra Project
First Nations Creative Collaborations / Composition Project
Associate Conductor Program
About the Speaker
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Supporting Partners
Beverage Partners
To share in our vision and discuss the many opportunities extended through corporate partnerships please contact Corporate Development on 08 9326 0020.
