Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

in the state of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. The orchestra is based in the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's building in

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...

. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the state government and the Australian federal government through the Australia Council.

History

Queensland Symphony Orchestra played its first concert on 26 March 1947, consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by

Percy Code Edward Percival "Percy" Code (3 July 1888 – 16 October 1953) was an Australian classical composer and musician, specialising in cornet and trumpet. He is best known for his compositions for brass band, including many solo works. Biography Perc ...

John Farnsworth Hall John Farnsworth Hall (8 December 1899 – 15 June 1987''Sydney Morni ...

was recruited from the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney. With roots going back to 1908, the orchestra was made a permanent professional orchestra on the formation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932. ...

as the Orchestra's first Chief Conductor. The Orchestra played concerts in various Queensland cities and towns, such as Innisfail and Townsville, travelling up to 3500 miles a year in the process. During the first part of its history, the QSO's longest-serving Chief Conductor was

Rudolf Pekárek Rudolf Pekárek (24 February 190026 October 1974) was a Czech-Australian conductor. Background In 1934 he founded the Prague Symphony Orchestra, giving work to many unemployed musicians. It was known as the FOK Orchestra (Film – Opera – Konze ...

(1954–1967). In 1988, Vladimir Kamirski was appointed Chief Guest Conductor.

Muhai Tang Muhai Tang (; born 1949 in Shanghai) is a Chinese conductor. He is the youngest son of celebrated Chinese film director Tang Xiaodan and brother of painter and poet Tang Muli. Tang initially learned music with his parents, and later studied ...

was Chief Conductor from 1991 to 2001. In 2001, QSO was merged with Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, to form The Queensland Orchestra (TQO). Michael Christie was the first Chief Conductor of the Orchestra under its new name, from 2001 to 2004. In July 2007,

Johannes Fritzsch Johannes Fritzsch (born 1960 in Meissen, East Germany) is a German conductor. Biography Fritzsch's father, a cantor and organist, was his first music teacher, in piano and organ. His brother Georg Fritzsch (born 1963) is also a conductor. His ot ...

was named the next Chief Conductor of TQO, beginning in January 2008, with an initial contract through 2010. On 14 October 2009, the orchestra announced its intention to revert to its former name of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, effective in 2010. In February 2010, the orchestra announced a three-year extension of Fritzsch's contract as Chief Conductor, through 2013. Fritzsch stood down as QSO chief conductor at the end of 2014, and subsequently took the title of Conductor Laureate of Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In May 2015,

Alondra de la Parra Alondra de la Parra (born 1980) is a Mexican conductor. Early life and education Alondra de la Parra was born in New York City, the daughter of Manelick de la Parra, a writer and editor, and Graciela Borja, a sociologist and educator. Her fat ...

made her first guest-conducting appearance with the Orchestra. In October 2015, the orchestra announced the appointment of de la Parra as its first-ever music director and first-ever female conductor in its principal conducting post, effective in 2017. De la Parra completed her tenure as music director at the end of the 2019 season. In February 2021, the QSO announced the return of Fritzsch to the orchestra as its new principal conductor and artistic adviser, with a contract until 2023. In 2021,

Umberto Clerici Umberto Clerici (born 29 May 1981) is an Italian classical cellist and conductor. He was appointed chief conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2023. Career Born in Turin, Italy, into a family of lawyers and judges, Clerici started cel ...

made three guest-conducting appearances with the QSO. In May 2022, the QSO announced the appointment of Clerici as its next chief conductor, effective 1 January 2023, with an initial contract of three years. In parallel, Fritzsch took the title of principal guest conductor in 2023, and is scheduled to resume his post as conductor laureate in 2024. The QSO's discography includes

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's ''

1812 Overture ''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia's successful defense against the ...

'', and several works of

Benjamin Frankel Benjamin Frankel (31 January 1906 – 12 February 1973) was a British composer. His best known pieces include a cycle of five string quartets, eight symphonies, and concertos for violin and viola. He was also notable for writing over 100 film sc ...

, including his eight symphonies, violin concerto, viola concerto, and several film score suites. Michael Sterzinger is set to become the QSO's new CEO in November 2024.https://www.aussietheatre.com.au/news/queensland-symphony-orchestra-announce-new-ceo

Performance venues

Most of the Orchestra's performances take place in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

at three venues: *

Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it includes the Lyric Thea ...

(QPAC) Concert Hall * QSO Studios, South Bank *

Brisbane City Hall Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entran ...

In addition, the orchestra tours other parts of the state of Queensland regularly, including the following locations: *

Gold Coast Art Centre Home of the Arts (HOTA), opened as the Keith Hunt Community Entertainment and Arts Centre in 1986 and subsequently renamed The Arts Centre Gold Coast (TAC) and Gold Coast Arts Centre, is a cultural precinct situated in Surfers Paradise, City of ...

* The Events Centre,

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

* Empire Theatres, Toowoomba * Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton *

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

Entertainment Centre *

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

Civic Theatre *

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

Civic Theatre

Chief conductors

John Farnsworth Hall John Farnsworth Hall (8 December 1899 – 15 June 1987''Sydney Morni ...

(1947–1954) *

(1954–1967) * Stanford Robinson (1968–1969) *

Ezra Rachlin Ezra Rachlin (5 December 191521 January 1995) was an American conductor and pianist. Life and career Rachlin was born in Hollywood, California, to Jewish parents, and first showed an interest in the piano at the age of three. At age 4½ he was fam ...

(1970–1972) * Patrick Thomas (1973–1977) * Vanco Cavdarski (1978–1982) *

Werner Andreas Albert Werner Andreas Albert (10 January 1935 – 10 November 2019) was a German-born Australian conductor. Personal life Albert was born in Weinheim. He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studied conducting with Herbert von Karaja ...

(1983–1990) *

(1991–2001) * Michael Christie (2001–2004) *

(2008–2014) *

(2017–2019; Music Director) * Johannes Fritzsch (2021–2022; Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser) *

(2023–present)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, ''Ariel's Music'' (with Paul Dean and Richard Mills) , rowspan="4" ,

Best Classical Album The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as t ...

, , rowspan="4" , ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, ''Sculthorpe: Songs of Sea and Sky'' (with William Barton) , , - , rowspan="2" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, ''Piano Concertos: Tchaikovsky, Grieg'' (with

Simon Tedeschi Simon Tedeschi (born 1 May 1981) is an Australian classical pianist and writer. Early life Tedeschi was born in Gosford to Mark Tedeschi QC, Senior Crown Prosecutor for New South Wales, and doctor Vivienne Tedeschi, the daughter of a Poli ...

Richard Bonynge Richard Alan Bonynge ( ) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australian conductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performances ...

) , , - , ''Rodrigo Guitar Concertos'' (with

Slava Grigoryan Slava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist. He frequently collaborates and performs with his younger brother, fellow guitarist Leonard Grigoryan, performing as the Grigoryan Brothers. Career Grigoryan signed with ...

, Leonard Grigoryan & Brett Kelly) , , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, ''Gallipoli Symphony'' , Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

References

External links

Official homepage of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queensland Symphony Orchestra Australian orchestras Symphony orchestras Musical groups established in 1947 1947 establishments in Australia Music in Queensland