The 2023 season of West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) shows will show a return of a full programme of national and international guest conductors and soloists. Plus, it will continue to highlight West Australian artists.
The season will aim to ‘colour your life with music’ through radiant classical favourites, electric world premieres, vivid side-by-side performances and brilliant artists.
Things kick off in January with ‘Toy Story In Concert’. The year 2023 sees a celebration of 100 years of Disney, and audiences will be invited to join Woody, Buzz and the gang on their iconic big screen adventure as the orchestra perform the Academy Award-nominated score, live to film.
WASO At The Movies continues in February, with ‘Skyfall In Concert’. Then, in April and December, the final chapters of ‘Harry Potter’ are completed in ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 In Concert’.
Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Asher Fisch celebrates ten years with WASO in 2023. He conducts some of his favourite symphonies, including Bruckner’s Fourth, Mahler’s First and Schumann’s ‘Spring’ Symphony. Plus, the season programming highlight, Act I of Wagner’s ‘Die Walkure’.
The 2022 Assistant Conductor Jen Winley will continue through 2023. This two-year tenure places Jen in the company of previous Assistant Conductors Christopher Dragon, Carlo Antonioli and Thaddeus Huang.
World premiere WASO commissions in 2023 include two new works from WASO’s Composer In Residence Olivia Davies; Andrew Schultz’s Bassoon Concerto written for WASO Principal Bassoon Jane Kircher-Lindner; and Lachlan Skipworth’s ‘The Tides Of Longing’. WASO 2022 Composition Project winner Victor Arul will compose a new work for WASO’s family concert ‘Nature’s Symphony’.
WASO welcomes composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist William Barton to perform ‘Apii Thatini Mu Murtu (To sing and carry a coolamon on country together) as part of the MACA Classic series. William will feature as a soloist in his own work as part of ‘Magic Spirit’ in October.
Other guests joining the orchestra include conductor Benjamin Northey, violinist Grace Clifford, and previous WASO Assistant Conductor Elena Schwarz. Meanwhile, international guests include American violinist Benjamin Beilman, Czech pianist Lukas Vondracek, Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and more.
‘Last Night Of The Proms’ returns with a cavalcade of classical hits while WASO’s Easter concert tradition, Joseph Nolan and St Georges Cathedral Consort, present Mozart’s ‘Great Mass’ and Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’.
WASO 2023 single tickets go on sale 19 October.
WASO’s 2023 season starts with ‘Toy Story In Concert’ in January.
