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11 unusual facts about Melbourne Symphony Orchestra


Anne Cawrse

Musaic, commissioned by the Cybec Foundation for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, was a finalist in the APRA Awards of 2008 (Australasian Performing Right Association) and the Australian Music Centre in the category of Orchestral Work of the Year

Her works have also been performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Trio d’anche Suave, the Sonic Art Ensemble and the Elder New Music Ensemble.

Hubert Soudant

He has also served as the principal guest conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Igor Markevitch

Their son, Oleg Caetani, was chief conductor and artistic director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia.

Juan José Castro

In 1952-53 he was the conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (then known as the Victorian Symphony Orchestra) in Australia.

Kathryn Selby

These include the Philadelphia Orchestra (she was a founding member of its Chamber Group), Boston Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Maurice Peress

Maurice Peress has also extensively conducted orchestras internationally, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1980, the Vienna State Opera in 1981, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome in 1988, the Brno Orkester of the Czech Republic in 1997, the FOK Orkester at the Prague Spring Festival in 1988, the Shanghai Radio and Television Orchestra in 1996-97, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1998, and the Barbican Centre Orchestra in London in 1999.

Michel van der Aa

Those include the Asko/Schönberg Ensemble, Freiburger Barockorchester, Ensemble Modern, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, De Nederlandse Opera, Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Seattle Chamber Players, Ensemble Nomad Tokyo, musikFabrik, Continuum Ensemble Toronto, SWR Orchestra Baden-Baden & Freiburg, Netherlands Radio Orchestras, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra Sweden, and the Helsinki Avanti Ensemble.

Neil Tobin

He is the author and narrator of a Halloween-themed narrative for Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, entitled Peter and the Werewolf; the work appears on a CD with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Philip Czaplowski

Performers of Philip's music include the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the New York Miniaturist Ensemble, Orquestra Antunes Câmara, Australia Pro Arte, the Canberra Wind Soloists, the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, Geelong Chamber Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Soloists, Australia Felix, the Monash Festival Orchestra, Kazimierz Dawidek, Harry Sparnaay, Prue Davis, James Strauss, Jeffrey Crellin, Carla Rees, and many of Australia’s leading musicians.

Willem van Otterloo

From 1967 to 1970 he was chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and in 1971 he was appointed chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until 1978.


Paul Terracini

Back in Australia as a trumpet player he worked alongside internationally known ensembles like the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra und the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Zelman Symphony

Founded by the amateur players of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in 1933, the orchestra remembers the contribution to Australian music of the former conductor and leader, Alberto Zelman (Junior).