More than words could ever express, music speaks directly to your heart.

The musicians of MCO leave nothing on the table in this season opener, showcasing the orchestra’s powerful emotional expression and captivating unconducted dynamics.

Artistic Director Sophie Rowell has asked musical storyteller Katy Abbott to compose a new work to begin our year, drawing on their mutual love of the communicative possibilities of music.

Currently Principal Viola of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Chris Moore joins Sophie Rowell to perform the solos in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, with its beloved dialogue between the solo violin and viola. Each voice inspires the other, a true conversation between friends.

Chris steps into the orchestra for Bunuba woman Molly Jalakbiya and Paul Stanhope’s haunting Dirrari Lament, telling the story of a black cockatoo grieving the loss of her young one. Hope returns with Dvořák’s Serenade, one of the great masterpieces of the string orchestra repertoire.