SSO returns to the CBD with Sydney Symphony Under the Stars after eight years out west. The annual event was saved by Sydney Festival and Placemaking NSW following Parramatta City Council’s withdrawal of $400,000 in funding. The celebratory move to Tumbalong Park sets the tone for the SSO’s official season opener, Mahler’s Song of the Earth. Part symphony, part song cycle, it continues Chief Conductor Simone Young’s tradition of starting the year with one of the composer’s works, brought to life here with the help of tenor Simon O’Neill and mezzo-soprano Alexandra Ionis. Based on Tang dynasty Chinese poems, it is paired with the Australian premiere of Qigang Chen’s Er Huang, featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Mahler’s The Song of the Earth ends with an extraordinary fade out, as a contralto sings ‘everywhere, forever…forever and ever.’ It captures beautifully the way music lives around us and in our memory and is the perfect way to open our 2026 Season.

Simone Young has opened each of her seasons as Chief Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with one of Mahler’s symphonies to rave reviews. We continue this tradition in 2026 with the vast and moving The Song of the Earth, a symphony in all but name, brought to life by world-class vocalists Simon O’Neill and Alexandra Ionis.

Mahler’s powerful orchestral forces are best experienced live. His sound worlds engulf you like the weather, reflecting both the landscape and the human experience with their vast emotional range. From drama to tranquillity. Sombre to sun-drenched.