Within the hallowed halls of Hobart’s 100-year-old Odeon Theatre, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has taken root with Obscura, a multi-sensory concert series directed by June Tyzack. 

Promising to “slice through the fog of our lives”, this fusion of contemporary and classical music makes use of electronics, multimedia performance and sensory elements (occasionally, even smell!).

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s Obscura – Lapsed Time in 2022. Photo © Brad Harris

“With Obscura, our guest curators and TSO musicians have the freedom to defy all expectations about what it’s like to go to see an orchestra,” TSO Artistic Identity Director Simon Rogers tells Limelight.

“The overall artistic aim is to take the audience on an experiential journey so that, when the concert ends, our audience members feel emotionally and physically different to how they did when they first walked in.”

According to Rogers, TSO is steadfastly passionate about “elevating Australian voices” across all of its concert series, but Obscura gives the audience the opportunity to experience works that “don’t necessarily fit into a traditional orchestral context”. 

Keen to challenge perceptions of what orchestral music is, Rogers says, “It’s my belief and my hope that our Obscura collaborations...