On 6 and 9 March 2025, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra launches its Orchestral Season at Melbourne Recital Centre. The concert, titled Daybreak, will see the 16 string players of the MCO join clarinettist David Griffiths in a program featuring a new work by MCO violist-composer Matthew Laing, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, the Pulitzer-winning African American composer George Walker’s Lyric for Strings, and Ravel’s String Quartet.

It is, says Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s Artistic Director, Sophie Rowell, “a concert that celebrates the rich aural soundscape of our chamber orchestra.”

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s Sophie Rowell. Image © Laura Manariti.

It is also the culmination of an approach to music curation Rowell has developed over the past few years. “For me, it is about being very aware of the world today while celebrating the great works of the past. Every concert we present spans different centuries, creating interesting listening experiences and allowing me to weave connections between pieces. That is something I find very exciting.”

“I like to think that our programming reflects themes of identity and where we are going as a society,” Rowell adds. “And a key part...