As the Australian World Orchestra celebrates its 15th anniversary, Christopher Lawrence talks to its founders, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Alexander Briger and CEO Gabrielle Thompson, who reflect on how it all began and finding the orchestra’s sound.

Alexander Briger conducting the Australian World Orchestra.
Alexander Briger conducting the Australian World Orchestra in 2021. Photo © Helga Salwe

“When I first learned about the plan, I thought, ‘That’s a wonderful idea. It’s such a shame it’ll never happen – because it’s just impossible,” says Australian-born, London-based violinist Patrick Savage, a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the time and a subsequent Australian World Orchestra stalwart.

He was not alone in that assessment. When conductor Alexander Briger began telling people in 2009 that he intended to form an ensemble...