The Canberra Symphony Orchestra will take audiences from Antarctica to late 19th century Paris, Venice to Mexico and into the unreal world of Studio Ghibli in its 2027 season, Other Worlds.

Led by Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Jessica Cottis, the season brings together 15 listed programs across the orchestra’s Llewellyn, Australian and Chamber series, as well as a series of special events. The programs range from Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák and Brahms to new Australian commissions, film music, musical theatre and ABBA.

“Every season is a new journey, and in 2027 we’re heading to the South Pole, fin de siècle Paris and the deep sea,” says Cottis. “I hope you all come away from our concerts in Season 2027 feeling energised and inspired, having been taken somewhere wonderful.”

Jessica Cottis. Photo © Kaupo Kikkas

The journey begins before the main season with American singer-songwriter and pianist Ben Folds, who opens the year with the first Australian show of his orchestral tour on 22 and 23 January.

Folds has worked with orchestras for more than two decades, including an eight-year tenure as the first Artistic Advisor to Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra. He will perform with CSO under conductor Ben Northey.

The Chamber Series then heads to fin-de-siècle Paris (on 14 February – Valentine’s Day) with soprano Cathy-Di Zhang and CSO Principal Flute Kiri Sollis in music by Delibes, Saint-Saëns, Ibert, Ravel and Chaminade.

Australian music is a significant thread throughout the season. The CSO’s Australian Series opens on 8 April with Warriors and Ghosts, inspired by the National Museum of Australia’s Terracotta Warriors exhibition. Yorta Yorta composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Woven Song – Pukumani wil be played alongside works by Julian Yu and Liza Lim and world premieres by Christine Pan and Mindy Meng Wang.

Guzheng artist Meng Wang and vocalist Jess Hitchcock join the CSO Chamber Ensemble.

Andrea Lam. Photo © Keith Saunders

The Llewellyn Series sails for southern climes in April for Beethoven and Antarctica, pairing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, performed by Andrea Lam, with Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia antartica. Historic photographs from Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s final expedition will accompany the performance, which also features soprano Amy Moore, the CSO Chorus and a wind machine. The program opens with the world premiere of a CSO commission from Melbourne-based cellist and composer Caerwen Martin.

Elsewhere, the orchestra marks 50 years since ABBA’s 1977 Australian tour with Reflections: Back to BABBA, while the Chamber Series traces Beethoven’s development from the Op. 18 quartets to his final String Quartet No. 16.

June brings Dvořák’s New World, with Cottis conducting Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony alongside Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, performed by Sophie Rowell, and Australian composer Melody Eötvös’s The Deciding Machine.

Josh Piterman and Amy Manford: An Evening on Broadway

The season’s geographical scope continues with historically informed performances of Vivaldi and his Venetian contemporaries (8 August), followed by An Evening on Broadway, with musical-theatre performers Amy Manford and Josh Piterman in repertoire ranging from South Pacific and West Side Story to Evita, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera.

Film music returns in October with The Music of Joe Hisaishi, presented with Art of the Score hosts Dan Golding and Andrew Pogson and pianist Aura Go. The program ranges from My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle to Hisaishi’s concert works.

Joseph Tawadros. Photo © Anthony Lycett

The final Llewellyn program (3 and 4 November), Symphonic Dances, brings Egyptian-Australian oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros and percussionist James Tawadros to the orchestra for Tawadros’ Oud Concerto, alongside Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances.

The season concludes with two programs looking closely at Australian music and musical history. Elders of the Sea features new commissions from Nicole Smede and Jane Sheldon alongside works by Kate Moore, Will Kepa and Cottis, exploring whales, their songs and their environment.

The Chamber Series closes on 12 December with Ethel Smyth’s Trio for violin, horn and piano and Brahms’ Horn Trio, performed by CSO Principal Horn Robert Johnson and colleagues.

For more information on Canberra Symphony Orchestra in 2027, visit cso.org.au