The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (MCO) has unveiled its 2026 season. Titled The World Around Us, it is a celebration of connection, creativity and musical conversation between past and present.

Says Artistic Director Sophie Rowell: “Music is both a deeply personal journey and a powerful mirror of our shared culture. It reflects who we are, where we’ve come from, and how we see the world around us. This season, our programs explore music’s role in connecting past and present – reinterpreting history through today’s lens, while amplifying the creative voices of our time.”

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Photo © Albert Comper

The MCO’s 2026 season includes five major orchestral concerts at the Melbourne Recital Centre, a chamber series performed at venues in Melbourne and regional Victoria, and the return of the boutique Feast of Music festival in Daylesford, as well as three world-premiere works by Australian composers.

The season opens across 26 February – 1 March with Flexible Sky, featuring guitarist Slava Grigoryan in a program that includes a new MCO commission by Joe Chindamo and a reimagined orchestral arrangement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Vivaldi, Bartók and Austrian jazz guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel also feature in a setlist that spans centuries and genres.

Slava Grigoryan. Photo © Simon Shiff

Rowell takes the stage as soloist and director in Overgrown Paths (May), collaborating with actor Helen Morse on a poetic and immersive performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, narrated using the composer’s original sonnets. The program also includes music by Hugo Wolf, Libby Croad, and Leoš Janáček.

In July’s Under the Canopy, accordionist James Crabb leads a vibrant mix of Baroque, tango, folk and contemporary repertoire, including Aaron Wyatt’s reflection on Country and landscape, and a CPE Bach concerto arranged for accordion.

Andrea Lam. Photo © Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Pianist Andrea Lam joins the orchestra in October for DuskLit, featuring Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, and a premiere by Miriama Young. Young’s DuskLit Meditations draws on field recordings from youth in climate-affected communities – a poignant, place-based addition to a season characterised by local resonances.

The orchestral season concludes in November with Drifting Currents, a lyrical and emotionally rich program built around a new cello concerto by Alice Humphries, written for MCO principal cellist Blair Harris. Works by Respighi, Vasks and Suk round out the reflective final concert.

The 2026 Chamber Season offers three concerts at Fitzroy North’s 75 Reid St and one performance at Narkoojee Winery, including works by Brahms, Schumann, Dvořák and Aussies Linda Kouvaras, Andrew Ford, and Ian Munro. Pianist Timothy Young, clarinettist David Griffiths and key MCO players take leading roles.

A highlight on the calendar is A Feast of Music, the MCO’s popular festival in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, returning in September. The weekend features fine dining, wine pairings from Narkoojee, and performances by MCO musicians and guests. The 2025 event sold out, and advance booking is encouraged.

At the heart of the season is the MCO’s dual commitment to “the music we know and love” and “the creative voices of our time,” says Rowell. With commissions from Chindamo, Humphries, Young and Wyatt, the orchestra’s dedication to new Australian music remains a defining feature.

More about Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s 2026 season can be found here.