Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (MCO) has launched its 2027 season. Titled Between Us, next year’s program is a celebration of collaboration, which is at the heart of each of its five orchestral programs. Chamber music “has always been about relationships”, says Artistic Director and violinist Sophie Rowell.

“Every performance is a conversation, shaped by listening, generosity and shared imagination.”

“This season celebrates those conversations between us: between musicians and audiences, soloists and ensembles, composers across generations, and artistic partners whose collaborations reveal new ways of hearing.”

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Photo supplied

The first of MCO’s 2027 collaborations arrives in March, when it joins forces with the Australian String Quartet for MCO + ASQ. Showcasing the longstanding ties between the ensemble, the program features Matthew Hindson’s The Rave and the Nightingale and an arrangement of Anne Cawrse’s Anon from A Room of Her Own among works by Beethoven, Elgar and Purcell.

Then, the orchestra teams up with Johannes Grosso for a May program centred around Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin, BWV1060, alongside pieces by Arthur Benjamin, CPE Bach, Cimarosa and Britten.

“Bach’s music has a unique ability to bring people together,” said Grosso. “It transcends age, culture and background, speaking directly to something deeply human in all of us. In a season celebrating connection and collaboration, it feels like the perfect music to share.”

Stefan Cassomenos. Photo supplied

In July, the MCO tackles Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Australian pianist Stefan Cassomenos in an arrangement for piano and strings. It’s paired with Christopher Sainsbury’s String Talk and quartets from Liszt and Fanny Mendelssohn.

One of 2027’s highlights comes in September–October: the world premiere of a Horn Concerto penned by Andrew Ford, commissioned by MCO. Expanding its forces with soloist Carla Blackwood and students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, MCO + Blackwood also features Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’, the composer’s final symphony.

For its final orchestral program in November, the MCO picks Polyphonic Voices as its collaborator. Together, the two perform Nigel Westlake’s Out of the Blue, Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe and JS Bach’s landmark Magnificat.

“Collaboration and connection are at the heart of Polyphonic Voices’ ethos: not only between our singers and conductor, but also with partners such as the MCO, with whom we feel a natural connection,” said Polyphonic Voices Director Michael Fulcher.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Photo supplied

MCO also joins in on the Beethoven celebrations in 2027 (the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death), dedicating its three-concert Chamber Season to three of his masterworks: the Archduke Piano Trio (21 March), the Op. 59 No. 3 String Quartet from his ‘Razumovsky’ set (6 June) and the seminal Septet (24 October).

The MCO’s annual A Feast of Music returns to Daylesford across 10–12 September, pairing fine music with Narkoojee wines. The complete festival program will be announced later in 2027.

More about Melbourne Chamber Orchestra’s 2027 season can be found here.