Orchestra Victoria has unveiled a 2026 a season that places the orchestra – Australia’s busiest pit band – firmly centre stage as a collaborator and storyteller in its own right.

Under the banner “One Season, Many Stories”, the Melbourne-based ensemble’s program reflects what Artistic Advisor Jessica Gethin describes as “a celebration of the extraordinary breadth of what we do, and of the many voices and visions that come together to form the heart of this orchestra.”

Orchestra Victoria Artistic Advisor Jessica Gethin. Photo supplied

Long recognised as one of the country’s most versatile pit orchestras, Orchestra Victoria continues its deep ties with The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia and Victorian Opera – partnerships that remain central to its artistic life. A defining feature of the new season, however, is the expansion of Orchestra Victoria’s own concert series, a platform that allows the ensemble to step out from the pit and into the spotlight.

OV’s Southbank Series opens on April 11 in the Hanson Dyer Hall (Ian Potter Southbank Centre) with a strikingly imaginative program, Celestial Threads,...