This was Southern Cross Soloists’ first performance in what you might think of as a new phase for the ensemble – their long-term Artistic Director (and oboist) Tania Frazer has jumped ship to Collectivo, and SXS’ new Artistic Director role is now shared between Margaret Blades (violin) and Ashley Smith (clarinet).

I’ll be upfront here: this programme was not one that filled me with joy, having been Strauss-ed to within an inch of my life previously, and the notion of enduring Strauss both at the new year and almost in March seemed almost too much to bear.

So it was a small relief that we began with Leah Curtis’ new work, Wayfaring, written in collaboration with didgeridoo player Chris Williams as part of SXS’ long-term didgeridoo commissioning project. It’s a quiet, contemplative work for the most part, reflecting on the recent Los Angeles fires.

Chris Williams and Southern Cross Soloists: Celebrate! at QPAC Concert Hall. Photo © Stephen Henry

Williams notes that the work contains “new overtone notes on the didgeridoo, creating deeper, more resonant calls that evoke...