Fire licks up violinist Sonja Schebeck’s bare arm and flames dance on the tip of her tongue before she extinguishes them with a breath. Her visually stunning double bill, Concertos on Fire – which paired Ross Edwards iconic violin concerto Maninyas with a brand new work by Chloé Charody – certainly delivers on the promise made by the title.

Violinist Sonja Schebeck in Concertos on Fire. Photo © Katelyn-Jane Dunn

Flanked by members of her costumed, interdisciplinary band of musicians/aerialists/fire performers, The Freestyle Orchestra (bolstered by local musicians, under the baton of Luke Spicer, forming the #freestylesymphony, and aided by the subtle ministrations of Piers Burbrook de Vere’s sound design), Schebeck breathed fire into Edwards’ now over 30-year-old violin concerto, in a vivid performance of movement and aerial performance that saw the soloist spinning above the stage during the first tutti and string players leaping, dancing and tumbling, often with instruments in hand, without ever dropping a note.

Sonja Schebeck and The Freestyle Orchestra in Concertos on Fire. Photo © Katelyn-Jane Dunn

Schebeck, a Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumna who...