Attending the world premiere of a new piece of music is a wonderful way to round out the year. Add to that the inaugural performance of a brand-new orchestra, and one is in for a momentous occasion worth savouring. That is precisely what happened when the newly formed Sydney Concert Orchestra took to the stage of the Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music last night. And what a debut it was.

Omid Moheb Zadeh conducts the Sydney Concert Orchestra. Photo supplied

Under its founder and Music Director, Omid Moheb Zadeh, the orchestra can boast a marvellously tight string section led by Concertmaster David Carreon, and as John Moon and Charlie Griffith proved, two double basses are more than capable of creating the sound normally associated with eight players in a regular symphony orchestra. The woodwinds and brass provide a burnished sound that would do Wagner proud; the odd rogue note in the brass will be ironed out in time and can easily be heard in even the most accomplished Australian ensembles.

Zadeh works with his orchestra like a painter uses a brush and palette. And like painting, the concert gradually builds...