Perfumes of the East was an uncomfortable concert in some ways for the Southern Cross Soloists, made so by a last-minute change to the program. SXS Artist in Residence Konstantin Shamray was to have featured but he had been unable to board the plane to Brisbane due to illness.

The ever-adaptable Southern Cross Soloists brought Mozart to the rescue, replacing Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 and Kovács’ Hommage à Manuel de Falla with Mozart’s popular Clarinet Quintet and Don Giovanni Overture. Both were very popular substitutes.

Another glaring substitution was oboist Laura Biemmi for the SXS Artistic Director Tania Frazer. Frazer quietly resigned from SXS mid-season after 14 years of dedication, creativity and oboe virtuosity, just weeks before this performance. No mention or tributes were made, however. One sentence at the bottom of the program from Acting Artistic Director clarinettist Ashley Smith thanked Frazer for her “exceptional creative direction and programming of this concert”.

An SXS press release was distributed later, bidding farewell to Frazer with a short tribute from Marg O’Donnell, Chair of the Board of Directors:

“As a founding member and long-term Artistic Director of Southern Cross Soloists, Tania Frazer has made an outstanding contribution to the artistic heritage of Queensland....