I escape the chill of the evening when I step into the Hobart Brewing Company’s Red Shed on Saturday night. The mulled spiced cider on the menu sounds warm enough to entice me. But first I head to a Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra staff member to collect my tickets at the door for this performance and I ask, “do you mind if I bring in a drink from the bar?” He replies with a smile: “Of course you can – it’s a pub gig.”

This is the concept of Live Sessions, the TSO’s new concert series that brings musicians from the orchestra out of the concert hall and into casual spaces. The Red Shed is just a block away from the Federation Concert Hall on Hobart’s waterfront, but the vibe of this concert creates and entirely different musical world.

The venue is packed with people – younger than most attending a typical TSO gig – sipping wine and eating pizza. To the shed’s left is the looming silver brewery itself, where beer is made on site. To the right is a little wood fire, and in the space between are bar stools next to old wine barrels, which are topped with candles....