Donning a woolly scarf and ear muffs, I braced for the frosty night, picked up a friend, and drove into moonlit Tasmanian countryside. It took a little more than half an hour to reach our venue – Willie Smith’s Apple Shed – where intimate groups of friends and music lovers had congregated for a live performance by musicians of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

With a fresh plate of seafood, a hot mulled cider, and, of course, a slice of house made apple pie, I made my way into the packed-out space to take a seat at a communal, candlelit table. People – new friends – I’d never met sat across from me, buzzing with a liveliness that engulfed the shed. To one side, a wall-sized shelf displayed many varieties of apples (being located in our well-known ‘Apple Isle’) and, at the front, a stage was set up with a blue backlight.

^{Emma McGrath at TSO Live Sessions. Photo © Richard Jupe}

This was the first TSO Live Sessions concert to take place in this venue, as concertmaster Emma McGrath told the audience, following the Hobart Brewing Company’s Live Sessions event earlier this...