We don’t often get to see Sydney Symphony’s dynamic young Principal Flute Josh Batty standing up. Usually he’s perched on his chair in the woodwind section, but when he does come front of stage for a starring role it is guaranteed to be a memorable experience.

He first dazzled as a soloist in 2021 when, in the aftermath of Covid, the orchestra relied on its local talent as few international artists were able to fly in. For that concert he gave a dazzling performance of Carl Nielsen’s 1926 Concerto for Flute and Orchestra under Johannes Fritzsch.

Born in the UK, Batty left his job as Principal Flute with the RTÉ Orchestra in Ireland to join the SSO in 2019 at the age of 27. As a student his talent was spotted early and as a scholar he was supported by Sir Elton John at the Royal Academy in London.

He is keen to expand the flute repertoire – commissioning and premiering new works – but for this latest SSO concert he chose a much older work to showcase his talents, CPE Bach’s Flute Concerto in G Major, written in 1755 when he was working for full-time king and keen amateur flutist Frederick...