Melbourne Chamber Orchestra to Present BETWEEN US 2027 Season

Australian String Quartet, Johannes Grosso, Stefan Cassomenos, Carla Blackwood and Polyphonic Voices headline a season celebrating collaboration, connection and musical conversation.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra has unveiled its 2027 Season, Between Us, a celebration of the relationships at the heart of chamber music: between musicians and audiences, soloists and ensembles, composers across generations, and artistic collaborators.

Under the artistic direction of Sophie Rowell, the season features five orchestral programs at Melbourne Recital Centre, bringing MCO together with the Australian String Quartet, oboist Johannes Grosso, pianist Stefan Cassomenos, horn player Carla Blackwood and Polyphonic Voices.

The year will also mark the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death with a three-concert Chamber Season built around three of his landmark chamber works, while MCO's annual A Feast of Music returns to Daylesford from 10–12 September 2027.

Across the season, music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Britten, Elgar, Fanny Mendelssohn and Arvo Pärt sits alongside Australian and contemporary voices including Anne Cawrse, Matthew Hindson, Christopher Sainsbury, Andrew Ford, Nigel Westlake, Louise Denson, Anna Clyne and Elena Kats-Chernin.

The season includes the world premiere of a new Horn Concerto by Andrew Ford, commissioned by MCO and written for Carla Blackwood, and an MCO premiere arrangement of Anne Cawrse's Anon from A Room of Her Own.

MCO Artistic Director Sophie Rowell said Between Us reflects something fundamental to chamber music.

'Chamber music has always been about relationships. Every performance is a conversation, shaped by listening, generosity and shared imagination.

'This season celebrates those conversations between us: between musicians and audiences, soloists and ensembles, composers across generations, and artistic partners whose collaborations reveal new ways of hearing.

'One of the great joys of this season is the opportunity to share the stage with such remarkable artists. Whether collaborating with the Australian String Quartet, Johannes Grosso, Stefan Cassomenos, Carla Blackwood or Polyphonic Voices, each partnership brings fresh perspectives, new musical discoveries and the unique energy that only comes from making music together.'

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

MCO + ASQ (March) opens the season by bringing Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Australian String Quartet together in a program exploring the musical possibilities created when two ensembles meet. Anne Cawrse's Anon from A Room of Her Own, heard in a new arrangement for string orchestra, sits alongside music by Purcell, Elgar and Beethoven before the ensembles unite for Matthew Hindson's The Rave and the Nightingale, a fantasy based on Schubert's String Quartet No. 15.

Australian String Quartet violinist Dale Barltrop said the collaboration draws on relationships already shared by the musicians.

'The ties of friendship run deep between the ASQ and MCO. This rare chance to unite with our MCO comrades will be filled with profound exploration and a whole lot of fun! The rich, sumptuous sound world of the string orchestra and the powerful intimacy of the string quartet come together in a program that brims with the joy of musical kinship.'

MCO + Grosso (May) welcomes oboist Johannes Grosso for a program showcasing the expressive range of the instrument through music by CPE Bach, Arthur Benjamin, JS Bach, Cimarosa and Britten. At its centre is JS Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor BWV1060.

Grosso said Bach's music embodies the spirit of the season.

'Bach's music has a unique ability to bring people together. It transcends age, culture and background, speaking directly to something deeply human in all of us. In a season celebrating connection and collaboration, it feels like the perfect music to share.'

MCO + Cassomenos (July) sees pianist Stefan Cassomenos return to MCO for Chopin's Piano Concerto No 1, heard in an intimate arrangement for piano and strings. The program places Chopin alongside Christopher Sainsbury's String Talk, Liszt's Angelus! Prière aux anges gardiens and Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E flat major.

Cassomenos said:

'I'm always transported by the poetry in Chopin's music. It's a gift to have the chance to revisit his First Piano Concerto in this intimate form, with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra colleagues, magnificent storytellers, with whom I feel such a strong connection.'

MCO + Blackwood (September-October) brings horn soloist Carla Blackwood together with MCO and students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. At the heart of the program is the world premiere of a new Horn Concerto by Andrew Ford, commissioned by MCO and written especially for Blackwood, alongside Marianna Martines' Overture in C major and Mozart's Symphony No 41, Jupiter.

Blackwood said the new concerto has grown from friendship and musical collaboration.

'For me, making music is about discovering moments of magic and connection that transcend the realities of everyday life. To experience this through performing a work written especially for me, music that is rooted in our shared time and place, and that has grown out of friendship and past musical collaborations, is the epitome of creating meaning and connection through performance.'

MCO + Polyphonic Voices (November) closes MCO's Orchestral Season by reuniting the ensemble with Polyphonic Voices. Nigel Westlake's Out of the Blue is followed by Arvo Pärt's Berliner Messe, before the season culminates in J.S. Bach's Magnificat.

Polyphonic Voices Director Michael Fulcher said:

'Collaboration and connection are at the heart of Polyphonic Voices' ethos: not only between our singers and conductor, but also with partners such as the MCO, with whom we feel a natural connection.'

BEETHOVEN 200: MCO'S 2027 CHAMBER SEASON

MCO will mark the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's death with a three-concert Chamber Season built around three masterpieces at the heart of the season: the Archduke Piano Trio, the Op 59 No 3 String Quartet and the Septet.

Beethoven 200 - Trio, on 21 March at 75 Reid Street, Fitzroy North, culminates in Beethoven's Piano Trio in B flat major, Archduke, alongside Haydn's Piano Trio No 45 in E flat major Hob XV:29 and Louise Denson's Sketches.

Beethoven 200 - Quartet pairs Beethoven's String Quartet in C major Op 59 No 3 with Mozart's String Quartet No 4 in C major K157 and Anna Clyne's Breathing Statues. Performances take place at Narkoojee Winery and Restaurant in Glengarry on 5 June and 75 Reid Street, Fitzroy North, on 6 June.

Beethoven 200 - Septet, on 24 October at 75 Reid Street, Fitzroy North, closes the Chamber Season with Beethoven's Septet in E flat major Op 20, alongside Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders! (arr. Hasenöhrl) and Elena Kats-Chernin's Adrift Variation.

Rowell said the anniversary offered an opportunity to encounter Beethoven through the intimacy of chamber music.

'The 2027 Chamber Season is built around three Beethoven masterpieces that have long meant a great deal to me: the Archduke Piano Trio, the Op 59 No 3 String Quartet and the Septet.

'On the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death, these works sit at the heart of the season, each one opening a different window into his extraordinary world.'

A FEAST OF MUSIC RETURNS TO DAYLESFORD

MCO's annual A Feast of Music returns to Daylesford from 10–12 September 2027, bringing musicians and special guests together for a weekend of exceptional music, fine dining, and award-winning Narkoojee wines.

Full Festival Passes are available as part of the 2027 season launch, with the complete festival program to be announced in early 2027.

SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS

Subscriptions to Melbourne Chamber Orchestra's 2027 Season are now on sale, with audiences able to create three, four or five-concert Orchestral Season packages.

Subscribers receive 25% off standard and concession single-ticket prices, priority seating at Melbourne Recital Centre and complimentary ticket exchanges, subject to availability. Chamber Season packages and advance bookings for A Feast of Music can also be added to subscriptions at an additional discount.

Audiences who subscribe by 30 September 2026 will receive one complimentary ticket per subscription to MCO's final 2026 concert, Drifting Currents. Existing five-concert Bravo! subscribers who renew by 30 October can retain their current seats.

BOOKING INFORMATION

Subscriptions are now available at: mco.org.au/subscribe

General release tickets go on sale 11:00am, Monday 2 November 2026.

TOUR DATES

MCO + ASQ: 4 & 7 March 2027

MCO + GROSSO: 6 & 9 May 2027

MCO + CASSOMENOS: 8 & 11 July 2027

MCO + BLACKWOOD: 30 September & 3 October 2027

MCO + POLYPHONIC VOICES: 25 & 28 November 2027

ABOUT MELBOURNE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Directed by celebrated Australian violinist and Artistic Director Sophie Rowell, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra is Victoria's leading professional chamber ensemble, offering a fresh, vibrant and intimate approach to orchestral performance.

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