DUSKLIT to Bring Andrea Lam and World Premiere to Melbourne Chamber Orchestra

From 1–4 October 2026, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra presents Dusklit, a luminous program featuring acclaimed pianist Andrea Lam, students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and the world premiere of Dusklit Meditations, a new work by composer and sound artist Miriama Young.

Performed in Melbourne and Narre Warren, Dusklit brings together Mozart's beloved Piano Concerto No. 21, Mendelssohn's sun-drenched Italian Symphony, and a major new Australian work exploring ecology, place and the fragile resilience of the natural world.

Known for her expressive depth, brilliant technique and warm presence on ABC's The Piano, Lam joins Sophie Rowell and MCO for one of Mozart's most cherished piano concertos. Students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music also join the orchestra, making Dusklit a celebration of musical connection across generations.

For Rowell, the concert brings together two important parts of her own musical life: Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

“This concert feels incredibly close to home for me because it brings together two communities that are such an important part of my musical life: Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music,” Rowell said.

“I spend so much of my time moving between the two, and I love seeing the way ideas, creativity and friendships flow back and forth. It's wonderful to be able to celebrate that connection on stage.”

Rowell said she was especially looking forward to welcoming Andrea Lam back to MCO.

“Andrea is one of those musicians who brings such warmth, generosity and joy to every performance, and she has an extraordinary ability to make even the most familiar music feel fresh and full of life,” Rowell said.

“I know audiences are going to love hearing her in Mozart's glorious Piano Concerto No. 21.”

Lam said she was looking forward to performing with Melbourne Chamber Orchestra for Dusklit.

“For me, Mozart just makes you feel good because it's so beautiful, effervescent and poignant as well,” Lam said. “I'm really excited to play with MCO. With a chamber orchestra you can be more nimble, and I'm looking forward to those spontaneous moments that happen live in chamber music.”

The program opens with Miriama Young's Dusklit Meditations, an MCO premiere commission reflecting on the resilience and vulnerabilities of the local natural environment.

A composer and sound artist from Aotearoa, Young writes for orchestra, chamber ensemble, opera, sound installation, film and dance. Her work centres on ecology and place-making, using music to articulate aspects of the threatened natural environment. She is currently Head of Composition at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Inspired by Sophie Rowell's virtuosic musicianship, Dusklit Meditations casts the violin as a songbird. Without imitating any one species, the melodic line captures the spirit of birdlife: mercurial, joyful and lyrical.

The work combines string ensemble with soundscape recordings and the voices of young people from Candlebark School in central Victoria, drawing MCO, young voices and the wider natural world into a shared musical space.

Young said music can help bring people together in a time of environmental change.

“Music can unite in the collective ambition to find renewal and hope in a swiftly changing world,” Young said.

Rowell said Young's music brings a particularly meaningful dimension to the program.

“I've always admired Miri's ability to create music that feels deeply connected to people and place, and this work is a beautiful example of that,” Rowell said.

“Knowing it grew from recordings contributed by young people living in climate-affected communities makes it all the more moving, and I think audiences will find it both thought-provoking and deeply affecting.”

Lam then joins the orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major K467, a work celebrated for its lyricism, elegance and emotional depth.

The program concludes with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, Italian, a vibrant work inspired by the composer's travels through Italy.

Students from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music will perform alongside MCO, bringing another dimension to a program concerned with connection across generations.

For Rowell, creating opportunities for emerging musicians to work alongside established professional artists is deeply personal.

“Giving young musicians the chance to perform alongside professional artists is something I care about enormously. They were some of my most formative experiences as a young musician,” Rowell said.

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