Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Will Host MSO IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD in Narre Warren
The low-cost concert series comes to Bunjil Place as part of four Greater Melbourne community performances
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will head back on the road in 2026, bringing music into local communities across the year through the MSO In Your Neighbourhood series. First stop: Narre Warren.
The inaugural MSO In Your Neighbourhood debuted in Mornington Peninsula last September; in 2026, MSO expands the program with four In Your Neighbourhood programs scheduled across Greater Melbourne.
MSO Chief Executive Officer Richard Wigley said MSO In Your Neighbourhood is part of the Orchestra's commitment to reaching as many Victorians as possible.
“It's essential that the MSO performs beyond concert halls and inner-city venues, which is why we've invested in delivering MSO In Your Neighbourhood throughout Greater Melbourne. Generous funding from the Hansen Little Foundation will support the presentation of these low or no cost events to music lovers closer to home”.
The first In Your Neighbourhood program for 2026 will see MSO performing Music of This Place at Bunjil Place on Thursday 4 June, with broader community activities also being planned.
Alive with stories of land, water, memory and identity, the program features music from established and next-generation composers that reflect the many ways we understand place – through culture, environment and community.
The concert taps into the deep Indigenous origins of Narre Warren with an expanded repertoire inspired by MSO's annual program for emerging First Nations composers, the First Voices Showcase:
- Violist, violinist, conductor, composer, programmer, and academic, Aaron Wyatt, will conduct the MSO in a program that includes his 2023 composition The Things Which Are Most Important Don't Always Scream the Loudest;
- The concert opens with MSO Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence James Henry's Acknowledgement and includes his 2020 composition Wiidha;
- The MSO will perform Gamilaraay composer and researcher Nicholas Astill's first orchestral commission Mutations; and
- Jaadwa composer, producer and sound artist, James Howard's To Lose yourself at Sea, which premiered at the 2025 First Voices Showcase.
Female composers also step into the spotlight, with 2024 MSO Cybec Young Composer in Residence, Naomi Dodd's Cerulean Dances and Holly Harrison's Hellbent (2021) featuring MSO Principal Trumpet Owen Morris.
Music of This Place culminates with River, the third work from highly regarded composer, arranger and MSO's 2022 Cybec Young Composer in Residence, Alex Turley.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen said “We are excited to host this wonderful program of contemporary Australian classical music right here in our own neighbourhood. This performance also marks the beginning of a long-term partnership focused on local, creative, and culturally led work, which has already included time spent with our community at the Casey Aboriginal Gathering Place”.
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