Troy Cassar-Daley to Make MSO Debut for NAIDOC Week

Making his Melbourne Symphony Orchestra debut, Troy Cassar-Daley will bring his songwriting and soulful voice to Hamer Hall for a special NAIDOC Week celebration in July 2027. The performance is set for Saturday 10 July 2027.

Troy Cassar-Daley x MSO will draw on more than three decades of the country artist's acclaimed catalogue with new arrangements of hits including River Boy, Shadows on the Hill, Take a Walk in my Country, Born to Survive, Dream out Loud and Some Days. His songs will be newly arranged for orchestra by acclaimed composer Alex Turley, with conductor Aaron Wyatt, the first Indigenous Australian to conduct a state symphony orchestra in concert, returning to lead the MSO. 

Much-loved across Australia, Cassar-Daley is a musician and storyteller, a custodian of culture and a voice that captures the spirit of small towns, the resilience of everyday people, and the beauty of this country.

A proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man, Cassar-Daley's 12 studio albums, 33 Number one chart singles, and multiple gold and platinum records have been the soundtrack to life in Australia for more than 30 years.

Throughout his distinguished career, Cassar-Daley has earned an astonishing 45 Golden Guitars, six ARIA Awards, four CMAA Entertainer of the Year titles, three APRA Song of the Year awards, the 2025 Queensland Music Awards Album of the Year, and a place among legends as the 50th inductee into the Australasian Roll of Renown.

Cassar-Daley acknowledged the incredible musicians who have joined him to make the concert possible.

“I'm incredibly excited to be performing with the MSO and to share these songs with fans in a completely new way. While it's challenging to select a play list from more than 30 years of songwriting, arranger Alex Turley and the MSO have turned the process into one of discovery, renewal and reinvention.

“As NAIDOC Week 2027 focuses on the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, I'm proud to have played a small part in the tradition of First Nations storytelling through music, and I hope reimagining my songs this way can help inspire our wonderful next generation of singers and storytellers,” said Cassar-Daley.

The new orchestral arrangements by Alex Turley have been co-commissioned by the Melbourne, Queensland and Sydney symphony orchestras, with the MSO's concert at Hamer Hall on 10 July, ahead of performances in Brisbane on 16 July and Sydney on 4 August.