Ku-Ring-Gai Philharmonic Orchestra to Perform Beethoven and Strauss in August

The Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra will return to the Concourse Concert Hall in Chatswood on Sunday, August 31 at 3:00 p.m. for a program featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, alongside the Australian premiere of Of Gates No Longer Known by emerging composer Paul Nicolaou.

Under the direction of Artistic Director Paul Terracini, the KPO will be joined by violin soloist Teresa Yang, winner of the 2024 KPO NSW Secondary Schools Concerto Competition. Yang will perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, a landmark of the repertoire known for its grace, lyricism, and expansive emotional depth. Yang, a dynamic young virtuoso, will perform on a historic AE Smith violin, on loan from violinist Emily Sun as part of her competition award.

The concert will open with Nicolaou’s Of Gates No Longer Known, a meditation on conflict inspired by the composer’s family history in Cyprus during 1974. Originally developed for the 2023 KPO Composer’s Workshop, the work will receive its premiere performance at this concert.

Concluding the program is Strauss’ iconic tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra, best known for its soaring 'Sunrise' introduction, immortalized in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. The work takes listeners on a philosophical and emotional journey, drawing inspiration from Friedrich Nietzsche’s novel of the same name, and showcasing the full range and power of the symphony orchestra.