Music

Gloria Brancatisano / September 9, 2021

News

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra announce 2021 Festival of Orchestra series

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has announced its exciting new initiative – Festival of Orchestra (FOFO) – this November and December.

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has announced its exciting new initiative – Festival of Orchestra (FOFO) – will mark the centrepiece of its July–December 2021 season.

Taking place at the Adelaide Showgrounds, the Festival of Orchestra is an Australian first, and features six concerts celebrating the world’s greatest orchestral music from the concert hall, Broadway, dance club, rock arena and the silver screen.

Adelaide Showground will become the hub for the Festival’s sunset concerts, with the orchestra taking centre stage to deliver an exciting and diverse program of music. A selection of food trucks and bespoke bars will complete the festival atmosphere to ensure you can make it an enjoyable evening.

FOFO will have a carnival atmosphere by day, with lots of fun, family activities, demonstrations, games and displays.

Festival of Orchestra, or FOFO, takes the ASO out of the concert hall and onto the Main Arena of one of the State’s best-loved venues…We’re bringing back Symphony under the Stars, in the form of our opening night Classical Spectacular, complete with cannons and fireworks. We have the Ministry of Sound orchestrated, the epic Carmina burana with massed choirs, a special night of highlights from Broadway musicals. And we’ll be joining forces again with SA’s own The Angels, before the Festival culminates in the BBC’s extraordinary Blue Planet II with a score by Hans Zimmer and special guest narrator.

Vincent Ciccarello, ASO Managing Director

Festival of Orchestra: Classical Spectacular

Classical Spectacular is set to kick of Festival of Orchestra in style. Conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, the night will feature some of the greatest orchestral music ever created – the Jets and the Sharks facing off to the pulsating music from Bernstein’s West Side Story, the soaring emotion of the adagio from Khachaturian’s ballet Spartacus, the scintillating big city sounds of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Ravel’s powerfully hypnotising Boléro. And that’s only the beginning.

Festival of Orchestra: Ministry of Sound

This year, Ministry of Sound celebrates its 30th anniversary as London’s first superclub, so of course the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has to celebrate these trailblazers. For electronic music enthusiasts, Ministry of Sound: Classical is a celebration of the most beloved dance floor moments of the last 25 years – rearranged, remixed and reimagined with the ASO. Featuring Adelaide’s own DJ Groove Terminator, there will also be a warm-up set from DJ John Course, setting the mood for an epic evening of entertainment. 

Festival of Orchestra: Carmina burana

Bawdy, irreverent, exciting and offering an unparalleled sense of musical spectacle, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is a big, bold celebration of life, love, and the pleasures of the flesh and the grape. It’s also one of the most popular works ever created for choir and orchestra. From the mighty opening chorus – O Fortuna – this is an unforgettable musical experience. With more than 200 performers on stage, this sensational concert the ASO is joined by Young Adelaide Voices, the Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Graduate Singers and an outstanding cast of vocal soloists, under the direction of the Orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth.

Festival of Orchestra: A Night on Broadway

A show-stopping line-up of Australia’s finest musical theatre stars including Amy Lepahmer, will perform your favourite numbers from the great musicals – including ‘Music of the Night’ from Phantom of the Opera, ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Misérables, ‘Defying Gravity’ from Wicked, ‘Back to Before’from Ragtime, ‘If I Loved You’ from Carousel and ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen – all under the sparkling direction of Guy Noble.

Festival of Orchestra: Symphony of Angels

Classic rock enthusiasts won’t be disappointed with this rock orchestral makeover. Conducted by Rob John, ASO will be joined on stage by Brewster brothers John and Rick, Nick Norton and Sam Brewster, and frontman Dave Gleeson. Featuring 75 ASO musicians on stage, and a choir, this 20-song extravaganza will take you through The Angels’ greatest works: Take A Long Line, Marseilles, After the Rain, Be with You and Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, to name a few.

Festival of Orchestra: Blue Planet II – Live in Concert

A fantastical journey from icy polar seas to pulsating coral reefs, from the luminous deep sea to enormous kelp forests. Following the incredible success of the BAFTA award-winning BBC One television series Blue Planet II, presented by Sir David Attenborough, BBC Studios are proud to present Blue Planet II Live in Concert, bringing the wonders and mysteries of the planet’s oceans and wildlife to the stage. Featuring film sequences projected on a state-of-the-art HD LED screen, this will be an unforgettable evening under the stars as the ASO performs the music of Hans Zimmer.

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Festival of Orchestra will take over Adelaide Showgrounds from Wednesday 24 November until Saturday 4 December. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au.