Classical Music from WASO

One of the major music influencers of his generation, piano pop sensation Ben Folds delivers a cavalcade of hits, like 'Landed', 'Capable of Anything', and 'Luckiest' fifteen years after his first ever orchestral concert right here in Perth.

The multi-platinum-selling artist has since released numerous collaboration records, and created music for film, TV and a Billboard chart-topping piano concerto. Folds, who currently serves as the first ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, just recently released his first book, a memoir entitled 'A Dream About Lightning Bugs', described as a collection of interrelated essays and anecdotes about art, life, and music. He’s also currently touring Australia on a book promotion tour.

But there is no better way to experience one of the modern world’s most distinctive singer-songwriters than with the full power of WASO!

For thousands of years, music has been intrinsic to honouring country and ingraining a sense of place. Collaborating side-by-side the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Western Australian Youth Orchestra will adventure across lands and through time, from Perth’s own spectacular Derbarl Yerrigan to Finland’s Kemijoki, the majestic Black Swan to the magical colours of the Firebird. 

With world premiere performances of works delivered by outstanding Noongar musicians and performers featuring the spellbinding Della Rae Morrison and Barry McGuire sitting alongside classics from Sibelius, Copland and Stravinsky, this magical night of orchestral colour, conducted by Thaddeus Huang, will bring you a renewed love for the sand beneath your feet.

Tickets on sale now!

Program includes:
Jean Sibelius Finlandia
Aaron Copland The Tender Land – Suite
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird – Suite

Thaddeus Huang conductor
Barry McGuire & Della Rae Morrison vocals
West Australian Youth Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra

The breathtaking pianist Konstantin Shamray joins the talented WASO and Asher Fisch to take on possibly the greatest of all piano concertos, Rachmaninov’s stormy and romantic Second. The concert is opened with the shimmering atmospherics of Olivia Davies’ new work Stratus.

Helicopters cut through the mist in Platoon and Gene Kelly steams up your glasses in An American in Paris – we begin and end with music that defined two iconic Hollywood blockbusters. Kurt Weill’s Symphony No.2 is an absolute gem, embracing both wry satire of relentless energy and the sound of his popular Broadway works. WASO’s own trumpet superstar Brent Grapes will dazzle you with Henri Tomasi’s virtuosic Trumpet Concerto, which traverses an enthralling musical landscape from Hollywood noir, to French impressionism and jazz.

One of the world’s most successful Broadway writing teams with two of the brightest shining stars in music theatre today will be performing at Perth Concert Hall, backed by WASO. The crowd will find themselves sing along to all the hits including ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ from The Sound of Music and ‘Shall We Dance?’ from The King and I, plus ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ from South Pacific, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ from Carousel, and much more!

You-Know-Who is not the only one who has returned—Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are back as well in this unforgettable concert event. Relive the magic with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ displayed on a giant screen in high-definition and accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. See Harry and his friends race through the Department of Mysteries, practice Defense Against the Dark Arts in secret, and endure Professor Umbridge—all with Nicholas Hooper’s iconic score!

In their second co-production, St George's Cathedral and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) will present an Easter concert never performed before in Perth. Duruflé's Requiem and Bach's Easter Oratorio will come together to create "a sonic picture of the joy of Easter", in the words of Joseph Nolan, St George's Concert Series Artistic Director. The concert tells the Easter story through the exquisite sounds of two extraordinary composers. Beginning with the solemn serenity of Duruflé's Requiem, the second half brings the jubilance of the resurrection through Bach's Oratorio. Featuring Soprano Sara Macliver, Mezzo Fiona Campbell, Tenor Paul McMahon and Baritone James Clayton with St George's Cathedral Consort.

‘I am a Jedi, like my father before me…’

Darth Vader readies the second Death Star to unleash the final blow to the Rebel Alliance. Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3PO join Princess Leia to free Han Solo from the vile crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. Reunited, the Rebels race to the moon of the planet Endor where they launch a desperate attack upon the entire Imperial Fleet.

Nicholas Buc conductor

This performance includes subtitles on the screen.

The Eumeralla river flows through Gunditjmara country in southwest Victoria. It was here, 180 years ago, that war broke out between traditional owners and those who sought to dispossess them of their land.

Combining moving poetry, two choirs, orchestra and the platform of the Requiem mass, a history of heartbreak and horror is revealed in this monumental new work. With a fusion of Western classical tradition and First Nations culture, Eumeralla soars with resilience and reconciliation.

Sung in dialects of the Gunditjmara people of southwestern Victoria. Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace is presented in Perth with support from the Bendat Family Foundation. The Gunditjmara translation was the work of senior Gunditjmara language custodian Vicki Couzens and linguist Travers Eira.

WASO’s Indigenous Creative Collaborations are supported by Bendat Family Foundation.

If Haydn was acclaimed as ‘the father of the symphony’, it is surely his most illustrious student, Beethoven, who thrust the symphony into the popular consciousness. The famous opening four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth launches an epic symphonic journey from tension to exuberant triumph. Schumann composed his Konzertstuck in 1849, one of the most blazingly creative and happy years of his life, and a sense of joyous euphoria infuses this super virtuosic showpiece.Joseph HAYDN Symphony No.96 The Miracle

Robert SCHUMANN Konzertstuck for Four Horns and Orchestra

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5

Asher Fisch conductor

David Evans horn

Julia Brooke horn

Robert Gladstones horn

Francesco Lo Surdo horn