Review by AYO Media and Communication 2026 participant, Sarah Huang
Concert: AYO Summer Music Festival, Ancient Airs & Hi-Vis
Saturday 10 January 2026, Elder Hall, Adelaide
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.4 in B-flat major, Op.60
RESPIGHI Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No 3
Thomas ADÈS Shanty-Over the Sea
Holly HARRISON Hi-Vis
BORODIN Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor
If you had to choose a word to describe an Australian Youth Orchestra performance, it might be ‘breathtaking’, ‘exhilarating’…. or for those of you in attendance at Elder Hall for the second concert in this year’s AYO National Music Camp (NMC) Summer Music Festival, it would probably be powerful. It was impossible not to feel the buzz after the Saturday night performance.
Up first was Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony. It’s often called the middle child, overshadowed by its more famous siblings, the Third and Fifth (not-to-mention the Ninth). But the NMC Alexander Orchestra conducted by the dynamic and vibrant Andrea Quinn, gave a masterful and energetic interpretation, proving this symphony should not be underestimated. The woodwinds’ tone production, especially the clarinet solo in the second and fourth movements, was particularly beautiful.
The Amadio Chamber Orchestra’s elegant and graceful performance of Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3, propelled us into the next century. Director Glenn Christensen led the ensemble with confidence and poise, before leaving the stage in their second piece, Thomas Ade’s lurching and evocative Shanty – Over the Sea.
In Shanty – Over the Sea, the student-driven [Amadio Chamber Orchestra] ensemble gave a ‘seasick’ performance that fully lived up to the composer Thomas Adès’ intentions, the quick violin strokes imitating waves on the sea.
The members of the Amadio Chamber Orchestra were highly responsive to each other in bringing to life this imaginative and dissonant work.
Then a sudden atmosphere change, with the NMC Bishop Orchestra’s electric and fast-paced performance of Holly Harrison’s High-Vis, a piece inspired by late-night roadworks conceived as a combination of rock, EDM and disco. Bishop’s brass and percussion were the main features here, expertly reflected the construction-like sounds of Harrison’s genre-bending score.
Finally, the Bishop Orchestra’s performance of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances saw the triumphant return of the NMC Choir, seated on both sides of the stalls creating an immersive and exhilarating surround sound stereo effect.
There was a lingering sense of awe following the orchestra and choir’s performance – the combined power of 200+ musicians brining the audience to their feet with thunderous applause.
The performance was a reminder how powerful music can be. It is easy to take for granted the things we do and see every day, listening to music being one of them. The power that these young musicians possess is not only of a skill, but the power to move and inspire. Everyone left Elder Hall that evening invigorated with the knowledge not only that the futures of these young musicians are bright, but the future of Australian music is in very capable hands.