Concert Review: Four Sparkling Premieres at the 2026 Summer Music Festival
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Written by Amanda Wong (2026 Media and Communication)
Elder Hall was buzzing with excitement on the evening of Friday January 16th in anticipation of four world premieres by four of Australia’s brightest upcoming composers: Otto Gibbs, Felicity Handreck, Jamie Miles and Angela Zhang. These works were brought to life by the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Composition Ensemble under the capable direction of Stefan Cassomenos and the guidance of composition tutor Thomas Green.
The evening began with a work by Perth-based composer Otto Gibbs: a piece entitled as Merlion Retrospections. Itis the final instalment in a triptych of works inspired by his experiences on exchange in Singapore and the city’s iconic Merlion—a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Merlion Retrospections is about looking back on the past, about reflecting on the memory of this adventure.
The music managed to perfectly capture this sense of nostalgia in its opening: through the shimmer of the tam-tam, the rounded blend of the brass and the clarinet, the hazy sound of the strings and bubbling runs and trills passed around in the winds, the audience could feel the warmth, love and playfulness imbued behind the memory.
Merlion Retrospections proceeded to take listeners through a journey of several moods—all of which were expertly navigated by the composition ensemble. Gibbs’ writing was imaginative and vivid, transitions quick but handled beautifully. The music was bright, quirky, and sparkling at times; excited, reverent and wondrous in others. The performers shone as they masterfully passed around small solos and flourishes and beautifully blended their sounds. Merlion Retrospections was met with enthusiastic applause.
Felicity Handreck’s Exploration of the Mind followed—an introspective composition inspired by the “constant overload of thoughts fluttering in the mind” and Handreck’s ongoing journey in finding her voice as an artist. The work is dedicated to her younger (and present) self, to those who are still finding their voice, and to those who remember that journey in finding their voice.
Evocative and multifaceted, Handreck’s music and its performers guided listeners through a spectrum of emotions and thoughts in all their subtleties: ranging from warm to uneasy, anxious to sombre; buzzing, hopeful, contemplative. The subtly insidious side to anxiety was portrayed beautifully: at times they were restless, slinking and creeping—but never too far away. Built on overlaid ideas and harmonies, Exploration of the Mind was a little more atmospheric in nature and navigated through its variety of soundscapes with ease.
Of note was the sensitive shaping from the ensemble, and a deliciously dark viola solo (Thomas Chawner) accompanied by a staccato plodding motif in the trombone and tuba (Joshua Davis and Karina Filipi). Kim Falconer’s singing, clear-cut tone on the flute and the other winds provided some refreshing lightness. The piece ended on a dissonant, perhaps uncertain note—leaving the audience wondering as its final sounds faded away.
Listeners were then left spellbound by violist Jamie Miles’ composition, Poem. Although not inspired by a particular text, the work is intended to evoke the feelings of reading a poem and was inspired by the rhetorical language and aesthetic qualities of the written word—but communicated through sound. Its sense of narrative was gradually revealed through the unfolding of harmony driven by voice leading and musical textures which were alive—conversational, ebbing, flowing, building.
Poem is dedicated to Miles’ partner, Leah Stange, and is “a love letter of sorts” to her. This could be viscerally sensed through its evocative lines, fluid movement, expressive voice leading, and heartfelt harmonies. In some ways, the composition could be seen as a love poem to its players—individuals in the ensemble shone in their expressivity as they all passed tender lines dripping with romance and captured the poignancy of emotions unable to be articulated by words.
Of note was a beautifully sensitive trumpet solo (Sarah Butler) and violin solo (Sophie Rowell); the honeyed tones of the French horn (Peter Luff) and sensitive leading from director Stefan Cassomenos. Poem felt like a warm, musical hug. The only thing lacking about the composition—as Stefan put it—was that it came to an end.
The fourth piece, Grimoire of Clockwork Machinations by composer Angela Zhang, closed the concert with a bang. Zhang’s piece tells a story of the tension between the individual spirit and the “impersonal machinery” of modern societal systems: the unyielding nature of the machine, the erosion of spirit and ambition, exposure of the machine’s flawed (and ultimately fragile) nature, and the fight for freedom.
Grimoire of Clockwork Machinations was urgent, tense, uneasy, contemplative, gritty, and most of all—exciting. Partway through, the players’ shouts of “Ha! Fight back!” were an unexpected (but positive) addition and contributed to the driving atmosphere. There were some stunningly executed string and woodwind solos in the contemplative and ‘mystical’ middle section: a beautiful heartfelt cello moment (Shuhei Lawson) and violin solos (Sophie Rowell and Alison Raynor) with sensitive responses in the viola (Liz Woolnough)—all this underscored by the fragile heartbeat of clockwork in the plucking harp (Jessica Fotinos) and strings.
The piece launched back into battle with another “Ha! Fight Back!”. Chaos reigned supreme with gritty motifs evoking the doom-laden dies irae in the lower brass accompanied by pounding drumbeats, primal accents, and turbulent flourishes in the winds. Grimoire of Clockwork Machinations was exciting, imaginative, and refreshing. The audience responded with thunderous applause and cheers—energised by Zhang’s musical urge for us to embrace the “magic of life” and live our lives to the fullest.
The evening proved to be a glowing triumph for Gibbs, Handreck, Miles and Zhang. Their music was evocative in their own distinct ways—making us smile, reminisce, and wonder, but most importantly feel. Composition tutor Thomas Green practically glowed with pride as he spoke about his young protégés, and by the end of the evening we could see why.
Four bright stars, shining the way of Australian classical music—rest assured, the future is in good hands.