Australian Youth Orchestra
AYO National Music Camp – Summer Concert Series
AYO National Music Camp – Summer Concert Series
Enjoy sweeping orchestral masterpieces and vibrant 21st century works during Australian Youth Orchestra’s 2024 Summer Concert Series!
AYO National Music Camp returns to Adelaide in its 76th year! 220 pre-professional musicians selected from around the country will take to the stage under the leadership of internationally renowned conductors Ariel Zuckermann, Toby Thatcher and chamber orchestra director Sophie Rowell.
For two weeks of the year, AYO National Music Camp becomes a bustling hub for the next generation of Australian performers, composers and arts administrators. Experience the dynamic energy which is created when these musical minds come together!
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide
Admission is by donation. Please note seating is unassigned.
Orchestral Concert I
Saturday 13 January, 3:30pm
Experience towering favourites of the orchestral canon alongside exciting 21st compositions. John Adam’s A Short Ride in a Fast Machine will start the program with a bang, followed by Lachlan Skipworth’s 2018 tone poem Hinterland, inspired by the rugged landscape of Western Australia. Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 and Arensky’s Tchaikovsky Variations will bring the concert to its grand finale.
Full program and concert notes here
Orchestral Concert II
Saturday 13 January, 7pm
A concert immersed in the striking tonal colours crafted by Eastern European composers. In addition to Australian composer Dr. Melody Eötvös’ Meraki, the three orchestras will interpret Ligeti’s Concert Românesc, Suk’s Serenade for Strings, Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No.1 and Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra.
Full program and concert notes here
Chamber Music Concert
Thursday 18 January, 7pm
Chamber music may feature smaller instrumental ensembles, but it certainly does not lack drama or impact! Enjoy a stunning selection of chamber works performed by the young musicians of AYO National Music Camp.
Full program and concert notes here
New Creations Concert
Friday 19 January, 6pm
Four world premieres in one concert, performed by some of the best professional musicians in Australia? It will be a concert not to miss! Four emerging composers participating in AYO National Music Camp will have their new works performed by the incredible instrumental tutors, who work across all the major orchestras in the country.
Full program and concert notes here
Percussion & Brass Concert
Friday 19 January, 7:30pm
Dive into the powerful textures of brass and percussion instruments! This concert will turn the spotlight onto the instrumental families which provide strength and drive from the back rows of the orchestra.
Full program and concert notes here
Orchestral Concert III
Saturday 20 January, 3:30pm
Don’t miss a spectacular program with something for everyone! Bernstein’s beloved Candide Overture will be heard alongside Frontispiece by South Korean composer Unsuk Chin and Knitting Unicorns by Australian composer Maria Grenfell. Excerpts from Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Sinfonietta and Rameau’s Opera Suite will be performed before the program concludes with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.4.
Full program and concert notes here
Orchestral Concert IV
Saturday 20 January, 7pm
The AYO Summer Concert Series will come to a triumphant and energetic finale with this program. Let yourself get swept away with Kodály’s Dances of Galanta, Janáček’s Suite for Strings, Bacewicz’s Overture for Orchestra and Bartók’s well-loved Concerto for Orchestra.
Full program and concert notes here