‘It was all fantastic’: 90s AYO alumni share their best memories

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The 90s were a busy time for the Australian Youth Orchestra, with multiple international tours to Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and memorable Australian performances at the annual National Music Camps and regional and metropolitan tours. The innumerable performance opportunities AYO offered have stuck with alumni, often forming a key motivating experience for their own musical journeys.

Memories from alumni

AYO Alumna Elizabeth Donnellan fondly recalls her experience at 1999 National Music Camp. “I absolutely loved National Music Camp 1999 in Perth!”

The National Music Camp was referenced by many alumni as being a part of their best memories. AYO alumna Mark Davey fondly remembers the 1991 Paramatta and 1992 Mittagong camps. He said, “Many memories – mostly not musical! – even almost 35 years later.” AYO Alumna and SSO violinist Felicity Tsai recalls “playing Brahms Sextets after dinner in the dining room and dorms at National Music Camp – just on spur of the moment”. AYO alumna Quynh-Nhu Nguyen remembers “Climbing trees and watching Michael Bevan win a nail-biting one-dayer for Australia in the common room after a full day of Bartok with Isaiah Jackson.”

Among the many international tours the AYO Flagship embarked upon during the 90s, AYO alumna and ABC Classic broadcaster Genevieve Lang recounts the 1994 European Tour as one of the most thrilling. During the middle of a performance of Bartok’s fiendishly difficult Miraculous Mandarin Suite (most recently played at the 2026 National Music Camp!) at the famed Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, a string on her harp snapped. “The whole concert hit a pause while I changed the broken string between pieces”, she said. “When it finally reached pitch, I sat down, and the whole audience burst into applause.”

It was a full-on and unforgettable moment. Members of the 1994 European Tour still remind me about that event at every opportunity.

Genevieve Lang

The exhilaration didn’t stop there, with many alumni recalling the 1998 Tour of China as a treasured and highly memorable experience. AYO alumna Sarah Jessup recalls the fearless commitment of the orchestra after stage lights broke mid-performance, shattering glass over the woodwind section. AYO Alumna Rebekah Osbourne said, “our Chinese Conductor [Tan-Li Hua] brought such depth to our pieces”, additionally highlighting the valuable cultural experiences afforded to members of the tour.

A keystone event of the 90s was the AYO performing as part of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. AYO alumna and violist Lisa Grosman recounts the thrill of performing in an internationally renowned event. The AYO previously traveled to the states in 1991 with AYO alumna and SSO trumpeter Anthony Heinrichs said, “playing the trumpet solo from Unanswered Question by Charles Ives over the top of Carnegie Hall in the inaugural 1991 Camerata Australia tour of North and South America.”

In an AYO first, 1993 saw the orchestra tour to New Zealand for the first time. AYO alumna and percussionist Iain Robbie describes “star gazing in the hot springs of Rotaura, NZ.” He also references the 1995 Musica Viva Tour to the Northern Territory, where the AYO Flagship orchestra played “in my home town of Darwin.” The AYO Flagship Orchestra returns to the Northern Territory July 17, in their concert Brave New Worlds.

A common sentiment shared by alumni is the opportunity AYO programs provide to make long-lasting connections and friendships with fellow participants. AYO alumna Lucy Carrig recounts “the 1990 Australia tour was amazing!”

I met so many people I’m still friends with today and saw parts of Australia I had never seen.

Lucy Carrig

From the 90s to today

AYO alumna Clare Rowe summarises it best, simply stating “it was all fantastic.” The Australian Youth Orchestra is continuing to empower Australia’s next generation of classical musicians today, with applications for our 2027 programs now open.

If you participated in an AYO program in the 90s, or know someone who has, we’d love to hear from you. You can fill out our Alumni Survey, to help us build our alumni network.