The Complete Performance and Tour History of
The Australian Youth Orchestra (1957 – 2008)
1957
Inaugural Performance at David Jones
Sydney
Conductor: John Bishop
Soloist: Gai Tilsed, piano
ABC Schools Concerts and Inaugural Public Concert Sydney
Conductor: John Bishop
Soloist: Cornelia Brain, piano
1958
ABC Youth Concerts
Melbourne
Conductor: John Bishop
Soloist: Daniel Barenboim, piano
1959
ABC Youth Concerts
Sydney
Conductor: Bernard Heinze
Soloist: Geoffrey Michaels, violin
1960
Inaugural Adelaide Festival of the Arts and ABC Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Bishop
Soloists: James Porter, piano; Margaret Pilcher, flute; Brian Coogan, trumpet; John Gould, violin
1961
ABC Youth Concerts
Sydney and Melbourne
Conductor: Bernard Heinze
Soloist: Stephen McIntyre, piano
1962
ABC Youth Concerts
Sydney
Conductor: Bernard Heinze
Soloist: Daniel Barenboim, piano
1963
ABC Youth Concerts
Melbourne
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Charmian Gadd, violin
1964
Adelaide Festival of the Arts and ABC Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Lyall Duke, piano
1965
ABC Youth Concerts
Sydney
Conductor: Thomas Matthews
Soloist: Kerry Smith, violin
1966
Adelaide Festival of the Arts and ABC Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Louis Kentner, piano; Carmel Kaine, violin
1967
ABC Youth Concerts
Melbourne
Conductor: Willem van Otterloo
Soloist: Elizabeth Drake, piano
1968
Adelaide Festival of the Arts and ABC Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Geoffrey Michaels, violin
1969
ABC Youth Concerts
Sydney
Conductor: Moshe Atzmon
Soloist: Tom Pommerel, piano
1970
ABC Youth Concerts
Melbourne
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Tanya Hunt, cello
Pre-Asian Tour Farewell Concert
Canberra
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Tanya Hunt, cello
Inaugural International Tour
EXPO 70 Osaka (Japan); Manila (The Philippines)
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Tanya Hunt, cello
1971
ABC Youth Concerts
Brisbane and Toowoomba
Conductors: Moshe Atzmon (Brisbane); Leonard Dommett (Toowoomba)
Soloist: Julie Raines, harp
1972
Adelaide Festival of the Arts and ABC Youth Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Alan Bonds, Anne Laijta, Zsolt Martonyi & Lynley Carrington, violins;
Simone de Haan, Kenneth McClimont, Robert Clark, Grant Easton, trombones;
Karen Chugg, flute; Sharman Pretty, oboe
1973
Season Cancelled
1974
Three State Tour
Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth (International Society for Music Education Conference)
Conductor: John Hopkins
Guest Conductor: Dmitri Kabalevsky
1975
Asian Tour
Cebu City, Manila (the Philippines); Takasaki City, Tokyo, Kobe, Kagoshima, Kyoto (Japan); Seoul, Pusan (Korea) and Hong Kong
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Jeffrey Crellin, oboe
Intervarsity Choral Festival
Sydney
Conductor: Peter Seymour
Soloists: Pearl Berridge, soprano; Lauris Elms, contralto; Raymond McDonald, tenor
Sydney Opera House
Sydney
Conductor: Robert Pikler
Soloist: Grant Dickson, bass
1976
American Bicentennial Celebrations, tour of eight US states:
Interlochen Music Camp, MI; Memphis, TN, Atlanta, GA; Fort Worth, TX; Ames, IO; Golden, CO; Oakland, CA; Honolulu, HI
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Zoltán Kocsis, piano
Choral Concert with The Melbourne Chorale
Melbourne
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Pearl Berridge, soprano; Lauris Elms, contralto; Raymond McDonald, tenor; Grant Dickson, bass
Opening of the new Canberra School of Music
Canberra
Conductor: Robert Pikler
Soloist: Margaret Powell, piano
1977
ABC Youth, Family and Schools Concert
Melbourne
Conductor: Robert Pikler
Soloists: Lisa Green, violin; Philip Green, cello; Paul Brickhill, piano
Choral concert with The Melbourne Chorale
Melbourne
Conductor: Robert Pikler
Soloists: Rhonda Bruce, soprano; Graeme Wall and George Hegan, tenors; Brian Hansford, baritone
1978
ABC Youth, Family and Schools Concerts
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Sandra Tancibudek, violin; Renata Turrini, piano
1979
Inaugural Tour to China
Sydney (Australia); Hong Kong; Beijing, Nanking, Shanghai, Kwang Chou (China)
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Victor Sangiorgio, piano
ABC Series 6-30 and Schools Concerts
Sydney
Conductor: Georg Tintner
Soloists: Marilyn Richardson, soprano; James Christiansen, baritone
Choral concert with the Sydney Philharmonia
Sydney
Conductor: Peter Seymour
Soloist: John Winther, piano
1980
Adelaide Festival of the Arts
Conductor: Eric Schmid
ABC Family, Schools and Subscription Concerts
Melbourne
Conductor: Niklaus Wyss
Soloist: Howard Penny, cello
Choral concert with The Melbourne Chorale
Melbourne
Conductor: Myer Fredman
Soloists: Nance Grant, soprano; Lauris Elms, contralto; Anson Austin, tenor; Grant Dickson, bass
1981
Festival of Sydney
Sydney
Conductor: Denis de Coteau
Soloist: Roger Woodward, piano
ABC Subscription, Family, Youth and Schools
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Jane Peters and Geoffrey Michaels, violins
Adelaide Festival Centre Trust International Organ Festival
Adelaide
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Martin Haselböck, organ
1982
Adelaide Festival of the Arts
Adelaide
Conductor: Mark Elder
Soloists: Sarah Walker, mezzo-soprano; John Treleaven, tenor; Bruce Martin and Keith Hempton, basses
Gala Opera Concert with The Australian Opera Benevolent Fund
Sydney
Conductor: Stuart Challender
Soloists: Joan Sutherland, Rita Hunter, Leona Mitchell, sopranos; Rosina Raisbeck, Rosemary Gunn, contraltos; Sergei Baigildin, tenor; Robert Allman and John Germain, baritone; Donald Shanks and Clifford Grant, basses; The Australian Opera Chorus
Choral Concert with the Sydney Philharmonia
Sydney
Conductor: Peter Seymour
Soloists: Rhonda Bruce and Romola Tyrell, sopranos; Lauris Elms, contralto; Sydney Philharmonia
1983
Festival of Perth
Perth
Conductor: Ronald Zollman
Soloists: Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Ralph Kirschbaum, cello; Peter Frankl, piano
1984
Gala Farewell Concert
Melbourne
Conductor: Ronald Zollman
Soloist: Jeffrey Crellin, oboe
"The Ambassadors Symphony” – Tour of European Festivals
Melbourne (Australia); Dubrovnik & Ljubljana (Yugoslavia); Le Touquet, Paris (France); Amsterdam (The Netherlands), London, Edinburgh, Cardiff (UK)
Conductors: Sir Charles Mackerras, Ronald Zollman
Soloists: Walter Despalj, cello; Phillip Fowke, piano; Jean-Claude Malgoire, oboes; Barry Tuckwell, horn; John Williams, guitar
1985
Come Out ‘85” Festival in Adelaide
Adelaide
Conductor: Christopher Seaman
Soloist: Geoffrey Tozer, piano
1986
Adelaide Festival
Adelaide
Conductor: Alexander Schneider
Soloists: Elizabeth Campbell, mezzo-soprano; Gidon Kremer, violin
Three State TourSydney, Canberra and Melbourne
Conductor: Ronald Zollman
Soloist: Carl Pini, violin
Inaugural Australian Youth Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra Collaboration
Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne
Conductor: Ronald Zollman
1987
Festival of Sydney
Sydney
Conductor: Ronald Zollman
“Australia Take A Bow” Soundtrack recording
Sydney
Conductor: John Hopkins
AYO/ACO Collaboration Concert
Sydney and Canberra
Conductor: Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich
Soloist: Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich
1988
"Music For Australia Day” Concert
Sydney
Conductor: Carlo Felice Cillario
Soloist: Allan Zavod, piano; John Howard, narrator; Sydney Philharmonia
NSW Royal Bicentennial Concert
Sydney
Conductor: Tommy Tycho
Soloists: Don Burrows, multiple woodwind; James Morrison, trumpet
Easter Chorale and Bicentennial Gala Concert
Sydney
Conductor: Evelino Pido (Verdi, Requiem), Charles Farncombe (Handel, Messiah)
Featuring: World Festival Choir
Opening of the New Parliament House
Canberra
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Yvonne Kenny, soprano
International Festival of Youth Orchestras
EXPO 88 Brisbane
Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach
Soloist: Alexander Korsantiya
Grand Bicentennial Tour
Brisbane (Australia), Singapore, London (UK), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Interlaken (Switzerland),La Roque d’Antheron, Paris (France), Cologne, Ludwigsburg, Berlin, Frankfurt (Germany), and Budapest (Hungary)
Conductors: Sir Charles Mackerras, Christoph Eschenbach, John Curro
Soloists: Tzimon Barto, Lesley Howard and François René Duchable, pianos; Jane Peters, violin
1989
Festival of Sydney Performance
Sydney
Conductor: Louis Fremaux
Soloist: Miriam Gormley, soprano
IBM Concert
Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney
Conductor: Edouard Chivzel
Soloists: Geoffrey Tozer, piano; Julian Smiles, cello; Melbourne Chorale Occasional Choir
1990
ABC Classics “VAST” Recording
Sydney
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Graeme Jennings, violin; Duncan Fikkers, cello; Paul McMillan, viola; Lance Bartholomeusz, double bass
ABC Concerts
Sydney, Canberra, Alice Springs, Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Shepparton
Conductor: David Shallon
Soloist: Adele Anthony, violin
1991
Festival of Sydney
Sydney
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloist: Lawrence Dobell, clarinet
The Camerata of the Australian Youth Orchestra
New York, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida (USA); Caracas, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto (Venezuela); Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Sao Paolo (Brazil)
Conductor: John Hopkins
Soloists: Prudence Davies, flute; Alice Giles, harp
1992
ABC Concerts
Melbourne, Hobart
Conductor: Christopher Bell
Soloists: Anthony Chesterman, oboe; Nicola Ferner-Waite, soprano; Stephen Bennett, bass
Sydney Choral Festival
Sydney
Conductor: Rodney Eichenberger
Soloists: Nicola Ferner-Waite, soprano; Michael Lewis, baritone
The Camerata of the Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney, Indonesia
Conductor: Graham Abbott
Soloist: Kim Walker
1993
Inaugural New Zealand Tour
Sydney (Australia); Wellington, New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Auckland (New Zealand)
Conductor: Patrick Strüb
Soloist: Duncan Gifford, piano
1994
Herald-Sun Summer Music ‘94
Melbourne
Conductor: David Alan Miller
Soloist: Duncan Gifford, piano
“Moving on Music” European Tour
Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Copenhagen (Denmark), Mulheim (Germany), Lombardy, Salo, Milan (Italy); London, Aberystwyth, Birmingham (UK)
Conductor: Yakov Kreizberg
Soloists: Christina Ortiz, piano; Adele Anthony and Cho-Liang Lin, violins; Duncan Gifford, piano
1995
Music Viva Australian Tour
Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney, Newcastle, Armidale, Grafton, Melbourne, Bendigo, Canberra
Conductor: Martyn Brabbins
Soloists: Elowyn Leonard, clarinet; Li-Wei Qin, cello
The Camerata of the Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney, France
1996
Telstra Adelaide Festival ‘96
Adelaide
Conductor: Gilbert Varga
Soloists: Jonathon Shin’Ar, Stephen McIntyre, pianos; Verna Lee, harp
International Tour
Sydney (Australia); Olympic Arts Festival, Atlanta, GA (USA); Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Lübeck (Germany); International Festival of Lanaudiere, Joliette (Canada)
Conductor: Christopher Seaman
Soloist: Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet
1997
Tall Poppies “Garden of Earthly Delights” Recording
Conductor: Diego Masson
Soloists: David Nuttall, oboe; Ian Munro, piano; David Pereira, cello
The Camerata of the Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney, United Kingdom
1998
Sydney Festival “Young Australia Special” and Australia Day Performances
Sydney
Conductor: Tan Li-Hua
Soloist: David Pereira, cello
Tour of China
Appearances in Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Changzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen
Conductor: Tan Li-Hua
Soloist: David Pereira, cello
1999
Centenary of Federation Dinner, Parliament House
Canberra
Conductor: Nicolette Fraillon
Featuring: Bernadette Walong Dance Troupe
2000
Perth International Festival of Arts
Perth
“The Three Nines”
Conductor: Tadaaki Otaka
Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney (Olympics Arts Festival), Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide
Conductor: Robert Spano
Soloist: Pinchas Zukerman
Australia Day Celebrations “Lighting of the Flame”
Sydney
Conductor: Brian Buggy
Featuring The Sing 2001 Choir
2001
Centenary of Federation Centennial Celebrations
Sydney
Conductor: Lyn Williams
Featuring various soloists, choirs and dancers
Ceremony for Centennial of Federation Festival
Melbourne
Conductor: Richard Mills
Soloists: Deborah Cheetham, soprano and Yothu Yindi
European Tour
Appearances in Sydney (Australia), Rotterdam, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), La Roque d’Antheron (France), Berlin (Germany)
Conductor: Mikko Franck, Vladimir Ashkenazy (Berlin)
Soloists: Clemens Leske, Jr, piano (Sydney); Sophie Rowell, violin; Michael Kieran Harvey, Caroline Almonte and Kristian Chong, piano
2002
Melbourne Symphony Myer Music Bowl Series
Melbourne
Conductor: Markus Stenz
Soloists: Sophie Rowell, violin; Caroline Almonte, Kristian Chong, and Michael Kieran Harvey, piano
Musica Viva Lismore
Brisbane, Lismore and Armidale
Conductor: Federico Cortese
Soloist: Slava Grigoryan, guitar
Sydney Symphony “Meet The Music”
Sydney
Conductor:Federico Cortese
Soloist: Slava Grigorian, guitar
Sydney Symphony “Tea & Symphony”
Sydney
Conductor: Federico Cortese
2003
Perth International Arts Festival
Perth
Gurrelieder
Conductor: Diego Masson
Featuring various soloists and choirs
Sydney Philharmonia Subscription Series
Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Beechworth
Conductor: Thomas Woods
Soloists: Patricia Rozario, soprano; Christopher Josey, counter-tenor; Sydney Philharmonia
2004
Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney and Canberra
Conductor: Benjamin Zander
Soloists: Emma Matthews, soprano; Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo-soprano; Sydney Philharmonia
European Tour
Sydney (Australia); St Thomas (The Netherlands), Kassel (Germany), La Chaise-Dieu, La Roque (France), Merano (Italy), St Moritz (Switzerland) and London (UK)
Conductor: Lawrence Foster
Soloist: Hélèn Grimaud and Cristina Ortiz, piano
2005
Sydney Symphony “Meet The Music” Series
Armidale, Sydney and Canberra
Conductor: Alexander Anissimov
Soloist: Michael Kieran Harvey, piano
Queensland Music Festival
Brisbane
Tristan und Isolde
Conductor: Richard Mills
Featuring various soloists, including John Treleaven, Lisa Gasteen, Bruce Martin, Bernadette Cullen, David Wakeham, Barry Ryan, Jaewoo Kim, and Lionel Theunissen
2006
Adelaide Festival
Adelaide
Conductor: Diego Masson, conductor
Soloists: Bernadette Cullen, mezzo-soprano; Keith Lewis, tenor; David Wenham, actor
Australian Youth Orchestra
Sydney
Conductor: Oleg Caetani
Featuring: Sydney Philharmonia Choir
2007
UWA Perth International Arts Festival
Perth
Conductor: Gérard Korsten
Soloist: Cameron Hill
Australian Youth Orchestra
Conductor: Paul Kildea
Featuring: Sydney Philharmonia
European Tour
Appearances in Sydney (Australia), Germany, France and the Netherlands
Conductor: Lawrence Foster
2008
Australian Youth Orchestra
Melbourne
Conductor: Rossen Milanov
Australian Youth Orchestra
Adelaide Festival Centre Symphonic program
Adelaide
Conductor: John Nelson
Soloist: Herbert Schuch