Orchestra explores Solar System: lift-off 27 August

Click here to download the flyer (as a PDF).

Lead by Musical Director David Pye, we’ll present two works depicting the awe and wonder of the galaxy around us, Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 and Holst’s The Planets.

Mozart’s masterpiece is his final symphonic work. The work is known for its good humour, boisterous energy and is pure exhilaration to be heard.

After a short interval, David will lead the orchestra further out into the Solar System for Holst’s The Planets. This suite for very large orchestra depicts the astrological story and character of each of the seven known planets of Holst’s time; Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

During the interval you’re invited to join the orchestra for a light afternoon tea in the foyer of the Fremantle Town Hall.

Doors open at 2.45pm for a 3pm start. Tickets are available online via Eventbrite or at the door.

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Tickets on sale for June concerts

Friday 2 June – Fremantle Heritage Festival

• Fremantle Town Hall – Friday 2 June, 7:30pm
• Conductor: Prof Alan Lourens
• Guest artists: Perth Scottish Fiddlers

Program includes:

• Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture
• Prokofiev Symphony No1 (‘Symphonie Classique’)

Sunday 4 June – Rachmaninov and Prokofiev

• Churchlands Senior High School Concert Hall – Sunday 4 June, 3:30pm
• Conductor: Prof Alan Lourens
• Piano soloist: Shuan Hern Lee – winner Fremantle Eisteddfod, 2015 Open Concerto competition

Program:

• Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture
• Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2
• Prokofiev Symphony No1 (‘Symphonie Classique’)

2017 membership fees now due

• Full paying member: early payment: $270. After 31 March: $300
• Concession: early payment: $200. After 31 March: $230
• Part-time (subsidized) player: early payment: $170. After 31 March: $200
• Single subscription concert: concession $80. Full paying $110

How to pay

• Cash or cheque payable to “City of Fremantle Symphony Orchestra” to treasurer Lynda Chadwick (Cello).
• EFT – Westpac Fremantle: BSB 036306, Acc No 105942 quoting your name and subscription type as a reference.

Fremantle Heritage Festival season begins

Workshop wrap-up

Congratulations to all on a fabulous Year 11 and 12 Music Workshop held at Trinity College last weekend. The FSO’s ranks were swelled by many talented high school music students as we played some very challenging repertoire. Conductor Prof Alan Lourens revealed the magic of each work with his insightful analysis and commentary. We hope the workshop will become a regular part of our program.

Rehearsals begin at Leckie Hall

Rehearsals for our next concerts, the Fremantle Heritage Festival start on Wednesday 8 March 2017 at 7:30pm at Leckie Hall.  Prof Alan Lourens is conducting a wonderful program of Berlioz, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev.  Members, keep an eye on the rehearsal schedule page for updates.

Join us in 2017

Happy new year to all FSO members and supporters.

Our 2017 concert season is taking shape.  We have a year of great music-making ahead.

For members, our first rehearsal is on Wednesday 1 February, 7:30pm.

Note that the February rehearsals and first concert will be at Gibney Hall at Trinity College, 2 Trinity Avenue, East Perth. Gibney Hall is opposite the chapel at the school. Click here for a map. Signs will guide you at the first rehearsal.

Keep an eye on the rehearsal schedule page for more information.

New membership enquiries are welcome – click here to learn more.

Concert: Sunday 11 December, 3pm Fremantle Town Hall

Join us for the fourth and final concert in our symphonic exploration of The Seasons, this time celebrating Summer.

Download the concert flyer [PDF]

Download the latest issue of our newsletter FreoNotes [PDF]

Summer for FSO

We are very fortunate to have Jessica Gethin direct us with baton and violin for our next concert SUMMER on Sunday 11 December 2016. Jessica has worked with us before fairly recently. Her biography can be found here. The program includes:

Prokofiev Summer Days Op. 65

Vivaldi Summer from The Four Seasons

Glazunov The Seasons

Orchestra members – visit the rehearsal schedule page

Concert: Sunday 11 September, 3pm Fremantle Town Hall

Join us for the third concert in our symphonic exploration of The Seasons, this time celebrating Spring.  Aaron Copland’s masterful ballet score Appalachian Spring, full of hope and joy, is one of the great scores of the twentieth century. We’ll present Vivaldi’s ever-popular violin concerto Spring from his Four Seasons.  The concert concludes with a new work, written especially for the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra by our musical director and composer David Pye collaborating with WA poet Kevin Gillam. Their new work The Seasons is a musical depiction on the seasons of Western Australia.

Download the concert flyer [PDF]

Download the latest issue (August 2016) of our newsletter FreoNotes [PDF]

Meet our soloist

Paul Wright began his violin studies with Lyndall Hendricskon in Adelaide and three years later was accepted at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey UK. He went on to study at the Guildhall School and Juilliard School, the later under Ivan Galamian.

Paul Wright has performed with leading ensembles and orchestras in including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Australian String Quartet, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Liaison.

Paul is deeply involved in the performance practice of music from the 18^th and 19^th century and has performed in numerous early music ensembles throughout the  country

He has enjoyed many seasons as guest concertmaster of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Paul has been on the faculty at the Australian National Academy of Music and still visits to direct ensembles from time to time.

Paul recently retired from his position as Winthrop Professor at the University of Western Australia School of Music after 25 years.

In 2016 Paul was appointed Music Fellow at St George’s College in Crawley where he mentors 3 ensembles made up of some of the brightest young talents in Perth.

Paul also performs with the Perth Chamber Orchestra as soloist and Director and visits the Eastern States for concerts.

Concert: Sunday 19 June, 3pm Fremantle Town Hall

Read the June 2016 edition of our newsletter FreoNotes

Explore the text behind Tchaikovky’s The Seasons – click here.

Buy tickets via Eventbrite – click here.

Violinist Jocelyn Cullingford our soloist on 19 June

Jocelyn started learning the violin at the age of eleven, studying with Ashley Arbuckle, Vaughan Hanley and subsequently at the University of WA with Graham Wood, during which time she was leader of the University Training Orchestra (UTO) and Deputy Leader of the WA Arts Orchestra and toured China with the Australian Youth Orchestra in 1979.

She is a casual member of the WA Symphony Orchestra (WASO), as well as playing with the WA Philharmonic Orchestra, playing for operas and musicals in several orchestras and  recently playing with the Perth Symphony Orchestra. She was the leader of Allegri Chamber Orchestra for many years and is currently leader of the WA Doctors’ Orchestra (WADO) and Fremantle Symphony Orchestra.

Solo performances have included the Bach Double Violin Concerto with WASO in 1976, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the UTO in 1978 and more recently the Lark Ascending (Vaughan-Williams), the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Scheherezade with the WA Doctors’ Orchestra and Brandenburg Concerti with Allegri.

She completed a degree in medicine at UWA in 1982 and works in private practice specialising in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine.

Concert: Sunday 10 April 2016, 3pm Fremantle Town Hall

Download the latest issue of FreoNotes, [PDF]:  FreoNotes April 2016

Buy tickets online now via Eventbrite

Violinist Margaret Blades our soloist on 10 April

Bachelor Music (Performance) University of Adelaide, Graduate Diploma of Music (Performance) University of Tasmania

Violin teacher, over 20 years experience teaching from beginner to advanced (tertiary level). Her teachers have included Beryl Kimber and Prof Jan Sedivka.

Margaret Blades is forging a career as a teacher and chamber musician after having spent many years as a Leader and violinist of various orchestras, including the WASO, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the ACO, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, and others .

As a soloist, she has appeared with the Adelaide Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, Adelaide Chamber Orchestra and the WASO, where her solo performances have included an appearance with superstar Nigel Kennedy in Vivaldi’s Double Violin Concerto,and the premiere of works by Richard Mills ,Ross Edwards and James Ledger.She has also performed as soloist in New Zealand and the USA, where she performed the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Emerson String Quartet violist, Lawrence Dutton.

She has performed on stage with some of Australia’s finest artists,including Michael Goldschlager, Geoffrey Tozer, Geoffrey Lancaster, Beryl Sedivka and others, both as a recitalist and chamber musician, for Musica Viva, Adelaide International Festival of Arts, Blackwood River Chamber Music Festival, Barossa Music Festival, and in numerous broadcasts for ABC Classic FM.

Rehearsal schedule updated

Members: check out the Rehearsal Schedule page for the updated schedule.

Happy new year!

Happy new year to all members and supporters of the FSO.

Info for members

Wednesday 3 February, 7:30pm – first rehearsal at the usual venue John Leckie Pavilion, corner of Melvista Ave and Bay Road, Nedlands – see map. The first rehearsal will be a read-through of Brahms Symphony No 2 (though it’s not on the program for the next concert). All wind, brass and percussion players – please contact your section leaders by 31 January.  All string players, please contact Jocelyn Cullingford by 31 January.

Concert dates for 2016 – all Sundays: 10 April, 19 June, 11 September, 11 December.

Program for April concert

• Greig – Overture In Autumn
• Kosma [Arr. Pye] – Autumn Leaves
• Vivaldi – Autumn from The Four Seasons – soloist: Margaret Blades
• Bliss – Adam Zero
  

Read more about our 2016 activities.

Concert: Sunday 13 December 2015, 3pm Fremantle Town Hall

Sax Supremo David Gioia’s Biog is here [PDF]

Download the latest edition of our newsletter: FreoNotes – December 2015 [PDF]

Download the concert flyer [PDF]