The Australian World Orchestra (AWO) is a symphony orchestra based in Australia.[1]
History
The Australian World Orchestra was established in 2011 by Australian conductor Alexander Briger and his sister, film maker Gabrielle Thompson.[2] The inaugural patron of the orchestra was Sir Charles Mackerras, Briger and Thompson's uncle.
The first concert in 2011, which was conducted by Briger, performed sold out in concerts in Sydney and Melbourne.[3] The AWO also sold out in 2013 and 2015.
Maestro Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra in 2013, and returned to conduct again in 2015 when the AWO performed in three cities in India, with soprano Greta Bradman as guest soloist.[4] Mehta is to return in 2022 to conduct the AWO in a performance of Strauss' works[5] in Sydney and Melbourne.
In 2015 the AWO brought Sir Simon Rattle to Australia to conduct the orchestra in concerts in Sydney and Melbourne with special guest mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená.[6] Rattle has described the AWO as an "international treasure".[7]
In 2016 Briger premiered the AWO's 5th anniversary commission by Australian composer Elena Kats-CherninThe Witching Hour, A Concerto for Eight Double Basses at the Sydney Opera House and the Esplanade in Singapore.
Later in 2018 the AWO toured India, performing in Chennai as the opening act of the Australian Government's 6 month festival of Australian Culture "OzFest" and additional concerts in Kochi (Kerala) and Mumbai under the baton of Briger and with guest soloists French mezzo-soprano Caroline Meng and the Australian born and educated Daniel Dodds, Artistic Director of the Lucerne Festival Strings.
The AWO commissioned Australian composer and clarinetist Paul Dean to compose his Symphony No.1 Black Summer[8] to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021. Briger premiered the piece in 2021 in concerts at the Llewellyn Hall in Canberra, and City Recital Hall, Sydney. The performances garnered positive reviews, and the Australian Arts Review expressed that "Briger has created an orchestral Rolls Royce . . ."[9]
The AWO travelled to the United Kingdom (UK) in August 2022, as part of Edinburgh's 75th anniversary celebrations, and the UK|AU cultural exchange,[10] performing at the Edinburgh International Festival[11] and the BBC Proms, conducted by Zubin Mehta, accompanied by Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg. Mehta conducted the AWO in 2022 in Sydney and Melbourne in performances of Richard Strauss's tone poems (Limelight, 2022).[12] After the conclusion of the AWO's performance at the Sydney Opera House, General David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia, awarded Mehta with an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (Limelight, 2022[13]).
Alexander Briger is returning in November 2023 to conduct at Arts Centre Melbourne and the Sydney Opera House as the AWO will perform Mahler's 9th Symphony.[14]
