Wollongong Symphony Orchestra

The Wollongong Symphony Orchestra (WSO) was formed in 2004 as a collaboration between conductor Carlos Alvarado and Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. The Orchestra gives regular concerts at Anita's Theatre in Thirroul, a northern suburb of Wollongong. The Orchestra was separated from the Wollongong Conservatorium in 2007 and an independent not-for-profit company, the Wollongong Symphony Orchestra Foundation Limited was set up to administer it. In 2008, WIN Television became the major sponsor and its name was changed to the 'WIN Wollongong Symphony Orchestra' or WWSO. However, It is still natural for audience members to refer to the orchestra simply as the WSO or Wollogong Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor

The current Principal Conductor of the Orchestra and founding conductor is Carlos Alvarado.

Inaugural Concerts

The inaugural concerts of the Wollongong Symphony Orchestra were given at St Mary Star of the Sea College in Wollongong on the 30 October and 31 October 2004. James Morrison played Graham Koehne's Trumpet Concerto with the Orchestra. He commented on WIN television that the Orchestra was 'getting the right mood'.

Concertmaster

The current Concertmaster is Alexandra Loukianova.

Number of Orchestral Members

The size of the orchestra varies with the repertoire. Orchestra members are all professional musicians or senior students of the Sydney Conservatorium of music and are paid at a comparable rate to the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Entry is by audition.

Past Concerts

Upcoming Concerts

The next concert, International Horizons, features the runner-up of the Sydney International Piano Competition Russian pianist Tatiana Kolesova playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 at Anita's theatre Thirroul on Saturday August 23rd at 7:30PM and at Clubbe Hallin Mittagong on Sunday August 24th at 2:00PMThe concert will feature chamber group 'Dynamic Winds' playing Neilsen's Wind Quintet Opus 43 for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and french horn as well as Bach's Double Violin Concerto and Mozart's 29th Symphony.In a third concert in Camden at the Camden Civic Centre on August 29th at 7:30PM Greig's Holberg Suite will be substituted for the piano concerto due to the unavailability of the pianist.

Controversy

References