Sydney Opera House

Richard Tognetti: Artistic Director and Lead Violin

Helena Rathbone: Principal 2nd Violin

Satu Vänksä: Assistant Leader Violin

Lorna Cumming: Violin

Alice Evans: Violin

Aiko Goto: Violin

Mark Ingwersen: Violin

Ilya Isakovich: Violin

Christopher Moore: Principal Viola

Nicole Divall: Viola

Stephen King: Viola

Timo-Veikko Valve: Principal Cello

Melissa Barnard: Cello

Julian Thompson: Cello

Maxime Bibeau: Bass

Australia’s national orchestra is a product of our country’s vibrant, adventurous and inquiring spirit. Under the visionary leadership of violinist Richard Tognetti, the Australian Chamber Orchestra is an ensemble of virtuosos engaged with music at the highest level: fifteen minds thinking and breathing as one. In performances around Australia, around the world and on their many recordings, the ACO moves hearts and stimulates minds with repertoire spanning four centuries and a vitality and energy unmatched any other ensemble.

Telephone: +61 2 8274 3800
Fax: +61 2 8274 3801
Email: headoffice@aco.com.au
www.aco.com.au

The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a ticket to musical bliss. The Times, UK

The Australian Chamber Orchestra… took the breath away.  Such supple phrasing and dynamics!  Such a gorgeous tone… Such freshness, passion, and commitment!… This group must be the best chamber orchestra on earth. The Times, UK

A brilliant, stimulating evening…..played with gusto and briskly focused vitality. San Francisco Chronicle

There was only one thing wrong with the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s April 12 Santa Fe Concert Association performance: nothing…It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard. The Santa Fe New Mexican, USA

Astonishingly warm, fullbodied and tightly focused: the sound radiating from the crammed Wigmore Hall stage could only have come from the marvellous Australian Chamber Orchestra….Such panache, such confidence! Eighteen minds thinking and breathing as one. Heavenly playing, but that was expected: you’d have to scour the universe hard to find another band like the ACO. The Times, UK

The lean, sleek ensemble from Down Under is well enough established now to dare a little with its selection of tour repertoire. In a refreshing change from the standard chamber music blockbusters, the group offered a diverse collection of works spanning three centuries, cleverly united by the theme of a descending minor scale, symbol of intense melancholy. Financial Times, UK

It probably did not come as a surprise to those who knew it through its recordings, but the Australian Chamber Orchestra had those who were listening for the first time riveted to their seats. El País, Spain

Tognetti's beaming violin set the pace, driving the others to follow and injecting a catch-me-if-you-can spontaneity. Clear, too, was the commitment to make each aspect of the score audible, and the sound-sculpting was top-notch. Washington Post, USA

This concert was that rare thing, a beautifully shaped whole in which all the parts were absolutely in tune with each other and with the space…. The orchestra played like angels throughout, with springing rhythmic grace and impeccable style... (Richard Tognetti) is one of the most characterful, incisive and impassioned violinists to be heard today. The Telegraph, UK

Unified, polished and energetic.. (the Corelli) was delivered with virtuoso ensemble playing and an invigorating spontaneity that seemed to flow from Mr. Tognetti’s charismatic leadership....these spirited Australians seemed reluctant to start the long trip home. Encores came by way of Boccherini and Vivaldi. The New York Times

Tognetti's sound - and his orchestra's sound - has rough edges, and those rough edges are a kind of glory. Theirs is the aggressive give-and-take approach of musicians playing for themselves - the take, sometimes, as in take no prisoners. This is obviously just the kind of music-making on which Anderszewski and Upshaw thrive. But it also made Corelli's Concerto Grosso Opus 6, No. 4 overwhelming fun… and the Szymanowski quartet arresting. Los Angeles Times,

The Australian Chamber Orchestra realises that classical musicians must shake themselves out of hibernation if they are to survive in the 21st century. It’s time for pioneers, and the ACO seems to be leading the way. US Tour Review

The performances were impressive not only for their unfailing virtuosity and unanimity of spirit but also for the individuality they found in each work…the evening seemed a fascinating, even slightly adventurous, journey with interesting companions. New York Times

Flawless ensemble, beauty of tone and boundless energy were the hallmarks of this superb concert by the Australian Chamber Orchestra…it is rare to hear the chamber repertoire dispatched with such a combination of finesse and vitality. San Francisco Chronicle

This concert made me fall in love with music all over again. Sydney Star Observer

Brilliant playing on the edge of the abyss. Sydney Morning Herald

With the Shostakovich Symphony 110a, we heard a quintessential ACO performance pulsating with an electrifying energy, sending volts of such thrilling vibrations that even the dead would be awakened. Herald Sun