End of the road: North to south, orchestra’s 1500km road trip is music to the ears
The first orchestral Territory tour in a decade has wrapped up after a four-day 1500km road trip that brought music to key towns along the Stuart Highway.
Northern Territory
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The first orchestral Territory tour in a decade has wrapped up with two show stopping performances in Alice Springs, after a four-day 1500km road trip that brought music to key towns along the Stuart Highway.
The first of the two performance by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra was at Parrtjima – A Festival in Light at Alice Springs Desert Park.
The whole orchestra of 75 musicians and crew hit the road last week for a Territory tour, in a mammoth effort that saw two buses, a truck and several cars travel in convoy down the Stuart Highway to bring wonderfully unique shows to Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) was joined by talented local musicians in each location, bringing a local flavour to each show.
In Katherine, up-and-coming artist with deep Territory roots Gypsy Schmidt played her own songs with the orchestra, in brand new arrangements by DSO composer in residence Netanela Mizrahi.
Tennant Creek audience members heard a suite of orchestral favourites under the night sky and the debut of new songs in Warumungu performed by Rosemary Plummer, Marlene Plummer and Miriam Frank, Dr Shellie Morris and a local children’s choir from Tennant Creek Primary School.
In Alice Springs it was the first time the DSO has performed at Parrtjima – A Festival in Light.
The orchestra was joined by Desert Divas Catherine Satour, Casii Williams and Bronwyn Stuart, each performing an original song with the orchestra.
The tour ended with a chamber music performance where DSO musicians took to the stage in Araluen Arts Centre with the Alice Springs World Chamber Orchestra in a series of mesmerising duets, quintets and quartets for a concert of stunning classical music.
And after it was all done the challenge of getting home was solved through a new partnership with Airnorth, chartering a plane from Alice Springs to Darwin, just to bring all of the musicians home.
Darwin Symphony Orchestra general manager Kate Stephens said the new partnership with Airnorth is a game-changer for the DSO.
“Touring an orchestra over such vast distances is logistically complex and very resource-intensive,” she said.
“The support from Airnorth has made our Territory tour possible.
“The tour has been fantastic, and incredibly special to bring orchestral magic and collaborate with local artists to share music that is meaningful to each place. People in regional and remote centres deserve the opportunity to experience inspiring music, and to feel part of a vibrant, creative community.”
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Originally published as End of the road: North to south, orchestra’s 1500km road trip is music to the ears
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