In the lounge of the Briger home at Rose Bay with its magnificent panoramic harbour — the house where Alex (as he is called) grew up — now his delightful auburn-haired daughter runs around saying “hello, hello” on her grandma’s phone. .

Musical people often marry musical people. Alex met Caroline in 2015 at the Toulon France Opera House when Caroline was singing in Janacek’s Katya Kabanov, and he was conducting the opera. They married last year and now live in an apartment in Paris.

Alex and Caroline have dealt with the challenge of living in a Paris apartment with noise restrictions. Alex explains, “I get up at 6am each morning and work. Then I look after Charlotte while Caroline rents a room at the Conservatoire and practices her singing.”

“As it’s difficult to concentrate on my music, when Caroline returns home I head over to the local Starbucks where I often sit for eight hours studying as much as possible and drinking coffee. We are fortunate as Caroline’s parents come twice a week to look after Charlotte.”

The couple describe themselves as “travelling musicians”. At the end of September Caroline will sing the role of Papageno in the Magic Flute at the Opera House in Marseilles.

As chief conductor of the Sydney Youth Orchestra, Alex will return home to conduct Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet at Verbrugghen Hall, Conservatorium on December 8.

Alex comes from one of Sydney’s most prominent families. His mother Elizabeth was a ballet dancer and in the 50s the first Australian to dance with the Swiss Ballet in Berne. His late father Andrew Briger was deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney in the 60s and Mayor of Waverley from 2000-2004. His late uncle distinguished Australian conductor Sir Charles Mackerras was his mentor.

Looking back, Sir Charles was spot on about his nephew when I met him at the Rose Bay house back in 1995. He told me “Alex is an outstanding musician and has tremendous potential.

“He was an excellent violinist before he started conducting and he is going to do very well indeed”

Today, Alex is a leading international conductor. In 2011 he launched the AWO to bring leading expatriate Australian players from around the world to perform together in an annual concert. For its 2019 season the AWO performed in Melbourne and Canberra before the finale in Sydney. The orchestra’s chamber ensemble featured six of Australia’s finest musicians” violinists Natalie Chee and Daniel Dodds, violas Andra Darzins and Tahlia Petrosian, and cellists David Berlin and Julian Thompson who captivated the audience with the repertoire of Brahms and Mendelssohn.

With its strong focus on equality of opportunity each concert season, the AWO facilitates education programs for aspiring young musicians and provides world-class music education to disadvantaged and regional children.

“I am incredibly proud of what we do for education especially in regional areas”, said Briger. “We will continue to work with these young musicians and inspire them.”

The AWO’s final concert at the Sydney Recital Hall last Tuesday night opened with four outstanding students Johan Spriggs and Eden Annesley, (violins) Emma Newby (viola) and Indyana Taylor (cello) — all aged 17 from the Regional Youth Orchestra of NSW led by AWO tutor and cellist Peter Morrison.

Among guests at the concert and after-party was NSW Governor, Margaret Beazley and husband Dennis Wilson, Jill Wran, former NSW Governor Dame Marie Bashir, fashion doyenne Maria Finlay and daughter film producer Andrena Finlay and arts benefactor Cynthia Jackson.