The London Symphony Orchestra and Australia's Melbourne Symphony Orchestra have announced a ground-breaking new partnership. The aims of the partnership are to 'enable cross-cultural collaboration between the two countries, further strengthening partnerships and enhancing the deep people-to-people links in the arts and cultural sectors'.
The scheme will include reciprocal touring in Australia and the UK, facilitating emerging artist exchanges and co-commissioning performances and activities, including digital innovations, such as LSO Live and MSO.LIVE.
To launch the partnership, the London Symphony Orchestra will tour Australia in 2023 with a series of concerts between 28 April and 6 May in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, presented jointly by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Opera House and Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The performances will be conducted by the orchestra's music director, Sir Simon Rattle, who remains with the orchestra until the start of the 2023-24 concert season.
Sophie Galaise, managing director, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, said: 'The MSO is proud of its long-standing reputation as a leading cultural ambassador for Australia. We are delighted to unite our two orchestras as kindred spirits, established within a few years of each other at the turn of the last century.
'Through music we bring people together and play an important role in representing our respective countries. This partnership enables us to build on our shared histories to create a dynamic new place in the world for orchestral music, ensuring access for all to the joy of music making, whether it is in the digital universe or in the up-close opportunities for emerging young artists in both our countries.'
Sir Simon Rattle added: 'This is a chance for musicians from both countries to deepen their understanding of each other, united through their passion for music-making at the highest level. Sharing our musical culture, we hope to make a lasting impact here and in Australia.'