They strode onto hallowed ground, that is the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, manoeuvring their specialised instruments with nervous aplomb. They exited at the closing score triumphant, glowing from the appreciative audience’s applause. This group of thirteen young, gifted musicians strode their stuff with dexterity, musicality and flourish having been nurtured by the SSO for its 2026 Orchestral Fellowship Program along with for the first time emerging conductors.
This special one-off performance is curated by the Sydney Symphony principal musicians and fellowship leaders, Harry Bennett, David Elton and Matthew Wilkie. The richly textured works by Stravinsky, Hindmith, Fracaix and Holly Harrison’s new composition, Jabberwock was a splendid introduction to their first public performance featuring such an engaging and eclectic range of music for small ensemble. This group of exceptional fellows are a product of the nurturing program held by the SSO, presenting to an eager audience the rising stars up close, as the future of Australia’s music takes centre stage. This debut performance marks the path to many future performances on the road to becoming leading musicians.
Within a circle of instruments on stage, the chamber music we heard today gave clarity and deliberation like nothing else- each musician- each instrument- stands out, their artistry shining bright.
With a brisk pace the conductor, Reuben Brown took to the podium and immediately launched into the first score. Reuben hails from Aotearoa NZ where he leads the 2026 Secondary School Symphony Orchestra to encourage their passion as well as his own. Among his roles he assists SSO’s chief conductor Simone Young and preforms playing euphonium with the Royal NZ Air Force Band, the premier brass band in Aotearoa where he is also associate Musical Director.
With baton guiding we entered into a upside-down, crazy world of Lewis Carroll’s who was the inspiration for Western Sydney composer Holly Harrison. She was driven by his nonsense iteration embracing stylistic juxtapositions with rock influence and whimsical humour. She birthed the composition titled Jabberwock, claiming kudos as writing some of the most exciting works to come out of Australia. To my ear, I heard a bit of Glen Miller jazz coupled with Latino beat. Its kooky and a lot of fun, the musicians enjoying the repartee with the audience enjoying their stagecraft and musicality.
Jabberwock takes the form of narration, rap and spell-like rhythmic chanting, suggesting a conjuring of the creature using the lowest instrument of each section: contrabassoon, trombone and double bass personifying the Jabberwock, with liberties taken with the original poem’s story. The famous use of portmanteau words like “frabjous” and “frumious” are added, for our delight, to “calloo callay”. This piece was a cracker start in sampling the engagingly exciting tenure of our debutants.
Fracaix composed many small small, approachable works in neo-classical style featuring wind instruments, many for young performers. He was called by Sacha Guitry, the great French film director as ‘the most French of French composers’ for whom he wrote 12 film scores. His Octet A Huit (for 8) is a work in four straightforward movements with a further ode to Strauss waltzes in the finale. The caliber of musicianship and the verve with which our young musicians carried this piece was most expressive and gratifying.
Igor Stravinsky 1882-1971 -I. Sinfonia, II. Theme and Variations.III Octet finale. Regarded as the start of neoclassicism in Stravinsky’s music which was a major shift in his Russian-style of The Rite of Spring.
Paul Hindmith Kammer music No.1, Op.24 (1922). Hindmith experimented with wind instruments taking inspiration from jazz. His Kammer-music series scored him a moniker as the bad boy of music, is fused with cheerful strong rhythms which sparkle in instrumentation. He wrote 3 pieces for the series in 1920s. The first is the only one that is chamber music. It was described as music of a ‘lewdness and frivolity’ only possible for a very special kind of composer. This was performed with soul and gracefulness by the fellows on stage, raising the roof in thunderous applause.
The 2026 Fellows :
Liam Pilgrim violin
Lydia Sawires violin
Noah Lawrence cello
Sabastian Coyne viola
Rio Kawaguchi double bass
Kara Thorpe flute
Amy Claughton oboe
Justin Wang clarinet
Jay Lee bassoon
Sophie Kukulies trumpet
Lucy Smith horn
Harrison steel-Holmes trombone
Lee Columbine percussion
Fellowship Artistic Leaders
Harry Bennett Assistant Concertmaster
David Elton Principal Trumpet
Matthew Wilkie Principal Emeritus Bassoon.
Photography courtesy of Sydney Symphony Orchestra
