News

Friends of the PSO will doubtless be saddened to hear that our esteemed Musical Director and Principal Conductor, Henryk Pisarek, has decided to accept a professional conducting position in China.  We will miss him greatly as he has done so much for the orchestra and for music in western Sydney.

Henryk's contribution to Australian music-making has been enormous during his 25 years in the country. We wish him every success and happiness for the future.

Henryk leaves the PSO a very strong and successful orchestra which will continue to present great music.

Sarah-Grace Williams will now appear as guest conductor for the final subscription concert of 2007 ("Springtime", on Saturday 10 November) and we have an exciting season planned for 2008 with an impressive line-up of guest conductors.

PSO's 2007 children's concerts, "Pops for Tots", were a success in more ways than one.

Celebrating 10 years of children's concerts presented by Penrith Symphony Orchestra, this year's program was again conducted and presented by George "Big G" Ellis.

The concerts introduced younger audiences to a broad range of lively and engaging music. Children revelled in the opportunity to get "up close and personal" with a live symphony orchestra, while parents and grandparents delighted in watching their enjoyment of the occasion.

The concerts attracted sell-out audiences for one performance at Orchard Hills and two performances at Springwood, and also raised funds for Jamm4 Genes, a musical fundraising initiative of Genes4Genes. Combining audience donations and a top-up contribution from the orchestra, PSO was proud to contribute $523.55 to this worthwhile cause.

Spanish finale to a bumper season of PSO

The grand finale of PSO's 2006 Subscription Series, Fiesta and Flamenco, once more filled the Joan Sutherland Centre for an evening of rousing symphonic music programmed around a Spanish theme.

Joining the orchestra on this occasion were flamenco dancers Hernan Yoia and Alice Ons-Yoia, whose feisty dance interludes, performed in each half of the concert, added an unusual element of movement and colour to the already exciting music.

Although a Spanish-themed concert, only two works on the program were in fact written by Spanish composers. Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy, a dazzling showpiece for solo violin and orchestra based on themes from Bizet's famous opera Carmen, featured the 20-year-old violin virtuoso Jiajing (Melody) Wang. In Falla's ballet suite El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician), Nicole Smeulders sang the alto solos.

The other two works presented were by Russian and French composers, both inspiired by their experiences when travelling in Spain: Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol and Chabrier's España.

Pops for Tots 2006 attracts record audiences

The PSO's popular annual concert series for younger children and families, Pops for Tots, drew record audiences to this year's performances in Orchard Hills and Springwood.

Featuring a return appearance by guest conductor George "Big G" Ellis, this year's programs took children on a musical journey to a Fantastic Toyshop as they were introduced to the sounds of the orchestra's many instruments.

Familiar children's songs a popular classical pieces were interspersed with slightly less familiar, yet highly accessible and exciting excerpts from the orchestral repertoire.

In some of the pieces and at the end of each concert, children had the opportunity to mingle with the musicians and see and hear their favourite instruments close up.

The full house an Orchard Hills on 6 August and strong advance bookings for the following week's advertised concert on 13 August at Springwood led to the addition of a second Springwood performance. In the end, all three were sell-outs.

Romanticism of Rachmaninov wows full house in Penrith

The PSO again played to a packed house on Saturday 17 June.

In Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, guest soloist Clemens Leske — a former ABC Yound Performer of the Year, and recently returned from his Royal Festival Hall debut playing Rachmaninov with the London Philharmonic — presented an interpretation that was both both virtuosic and emotionally charged and captivated the extremely enthusiastic audience.

Also on the program were the perennially popular Fifth Symphony of Beethoven and a contemporary Australian work for solo string quartet and string orchestra, Down Tango d'IV by Stephen Yates.

PSO scales new heights in 2006 with Mahler

The orchestra's Panthers 16th Annual Subscription Series opened on Saturday 1 April to a full house with a program that presented Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in the first ever live performance of this majestic work to Western Sydney audiences.

The program also featured Mozart's ever-popular 4th Horn Concerto, with the stunningly virtuosic Robert Johnson as soloist. And the audience was treated to an expected bonus in the form of a witty birthday 250th tribute to Mozart, as the soloist returned to the stage to delight everyone with a rendition of Flanders and Swan's much-loved patter song based on the Concerto's last movement.

The program also included as an opener the energetic, high-octane orchestral fanfare Celebrare Celeberrime by acclaimed Australian composer Carl Vine.

The orchestra thanks its loyal and new audience members and sponsors alike for their wonderful support.