2023 marks musical director Andrew Del Riccio’s 25th year at the helm of MSO. He has overseen the growth & development of the orchestra to become one of the leading community orchestras in the state. In recognition of his service Mosman Council honored him with the award of Citizen of the Year.
A gifted musician himself, Andrew strives to extract the absolute best from all his players. He has provided opportunities for many musicians, some of whom are students or budding professionals, others who are passionate amateurs, to perform both within the orchestra and as soloists. He has encouraged young composers, and had the orchestra perform their works. He also instigated the formation of our choir, the Mosman Symphony Chorus. During the difficult Covid years, he made sure that the orchestra continued with what limited performance opportunities there were.
All this has helped to raise the orchestra’s profile in the community and seen audience numbers grow from the early days when the orchestra often outnumbered its audience to the present situation where concerts frequently sell out.
But Andrew’s work for the orchestra doesn’t stop at conducting. He attends committee meetings, plans concert programs, and if you arrive early for a concert you’ll probably have seen him moving chairs and setting up lights!
At our From the Heart concert on March 19th Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan spoke to the audience about Andrew’s achievements and the importance of the arts for the community, and the orchestra & choir presented Andrew with a fine bottle of shiraz and a copy of the Letters of Leonard Bernstein.
Thank you, Andrew, and congratulations on your 25 years of dedication and passion.
I suppose with only 6 days before Christmas the term ‘last minute’ is acceptable. Here are a few ideas for a happy, and musical Christmas, that will help you and the orchestra as well:
Mosman Symphony Orchestra Subscription A ‘plus’ subscription to our 4 symphony concerts along with our ‘Happy Birthday Ludwig’ concert is a gift that will keep giving all year round. Completely sustainable (you can even email the tickets so no paper waste), & immensely enjoyable, this will not only give pleasure to the recipient, but also help to support our wonderful community-based orchestra.
Musical Instruments and Accessories
For the musician in your life. AdLib Music at Willoughby has a terrific range of sheet music, musical accessories, & music themed giftware. From the practical (metronomes, cleaning kits) to the fantastical, this lovely shop has it all. There’s nano blocks, jewelry, homewares… a cornocupia of musical ideas. And they’re generous donors to Mosman Symphony Orchestra as well!
Festive Spirits
Or as Verdi would have it, ‘Libiamo!’ Dan Murphy’s on Spit Rd Mosman have something for everyone – well, everyone over 18. Uncle Dan has been very generous to the orchestra this year as well. Take it away Violetta:
‘Ah, let’s enjoy the cup, the cup and the chants, the embellished night and the laughter; let the new day find us in this paradise.’
Edward Walton in rehearsal with the orchestra at Mosman Art Gallery
Rising young star of the violin, Edward Walton will perform at Mosman Art Gallery with the Mosman Symphony Orchestra on June 1st and 2nd. The players are really enjoying rehearsals with this inspiring young man, although some have been heard to wonder what they have been doing with all the time they have spent on this planet!
Aged only 13, Edward has already appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras in Australia and overseas, including the Czech Republic, Italy and the USA. and he has won many highly prestigious international prizes, competing against older musicians, with a win in London resulting in an invitation to perform at the Royal Albert Hall.
At Mosman Art Gallery Edward will perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, a passionate, virtuosic work that is known and loved by audiences all over the world.
We had a chat with Ted about the concerto.
‘For as long as I can remember the Tchaikovsky violin concerto has been one of my favourite pieces. It is such a great masterpiece and has such beautiful melodies, which then contrast with the last movement which has such energy and is thrilling to play!’ said Edward.
Despite the difficulties of the piece, Edward sees it as fun.
‘I just love the piece so much and was so eager to play it that I never really thought about it as being challenging. I do enjoy playing the fast runs – even though they are pretty challenging and keeping the fun and energy in the stroke in the last movement.’
For this concert, Edward has the loan of a very special violin:
I am so excited about the violin I will be playing on for the concert. It is a Gagliano, kindly on short term loan from Beares London for a competition I am in which takes place in July. It has such a lovely sound – I just wish it was mine forever!’
Edward is grateful for the opportunity to play with the Mosman Symphony Orchestra:
‘It is such an amazing opportunity for me to play this piece with orchestra as the orchestra makes it sound so much more exciting. It is how Tchaikovsky envisaged it would be played and it is great how in the 3rd movement for example the orchestra and soloist can bounce off each other’s energy when they pass the melody back and forth. It is also wonderful to play with other people who love and appreciate music as much as I do. So, I am so grateful to Mosman Symphony for this opportunity!’
The future’s looking bright for Edward, with engagements next year to play with orchestras in Italy and the US.
‘I really hope that I can continue to learn and improve my playing and gain more solo experiences with Orchestra.’ He says. ‘In the future I can only dream that one day I can become a professional violinist, own a great instrument and share my music with the world, but I also really hope that I will be in a position to give back something to those who have helped me along the way, like the wonderful orchestras who have given me an opportunity to perform in such a supportive environment.’
Mosman Symphony Orchestra musical director, Andrew Del Riccio says that it is an absolute delight to work with Edward, who approaches the iconic concerto with consummate musicianship and rigour.
‘My first experience of Ted’s playing was hearing his Bruch violin concerto. I was amazed at not only his technical ability and ease of playing, but also his musicality and wonderful sound. While we have spoken about the Tchaikovsky concerto at length only via Skype, it is clear he is a musician of great passion, maturity and with a natural flair for dramatic performance. I am almost jumping up and down in anticipation of our concerts in June 1 and 2. It will be an event not to miss!’
Andrew said that while tickets will be available at the door, recent performances by the orchestra have sold out early, and he advises people to book online through the orchestra’s website.
Here’s what some people had to say after our Northern Lights concert last night:
‘What an absolute gem we have on our doorstep! Thank you for a stupendous evening.’ Bettina
‘Loved the concert as usual. Bach was an absolute treat. Can’t wait till next one.’ Jan
And from Sunday:
‘Fantastic – Tears flowed. Thank you.’ Ruth
‘I have enjoyed the 2016 Season, looking forward to next year. Great performances.’ Anne
And this was sent to us from Edward who attended the concert on Nov 11, Remembrance Day:
VISIONARY
In the dark of remembrance I rested, mesmorised by the complex “Concerto for Two Violins in D-minor” – a divine concertante: and blossoming from the Mosman Symphony, it delivered my mortality to the sweetest glimpse of infinite Grace.
Three cheers for all those sonorious gems that have ever poured from your vat of loveliness, Richard Wagner: your vintage continues to intoxicate classical culture-vultures everywhere. “Siegfried Idyll” was a very satisfying selection from the orchestra’s music cellar, and we quaffed on that rare beaujolaise enough to quench a sailor’s thirst. Pour me another damn it – and another! “Sorte’ Sobriete”! And why not? It caused the earth to move for me, and apparently did wonders for the enraptured juices of Cosimo, until Richard flogged-off this beloved gift to her, presented with some ritual and ceremony, to all and sundry; and that’s men for you!
Was it a mere rush of blood to the head on sighting the panorama of a new century, that sparked pleasant and optimistic harmonies in the first movement of Jean Sibelius’ second symphony? – I think not! They’re a mask for what was to come – and it wasn’t pretty! – MoSO you nailed it! This great work is no walk-in-the-park, and should not be misunderstood or underestimated: its calibre is on par with Beethoven, however, the similarity ends there. Beethoven was on the whole a reactionary for his time, Sibelius channelled the future with dark tones, warning of the disaster that was to unfold onto a humanity flawed with the deadly emotions of pride and greed – “Art” with a capital ‘A’! His carefully considered timings, intricately designed-rhythms and sumptuous harmonies? – Well, we can surmise their veiled or implied meanings, and argue the toss infinitum – but we’re bound to enjoy the ride, as we did! By the way, it was the best interpretation I’ve heard.
Reflect at this time.
Lest we forget
PS: Looking forward to more of your great performances.
If you’re coming to our Sunday concert this summer, you might want to consider the Mosman Rider. It’s a free community bus service operated by Mosman Council. From October 1st it will run between 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm. It will drop you right at the Art Gallery.
If you click here you can download the timetable. There is also a free new app for the Mosman Rider service that gives realtime information on the rider’s whereabouts. It works on all smart phones.
Bridget, Bob and Linda (along with their respective spouses) had a great day at the Mosman Community Showcase. What an amazing diversity of volunteer community organisations we have in this town! Thank you to Mosman Rotary and to Mosman Council for the great job you did organsing the event. It was good to catch up with some of our supporters including Councillor Tom Sherlock and also Virginia Howard, who is a not only director on the board of Mosman Bendigo Bank, generous sponsors of the orchestra for many years, but who also does sterling volunteer work for Taldumande Youth Services.
It was a pleasure to meet members of the community who have been coming to our concerts and who gave some very encouraging feedback and also to connect with future players and audiences.
Mosman Symphony Orchestra 