Featuring a slew of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary composers and musicians, Metropolis will be anchored by three concerts programmed by American conductor and pianist Robert Spano, music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Titled City Life, the series of concerts will showcase works from Michael Daugherty, Steve Reich and Unsuk Chin.
Closing the MSO’s series of concerts is a program centred around imaginary cities, including Messiaen’s Couleurs de la Cité Céleste and the world premiere of Australian Barry Conyngham’s Diasporas.
Elsewhere in the program comes a culture-mashing collaboration between celebrated Canadian composer and turntablist Nicole Lizée, Australian Art Orchestra Artistic Director Peter Knight and Sydney-based conceptualist Austin Buckett alongside original multi-keyboard works from celebrated pianist Michael Kieran Harvey.
Rounding it out comes a series of free foyer performances featuring sound artist Atticus Bastow, percussionists Peter Neville and Matthias Schnack-Arnott, composer and double bassist Stephen Newton with pianist Hue Blanes, The Letter String Quartet, Jess Ribeiro Duo and Cam Butler.
