AWO: Stravinsky, Mills & Shostakovich
Thursday 20 August from 8pm to 10:10pm
Following the resounding success of the Australian World Orchestra’s 2025 season, Alexander Briger returns to the Sydney Opera House with Australia’s finest for an unforgettable 2026 program.
The AWO celebrates its 15th Anniversary with two 20th-century masterpieces and the world premiere of Songs for a Stranger — a song cycle inspired by the Opera Eucalyptus by Jonathan Mills, featuring Australian tenor Michael Petruccelli.
Stravinsky’s Petrushka _bursts with colour and vitality, its tragic puppet hero glowing through dazzling orchestration. Mills’s _Songs for a Stranger fuses modern textures with emotional immediacy, evoking the Australian soundscape. Finally, Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, written in Stalin’s shadow, surges from darkness to blazing triumph.
Do not miss a night of brilliance, beauty and breathtaking orchestral storytelling — a true celebration of the AWO performing at its peak.