Lawrence Power

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra is one of the most acclaimed chamber orchestras in the world. Led by their pioneering Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, the Orchestra is defined by its exceptional virtuosity and an irrepressible sense of adventure and curiosity.

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### **A genre-defying voyage from the pastoral majesty of Vaughan Williams to the experimental universe of Kate Bush, directed by British virtuoso Lawrence Power**

The British Isles boast a magnificent anthology of music grounded in lush, poetic landscapes and thriving cities. This concert will transport you there. British violin and viola virtuoso Lawrence Power makes his Australian Chamber Orchestra debut directing music from Thomas Tallis’ evocative theme - made famous by Vaughan Williams - to the genre-defying exuberance of Kate Bush.  

Vaughan Williams’ sublime _Fantasia_ is a pinnacle of the English music tradition that has inspired countless musicians. Herbert Howells heard its premiere and left the cathedral to wander awestruck through the streets of Gloucester, staying up all night with excitement before writing his _Elegy_, an answer to Vaughan Williams, and a prayer of thanksgiving for musical imagination.

Power is a brilliant violist who is equally at home on the violin. Effortlessly switching between the two instruments in the one performance, he is a thrilling and imaginative artist. Power will perform the world premiere of a new viola concerto written for him by his friend Garth Knox, inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s _The Rime of the Ancient Mariner_ and English folk music.   Opening with a mixtape of English music beginning with Baroque master Henry Purcell, the concert culminates in Elizabeth Maconchy’s Symphony for Double String Orchestra. A lifelong friend of Vaughan Williams, she is considered one of the great 20th-century British composers. Brought to life by an expanded Australian Chamber Orchestra, the symphony will bring this odyssey to a thrilling close.

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_This performance is available as a part of an [Australian Chamber Orchestra 2026 Subscription](https://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2026/season)._

Isles of Light

Event Description

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Performing Artists