West Australian Symphony Orchestra
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| Western Australian Symphony Orchertra | |
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| Image:Waso logo.gif |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | WASO |
| Origin | Template:Western Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Symphony orchestra |
| Years active | 1921-present |
| Associated acts | West Australian Ballet, West Australian Opera |
| Website | www.waso.com.au |
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO), often known as the "Orchestra of the West', is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.
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[edit] History
In the winter of 1921, weekly concerts by a Perth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Harold Betteridge and led by Lionel Hart, were advertised in the local newspaper, but the life of this group was brief. In 1928, many professional musicians who had supported the silent movies found themselves out of work, and under the direction of Harold Newton, formed the Perth Symphony Orchestra. The first performance by this group of professional players was given in the Queens Hall of the Regent Theatre. The program included Dvorak's New World Symphony. By 1930, the orchestra not only gave concerts in the Queens Hall but also presented ten subscription concerts in the Town Hall. Many of these concerts were broadcast over the radio station 6WF.
In 1932, the Australian Broadcasting Commission was formed, and part of its charter was to establish broadcast orchestras in each state. In Western Australia, it formed the Western Studio Orchestra of fifteen players, conducted by Nelson Burton. The Perth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Reid, was giving regular concerts in His Majesty's Theatre.
In 1936, the ABC introduced Celebrity Subscription Concerts, and artists and conductors - many from overseas - were engaged. The concerts were performed initially in His Majesty's Theatre and then later in the Capitol Theatre and Winthrop Hall at the University of Western Australia. The Western Studio Orchestra became the Perth Concert orchestra and it was this orchestra which was augmented for the celebrity concerts and became known as the ABC (Perth) Symphony Orchestra. By 1937, the letters "ABC" had been dropped from the title and the orchestra once again became known as the Perth Symphony Orchestra.
In 1950 the government of the day with other municipal bodies made funds available to subsidise the existing ABC Orchestra. By the end of that year, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was born, boasting forty permanent members.
The Chief Conductor since 2003, Matthias Bamert, had his contract terminated after the tour to China in May 2006, two years before his contract was due to finish. An extensive search to find a replacement resulted in the announcement in May 2007 of Paul Daniel as the WASO's next Principal Conductor, effective as of January 2009.[1] He had made his guest conducting debut with the WASO in 1995, and returned in April 2006.[2]
In 1997, the ABC divested all ABC orchestras from the Concerts department of the ABC into separate subsidiary companies, including a service company known as Symphony Australia. The West Australian Symphony was incorporated in January 1998.
Since corporatising, the orchestra has diversified its performances, expanding on its summer outdoor season and taking music to many parts of the community. It has a creative partnership with the West Australian Opera and the West Australian Ballet.
The orchestra now consists of 83 full time musicians, but the company has the ability to call on talented musicians within Western Australia when required to augment for large orchestral works. There is also a WASO Chorus. The orchestra currently presents over 170 performances per annum throughout the state.
Artists who have performed with the orchestra are many, and include Shlomo Mintz, Nigel Kennedy, London Philharmonic Chorus, Sara Macliver, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Frank Bennett, Rosamund Illing, Ben Folds, Tim Rogers, Tex Perkins, The Whitlams, Kate Ceberano and Augie March.
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