The Australian Chamber Orchestra went on a pub crawl to find the perfect venue for their next gig.

They’ve performed for Prince Charles at London’s St James’s Palace and been on the receiving end of standing ovations at some of the world’s most illustrious concert halls, but for their next gig members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra will be playing to a relatively modest crowd at an inner-city bar and rock music venue. Spearheaded by the group’s assistant leader Satu Vänskä, the ACO Underground show brings an eclectic program of classical, pop and experimental music to The Standard in Sydney’s Surry Hills on April 1.

To Vänskä, who played violin in a German nightclub as a student, it’s a perfectly natural and logical progression. “The people were so appreciative and enthusiastic so the experience never left me,” she says. “It’s a good thing to play to people who might have never been to a concert hall, and go to their venue rather than them coming to our venue.

“One of the main reasons I came to the ACO is because of the programming and the unorthodox way we have of looking at things.”

Most punters expect to go...