In an eclectic ARCO 2018 season, the period band will be exploring the idea that all music is connected and all music was once new.

ARCO, Season 2018, Richard Gill

The Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra (formerly known as orchestraseventeen88), will, in 2018, be entering its fifth year as a working ensemble. Earlier this year, at Santa Sabina College, Strathfield, NSW, members of the orchestra directed a specialist Music Camp for high school students concentrating on Mozart’s Haffner Symphony, performed in full at the end of the week.

Obviously, the concentration was on historically informed performance practices (HIP), initially resisted by some of the students at the start of the week. By the end of the week all students were completely on board and begging to be notified about the next such venture. The feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive, manifesting itself in the phrase: “Can we come next year, even if we aren’t at school?”

ARCO, Richard GillRichard Gill conducting the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra. Photo © Nick Gilbert

The orchestra is very serious about education and well aware...