In announcing its 2020 season, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has revealed that it will return to its previous home, the Sydney Town Hall. It will take up residence there for the next two years as the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall undergoes refurbishment. The Town Hall was the SSO’s main performance venue from 1932 to 1973 and was host to now Conductor-Laureate Vladimir Ashkenazy’s early performances with the orchestra as a pianist.

Marin Alsop. Photo © Adriane White

2020 also marks the first season without David Robertson at the helm, whose six-year tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director concludes at the end of this year. But audiences won’t have to wait long for his return – he leads Brahms’ A German Requiem and all-Mendelssohn program featuring debuting violinist Augustin Hadelich in July.

While an international search for his replacement continues, Ashkenazy, Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, and Simone Young will return for a series of exciting engagements, continuing to shepherd the SSO through this period of transition. Highlights include Ashkenazy’s Northern Lights Festival, a celebration of Grieg and Sibelius;...