When the Canberra Symphony Orchestra graces the grounds of Government House on Saturday 4 December for the annual CSO Summer Prom concert, it will be a sight for sore eyes and a sound for sore ears.
The occasion will mark the Orchestra’s return to the stage since CSO at the Cinema of 7 August, after which they were forced to abandon their spring programming in September due to the ACT’s extended lockdown.
Summer Prom to feature a varied repertoire
Celebrating Christmas in the spirit of family and community, the CSO Summer Prom will be as much a boon to the spirits of the musicians as it will their audience.
“It’s not just the performers, the community needs it, too,” Canberra vocalist Rachael Thoms said.
Thoms will accompany the Orchestra on the evening for several Christmas standards and “a few surprises”.
“It’s a celebration of Christmas so there’ll be tunes that everyone young and old are familiar with,” she said.
The dynamic program will feature cherished classics by Mozart, Dvořák, Johann Strauss and Vaughan Williams, alongside numbers like Drummer Boy, Joy to the World and White Christmas – all conducted by Graham Abbott.
Having formally trained as both a classical and jazz vocalist, Thoms said her varied background is analogous to what the Orchestra will perform on the night.
“It’s really nice to be able to put those different things together,” she said, “the fact that an orchestra can cross over to play different types of repertoires just as a voice can be flexible.”
Based in Canberra since 2008 when she moved here to study jazz vocals at the ANU, this CSO Summer Prom will mark the first time Thoms has performed with the Orchestra.
“It is a very different experience to have a human voice and then a whole stack of instruments behind that. I’m looking forward to the rush of that for sure,” she said.
“Since the spirit of this event is very much about family and community, I see myself as less of a feature soloist and more of somebody to lead the crowd and unite people.”
Concertmaster Kirsten Williams told Canberra Daily she’s “absolutely thrilled” the CSO Summer Prom can go ahead, allowing the Orchestra back on stage in front of their “beloved Canberra audience”.
“Being behind closed doors on our own isn’t the same as being on stage making music together,” she said. “What we love most of all is to actually play a live concert.
“To not be able to play, rehearse, and see each other, and for all of our performances to be cancelled, we felt it.”
Williams praised the Orchestra’s management team, board and Aspen Medical for remaining at hard work while performances were on hold to ensure the Summer Prom could go ahead in the shape it is now.
“They’re incredibly supportive of us musicians,” she said. “When the music stopped, everything else was still going ahead behind the scenes.”
The concert was almost sold out prior to the easing of ACT public health restrictions on 12 November which allowed the CSO to double capacity for the outdoor event to 2,000.
Despite this, Williams warned there is no room for complacency as the additional tickets will be snapped up quickly.
“We don’t want anybody to miss out now we’ve got more tickets available,” she said. “People should really prebook not to miss out.”
The CSO Summer Prom concert will be held at Government House, Yarralumla, Saturday 4 December from 6pm; click here for tickets.
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
