Australian Chamber Orchestra Announces 2026 National Tour with Four Perth Shows at UWA
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) has unveiled its 2026 national touring schedule, with four of eight major tours set to grace the stage at the University of Western Australia's Winthrop Hall. This significant Perth presence follows a year where the ensemble developed a fondness for the venue, prompted by the temporary closure of Perth Concert Hall for extensive renovations.
Guest Virtuosos and Thematic Programs
In March, the ACO will be directed by guest violin virtuoso Ilya Gringolts, who shares top billing with ACO principal Satu Vanska in a program titled "The Devil's Violin". This performance nods to Giuseppe Tartini's notoriously challenging Violin Sonata in G minor, commonly known as "The Devil's Trill". Perth audiences will have the rare opportunity to hear this fiendish work not once, but twice in 2026, as Vanska returns in October to lead the WA Symphony Orchestra in "Dances and Devils" at His Majesty's Theatre, coinciding with Halloween festivities.
The March program also features Gringolts and Vanska pairing up for Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Violins in C major. It includes Australian composer Paul Stanhope's "Giving Ground", commissioned by the ACO as a companion piece to Francesco Geminiani's Concerto Grosso No.12 in D minor "La Follia". The mix of established repertoire with contemporary music is further enriched by Johann Paul von Westhoff's Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor: "Imitation of the Bell", Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in D minor, Sofia Gubaidulina's String Quartet No.2, and Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Aria, Opus 9.
Artistic Director Returns with Nordic Celebration
Richard Tognetti, the ACO's artistic director, returns to Western Australia in July with a program titled "From Winter Stillness". This performance will feature vocalists Trio Mediaeval and jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen joining the ensemble, supported by emerging artists, in a celebration of Nordic light and landscapes. According to the ACO, ancient hymns from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Estonia will capture the majesty of the frozen North, alongside the quiet joy of Sigur Ros and the haunting beauty of Hollywood composer Hildur Guonadottir.
Finnish Maestro and Beethoven Finale
In October, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, often dubbed "the David Bowie of the fiddle", will direct the ACO in "Legends and Luminaries". This program spans from Mozart's Magic Flute to contemporary works, featuring Kuusisto's own arrangement of Magic Flute highlights, Nico Muhly's Shrink: Concerto for Violin and Strings—written specifically for Kuusisto—and the Australian premiere of Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid's "West Coast Sky Eternal". The performance concludes with Felix Mendelssohn's String Quintet No.2 in B-flat major.
Tognetti wraps up the ACO's touring season at Winthrop Hall in November with "Beethoven's Pastoral", a program dedicated to the Romantic composer, culminating in the eponymous Sixth Symphony—a masterpiece that evokes nature through light, shade, and colour. The bill opens with the Coriolan Overture, followed by Tognetti, ACO cellist Timo-Veikko Valve, and Russian-Australian pianist Konstantin Shamray performing the lyrical Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major.
Additional Festival Performance
As an afterglow to the main touring season, violinist Anthony Marwood will direct the rising talents of the ACO Collective across three December nights for the Sound & Sense Festival at Vasse Felix in Margaret River. This event highlights the ensemble's commitment to nurturing emerging artists and engaging with regional audiences.
The full program details for the 2026 season are available on the ACO's official website, offering music enthusiasts a comprehensive look at this exciting lineup of performances.
