The final concert of the MSO’s UK / Europe tour
August 22 – 29, 2025
Edinburgh International Festival (22/8),Santander International Festival (24/8), Südtirol Festival (26/8), Hamburg’s Elbphilarmonie (28/8) and the BBC Proms (29/8)
In a coup for Melbourne, Chief Conductor Jaime Martín and the MSO have been invited to perform at the world’s greatest classical music festival, the iconic BBC Proms, held at London's Royal Albert Hall.
The Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with acclaimed Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony, and a work by Australian composer Margaret Sutherland, Haunted Hills.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for the MSO to perform at Royal Albert Hall for such a revered musical event,” said Chief Conductor Jaime Martín.
“I’m very proud to be able to showcase two of Australia’s finest composers whose works evoke our place in Melbourne and our distinctly Australian story. We will showcase Margaret Sutherland’s Haunted Hills at the BBC Proms. Margaret was a remarkable and prolific 20th century Australian composer, a pioneer for female composers, and an influential champion of both contemporary and Australian music,” says Martín.
Composed in 1950, Sutherland described the work as a sound picture written in contemplation of the Wunrundjeri Woi Wurrung people who knew the lush Dandenong Ranges as their home, their heartbreak and their betrayal.
“At Edinburgh International Festival we will perform the world premiere of Treaty, Yorta Yorta composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s latest MSO commission with Kalkadunga yidaki/didgeridoo soloist William Barton. It is so wonderful to be able to feature the talents of two of Australia’s most celebrated musicians in this program,” continues Martín.
The UK-Europe tour begins in Scotland at the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival. Along with the world premiere of Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Treaty, the program features Elgar’s In the South and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Following Edinburgh, the MSO heads to Jaime Martín’s hometown of Santander, to perform at the Santander International Festival, one of Spain’s oldest music festivals. Martín was Artistic Director of the Festival from 2012 to 2020.
“I am particularly thrilled to bring the MSO to my hometown of Santander - an historic port city on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It’s where I grew up, where my family still lives, and most importantly, where I was first introduced to orchestral music by my father,” says Martín.
The Santander program features Margaret Sutherland’s Haunted Hills, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with Khatia Buniatishvili.
The MSO travels to the Italian Alps for the 40th anniversary season of the Südtirol Festival in the idyllic spa town of Merano. Along with Sutherland’s Haunted Hills, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1, Jaime Martín will conduct Dvořák Symphony No.6.
The Hamburg concert, Breath of Life from Down Under, will be performed at the landmark Elbphilharmonie, a stunning crystal tower built in the middle of the river Elbe. The program features Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Treaty with William Barton as soloist, Elgar’s In the South, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
The MSO was the first Australian orchestra to tour internationally (1965) and has been a leading cultural ambassador in supporting and promoting Australia’s arts and culture on the international stage.
MSO Chair Edgar Myer said: “The decision to embark on the Europe tour heralds our first return to the region in more than 10 years. The opportunity to perform on some of the world's great stages serves to promote the cultural identity of our city, showcasing the best of Australian arts to a global audience.”
The MSO’s international touring is generously supported by the Gandel Foundation, Metal Manufactures Electrical Merchandising and MSO Europe Circle patrons.
