ACO Collective: Bach, Brahms and Pärt

The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s acclaimed string ensemble, ACO Collective, unites ACO musicians with Australia’s most talented young string players, proudly mentoring and touring a new generation of artists since 2007.

Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, a profound and meditative reflection on the human spirit, opens this radiant program led by ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä. Bach’s masterful Violin Sonata No.2 in A minor follows, reimagined for 17-piece string orchestra. With a passion for cutting-edge programming, the orchestra will perform contemporary works by Nick Drake and Radiohead, as well as Nigel Westlake’s serenely beautiful Ascension, and a world premiere from Australian composer Olivia Bettina Davies. The concert concludes with Brahms’s sumptuous String Sextet in G major, Op.36, rich in colour and expansive in emotion. Together, these works offer a journey through timeless music full of grace, invention, and warmth.