Billy Joel
with the MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
LEONARD WEISS conductor
MARK SUTCLIFFE director
PHIL BURTON • ALINTA CHIDZEY
JESS HITCHCOCK • JOSH PITERMAN
JACK EARLE keys • TROY DOWNWARD guitar
GAVIN PEARCE bass • KIERAN RAFFERTY drums
World premiere with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
7 February 2025 • Adelaide Festival Centre, Festival Theatre
PIANO MAN is a Make My Mark Production
Friday 14 November 2025 • 7.30pm
Saturday 15 November • 1.00pm & 7.30pm
Hamer Hall Arts Centre Melbourne
In recent years we have lost many contemporary music icons and last year, together with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, we got to celebrate a couple of them: Olivia Newton-John and Burt Bacharach.
NOW IN 2025, HOW GREAT IT IS TO CELEBRATE A LIVING ARTIST WHO IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OF ALL TIME.
For more than 50 years, American singer, songwriter and pianist Billy Joel has made an indelible mark on the American songbook. With 33 top 40 hits, five Grammy Awards and more than 160 million albums sold worldwide, he is truly a music icon.
Though he recently announced that he was stepping away from touring due to illness, last year he released a brand new song, which premiered at the 2024 Grammy Awards, showing us that he is still as relevant today as he was when he was becoming the ‘Piano Man’ in the 1970s.
Tonight, Piano Man brings together the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Leonard Weiss and our wonderful cast Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock, Josh Piterman and our very own piano man Jack Earle.
So sit back, or stand and dance (you may even get to sing along) and enjoy this celebration of the original Piano Man, Billy Joel.
Thank you for joining us.
MARK SUTCLIFFE Director & Executive Producer
PHOTO: CLAUDIO RASCHELLA
Act One
BILLYTURE
The Orchestra
ROCK ’N’ ROLL MEDLEY
Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock and Josh Piterman
VIENNA
Josh Piterman
MY LIFE
Jess Hitchcock
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
Alinta Chidzey
TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON
Phil Burton
SHE’S ALWAYS A WOMAN / SHE’S GOT A WAY
Phil Burton and Josh Piterman
LULLABYE (GOODNIGHT, MY ANGEL)
Jess Hitchcock
HONESTY
Phil Burton
ALL ABOUT SOUL
Josh Piterman
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Alinta Chidzey
INTERVAL
Act Two
AND SO IT GOES
Jess Hitchcock
MOVIN’ OUT
Josh Piterman
THE LONGEST TIME / TELL HER ABOUT IT
Phil Burton and Alinta Chidzey
GOODNIGHT SAIGON
Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock and Josh Piterman
THIS IS THE TIME
Jess Hitchcock
A MATTER OF TRUST
Phil Burton
YOU’RE ONLY HUMAN (SECOND WIND)
Alinta Chidzey
WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE
Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock and Josh Piterman
PIANO MAN
Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock and Josh Piterman
All songs written by Billy Joel Orchestral arrangements by Nicholas Buc
Duration: approx. 2 hours including a 20-minute interval
He says, ‘Son, can you play me a memory?’
Press play on Billy Joel’s greatest hits and the memories come flooding back. There’s a song to signpost every part of your life. And every emotion. Asserting your independence (My Life). Striving to make it (Movin’ Out). Falling in lust (Only the Good Die Young). Falling in love (Just the Way You Are). Falling out of love (A Matter of Trust). Struggling to make a living (Pressure). Making mistakes (You’re Only Human).
And he also documented the entire Cold War era in We Didn’t Start the Fire
Billy Joel has been a part of our lives for five decades, and he acknowledges the key role that Australia has played in his story.
The stats are impressive: Billy has had 12 Top 10 albums in Australia, including four chart-toppers – 52nd Street, Storm Front, River of Dreams and Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection. Plus 17 Top 40 singles, including two charttoppers (Uptown Girl and The River of Dreams).
When I interviewed Billy for the release of his Greatest Hits Volume III, we spoke about how grateful he was to the Australian staff of Sony, many of whom had become close friends.
‘AUSTRALIA ACTUALLY PICKED UP ON MY MUSIC EVEN BEFORE IT BECAME POPULAR IN THE STATES,’ BILLY POINTED OUT.
‘We all go way back. As I said, I was probably more well known in Australia before I became that well known in the States.’
‘SO,’ HE LAUGHED, ‘IT’S YOUR FAULT.’
Despite his success, Billy’s relationship with Australia has had a few rocky moments. Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum recalls that the American star’s first Countdown appearance, in 1976, did not go well.
‘In fact, it was a disaster,’ Molly smiles. ‘He didn’t want to be there. And I guess my first question didn’t help.’
CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF
Molly stumbled his way through a 99-word opening question, highlighting the rave reviews that Billy’s Australian concerts had been getting. Billy’s response? Just two words: ‘All right.’
The producers cut to a clip … and then Billy started talking. Molly yelled at Countdown’s floor manager, Ted Emery. ‘He’s talking! For God’s sake, come back to us!’
Molly laughs when recounting the story. ‘Fortunately, my interviews with Billy got better over the years.’
After another episode of Countdown, Billy had a shortlived feud with one of the nicest blokes in Australian music.
When Mental As Anything’s Greedy Smith was hosting Countdown in 1981, he back announced Sometimes a Fantasy by saying, ‘Well, that was Billy Joel, for better or for worse.’ Later in the show, when Molly quizzed him about his indifference to the American artist, Greedy replied, ‘I haven’t heard any of his records, but he was a boxer who wasn’t very successful… Is he a good singer?’
Unbeknownst to Greedy, Billy was touring Australia and watching Countdown. And the next day, live on radio, he snapped: ‘Failed boxer? I’ll go a few rounds with him.’
The Mentals manager told the press: ‘Greedy will go a few rounds with Billy – a few rounds of sandwiches.’
Despite a few bumps along the way, Billy has enjoyed an enduring love affair with his Australian fans, playing 119 shows here, having toured Australia 11 times.
‘Australian audiences are great,’ the New Yorker says. ‘They are familiar with the more obscure stuff, too, which is wonderful – they know the album tracks.’
Billy also briefly dated Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson. She inspired the songs And So It Goes, This Night and This is the Time, and was one of the inspirations for Uptown Girl.
Something you might not know about Billy Joel – he’s a great cook. His Australian concert promoter Michael Chugg reveals: ‘Whenever Billy was staying in an apartment or villa rather than a hotel, he would invite a bunch of people from the entourage, including myself, and cook up a storm.’
Of course, our relationship with Billy Joel started when we first heard Piano Man. The song entered the Australian Top 40 in February 1976. But at the time, we didn’t know it was a true story.
‘They were all real people, and that was an actual gig I had in 1972,’ Billy explains.
Trying to escape a bad recording contract, Billy relocated to Los Angeles, where he got a gig playing at a piano bar under the name of Bill Martin (Billy’s full name is William Martin Joel).
The song gave Billy his nickname, though he did the piano gig at the Executive Room on Wilshire Boulevard for only six months. ‘Before that, I’d always played in rock ’n’ roll bands,’ he notes.
The staff and patrons included a bartender named John, a guy named Davy who was in the navy, and a real estate broker who was trying to write the Great American Novel. And the waitress practising politics? That was Billy’s first wife, Elizabeth, who was working as a waitress at that cocktail bar.
(Fun fact: Elizabeth Joel was the American manager of Australian band The Sports, who gave Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Group their first Top 50 hit in the US with Who Listens to the Radio.)
LOOKING BACK ON HIS ‘PIANO MAN’ DAYS, BILLY SAYS: ‘IT WASN’T A LOT OF FUN FOR ME, BUT THE FREE DRINKS HELPED.’
Five decades on, a Billy Joel best-of is a treasure trove of memories – and a history of popular music. His catalogue plays like an old-style radio station, where they played anything and everything.
‘I never repeated myself,’ Billy points out. ‘I’ve always changed from album to album.’
Though he sang, ‘Your mementos will turn to dust, but that’s the price you pay / For every year is a souvenir that slowly fades away’, Billy Joel’s songs will last forever.
Rock, pop, soul, gospel, jazz, doo-wop and classical. Billy Joel has done it all. And when he ventured into rap with We Didn’t Start the Fire, he joked that he thought about releasing the song under the name of ‘Plain White Rapper’.
Whatever the genre, it’s still rock ’n’ roll to me. And unforgettable songs that will make you ‘forget about life for a while’.
Jeff Jenkins © 2025
Music journalist Jeff Jenkins is the author of several books, including 50 Years of Rock in Australia, and is the co-author of Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum’s memoirs, The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story and Ah Well, Nobody’s Perfect.
LEONARD WEISS cf will mark several milestones in 2026, including his mainstage Boston Symphony Orchestra debut in a program shared with Music Director Andris Nelsons, following his Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellowship earlier this year. As the recipient of the 2025 Berlin Music Opera Award (The Opera Foundation for Young Australians), he will also work as Assistant Conductor at Deutsche Opera Berlin. In Australasia he makes debut appearances with the Adelaide and Queensland symphony orchestras, and will return to the MSO and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
As the MSO’s Cybec Assistant Conductor since 2024, he has conducted a variety of programs, including the 2024 Metropolis Festival, concerts shared with James Ehnes, ABC Classic broadcasts, his Sidney Myer Music Bowl debut, and A Celebration of Burt Bacharach: What the World Needs Now
CONDUCTOR
LEONARD WEISS MARK SUTCLIFFE
He was previously the 2022 New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence, working particularly closely with the Auckland Philharmonia. He studied with Marin Alsop at the Peabody Conservatory, receiving the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s BSO–Peabody Fellowship, and he has participated in masterclasses with Riccardo Muti, Gianandrea Noseda, the Salzburg Festival and the Australian Conducting Academy.
His accolades include the Mr and Mrs Gerald Frank New Churchill Fellowship (CF), an Australia Council Career Development Grant and an Ars Musica Australis Arts Fellowship. Earlier this year, he won the 21st Khachaturian International Competition in Armenia and also received the Special Prize for Best Interpretation of Khachaturian’s Symphony No. 2, earning an invitation to conduct the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in their 2026–27 season. He subsequently won Third Prize at the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition and was invited to the prestigious Concours de Genève.
Leonard Weiss’s position as MSO Assistant Conductor is supported by Cybec Foundation
MARK SUTCLIFFE is a Creative Director and Executive Producer with over 25 years’ experience in the live entertainment and performing arts industry.
Through his company, Make My Mark, he has created and produced orchestral concerts celebrating icons including To Barbra, With Love (Barbra Streisand), Hopelessly Devoted (Olivia NewtonJohn), What the World Needs Now (Burt Bacharach), Strictly Baz Luhrmann and Piano Man, which premiered with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in February. He also co-created Davie Bowie: Nothing Has Changed and George Michael: Freedom! with Amanda Pelman.
DIRECTOR
In addition to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mark has worked with organisations including Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Live Nation, Powerhouse Museum, Global Creatures, Sydney Theatre Company, Art Gallery of NSW, National Gallery of Australia, ACON, OzHarvest and the Almeida Theatre in London.
“ SING US A SONG, YO U’RE THE PIANO MAN
Sing us a song tonight
WELL , WE ’ RE ALL IN THE MOOD FOR A MELODY AND YOU’VE GOT US FEELIN’ ALRIGHT ”
PHIL BURTON oam is one of Australia’s most beloved and respected entertainers. A multi-talented singer, live performer and media personality, he has enjoyed a remarkable career spanning more than 30 years on both the Australian and international stage.
Phil is a co-founder and member of one of the world’s finest pop vocal groups –Human Nature. The group’s distinctive harmonies, catchy tunes and stellar live shows have won fans all over the globe, cementing them as one of Australia’s finest exports.
Human Nature’s illustrious 35-year career has seen them release 13 studio albums, which have yielded 27 platinum awards, 19 top 40 singles, five top 10 worldwide hits, and album sales in excess of 2.5 million in Australia alone. In 2019 they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall Of Fame, and each member received a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to charity, entertainment and the arts.
PHOTO: KATE
PHIL BURTON ALINTA CHIDZEY
Phil returned home to Australia in late 2020, following an 11-year, 2500show residency at the Imperial Palace and Venetian casinos in Las Vegas. He continues to perform as a member of Human Nature in all their Australian shows.
Phil is a recognisable and comforting presence across all facets of Australian entertainment. Whether presenting The Morning Show or The Great Outdoors on Channel 7, winning the Mirrorball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars, hosting and singing for the iconic Burn the Floor dance show, performing in front of symphony orchestras, emceeing corporate events, appearing regularly on radio stations such as KIIS FM and 2GB, or performing his own exciting live solo shows, Phil’s presence is always commanding, natural and wonderfully entertaining.
Phil is also a highly intelligent person with a deep wealth of knowledge in many subjects –a strength highlighted when he won Australia’s Brainiest Musician (Channel 10) and was named reigning champion of Celebrity Mastermind (SBS).
On top of all of this, Phil continues to thrill audiences nationwide as part of Human Nature’s MTWN20 metro and regional tour celebrations through 2025–26.
ALINTA CHIDZEY is one of Australia’s most captivating leading ladies. A multi-award winner, she originated the role of Satine in the Australian national tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and played the famed role of Velma Kelly in Chicago and sassy Anita in West Side Story, which saw her nominated for Helpmann, Green Room and Sydney Theatre awards. Her most recent screen credits include the main-cast role of Maeve Miller in Jaggi Entertainment’s feature film Her Aussie Romance
An accomplished singer, songwriter and recording artist, Alinta frequently performs at events and concerts across the country, including Melbourne Fashion Week, the Australian Open, State of Origin and the NRL Grand Final.
She performed alongside Hugh Jackman in his Broadway to Oz tour and played Petra for the Victorian Opera production of A Little Night Music. Other notable stage roles include Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain and Svetlana in Chess, for which she received a Green Room Award for Best Female Artist in a Supporting Role.
Her screen credits include Wentworth, Winners & Losers, the US telemovie The Frontier, The Dr Blake Mysteries and Neighbours. Other stage credits include the Australasian tour of Mamma Mia!, Dusty: The Original Pop Diva, Demeter in Cats, Mary Poppins; the Netherlands season of Dirty Dancing; a tour of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alice in the play Closer, and Mickey in Leader of the Pack, for which she received yet another Green Room Award.
JESS HITCHCOCK captivates audiences with her powerful voice and evocative storytelling. A singersongwriter with a unique blend of pop, country, folk and opera, she crafts an enchanting style of song that resonates in its unique sound.
Jess is currently working on a new album while composing an opera, both of which promise to showcase her creative evolution, reaching into multiple genres and transporting listeners through the worlds of her songs.
JESS HITCHCOCK JOSH PITERMAN
Her most recent appearance for the MSO was in the 2025 NAIDOC Week celebration concert Yinya dana: Lighting the Path, performing music by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon. Other notable collaborations include legendary Australian singersongwriter Paul Kelly: performing and recording his song, ‘Everyday My Mother’s Voice’, and touring Australia and New Zealand. Jess has also collaborated with Archie Roach, Tina Arena, Kate Miller-Heidke and Lisa Mitchell, and last year she performed to acclaim in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Jess’s connection to her family throughout the Torres Strait, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific drives her passion to create and advocate for a more just world. With her unique artistry as a genredefying songwriter and performer, she stands out as a distinctive figure in contemporary music.
JOSH PITERMAN is a singer, actor, podcaster and speaker and the first Australian to play both Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and the Phantom in the original production of The Phantom of the Opera on London’s West End.
His other major theatrical credits include the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (Australia 2022–23), Tony in the 2010 Australian production of West Side Story, Bustopher Jones/Gus/ Growltiger in the 2015–16 Australian season of Cats (winning the Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Corny Collins in the UK tour of Hairspray, and Gerry Goffin in the 2017–18 Australian tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Josh has also appeared in an array of events, concerts and TV performances, including Performance of a Lifetime with the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl; Carols by Candlelight, the Australia Day Live Concert outside the Sydney Opera House, and the National Anthem at the MCG Boxing Day Test, the Sydney New Year’s Test, the Bledisloe
Cup and the State of Origin; and he wowed audiences with his performance of ‘Music of the Night’ at the Australian Open Tennis Finals.
In 2018 his self-titled debut album went to #1 on both the Aria and iTunes Charts (Classical Crossover) in Australia.
Josh has worn many masks off- and onstage, but as a student of life and with a constant growth mindset, he has always been fascinated and curious about what’s happening behind the masks we wear both individually and collectively as a society. His #2 charted Self-Improvement Podcast Behind The Mask invites an array of extraordinary guests to take a deep dive into the spaces that often go unseen, and his debut book of the same name was released in April this year (Echo Publishing).
Josh is a proud ambassador for the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and My Room Children’s Cancer Charity.
PHOTO: MARNYA ROTHE
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia’s preeminent orchestra, dedicated to creating meaningful experiences that transcend borders and connect communities. Through the shared language of music, the MSO delivers performances of the highest standard, enriching lives and inspiring audiences across the globe.
Woven into the cultural fabric of Victoria and with a history spanning more than a century, the MSO reaches five million people annually through performances, TV, radio and online broadcasts, as well as critically acclaimed recordings from its newly established recording label.
In 2025, Jaime Martín continues to lead the Orchestra as Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Maestro Martín leads an Artistic Family that includes Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor – Learning & Engagement Benjamin Northey, Cybec Assistant Conductor Leonard Weiss, MSO Chorus
Director Warren Trevelyan-Jones, Composer in Residence
Liza Lim am, Artist in Residence James Ehnes, First Nations
Creative Chair Deborah Cheetham Fraillon ao, Cybec Young Composer in Residence Klearhos Murphy, Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence James Henry, Artist in Residence – Learning & Engagement Karen Kyriakou, Young Artist in Association Christian Li, and Artistic Ambassadors Tan Dun, Lu Siqing and Xian Zhang.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the people of the Eastern Kulin Nations, on whose un-ceded lands we honour the continuation of the oldest music practice in the world.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
MAKE MY MARK
Executive Producer Mark Sutcliffe
Associate Producer Josh Piterman
MSO PRESENTS
Executive Producer Erika Noguchi
Associate Producer and Artist Liaison Kate Weston
Production Manager Brenton Burley
Production Lead Renn Picard
PIANO MAN
Lighting Designer Peter Rubie
Associate Lighting Designer
Alastair Swanson, Light Innovations
Production Equipment Partner
Light Innovations
Audio Engineer
Samuel Moxham, Arts Centre Melbourne
Stage Manager Maija Putans
Monitor Engineer Evan Drill
Hair & Make Up Artist Jessica Jenkins
Piano Cover Adrian Portell
WITH THANKS TO…
Nicholas Buc, Melanie Hiluta, Jennifer Fontaine, Catherine Poulton, Sian Darling and James Grierson
ENCORES
RIVER OF DREAMS
UPTOWN GIRL
Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey, Jess Hitchcock and Josh Piterman
Songs by Billy Joel
Orchestral arrangements by Nicholas Buc
MSO MUSICIANS IN THIS CONCERT
First Violins
Peter Edwards
Assistant Principal
Sarah Curro
Dr Harry Imber*
Peter Fellin
Deborah Goodall
Karla Hanna
Dawna Wright and Peter Riedel*
Lorraine Hook
Jolene S Coultas*
Kirstin Kenny
Eleanor Mancini
Anne Neil*
Michelle Ruffolo
Anna Skálová
Second Violins
Jos Jonker
Associate Principal
Emily Beauchamp
Mary Allison
Isin Cakmakçioglu
Tiffany Cheng
Val Dyke*
Freya Franzen
Cong Gu
Andrew Hall
Philippa West
Andrew Dudgeon AM*
Patrick Wong
Cecilie Hall*
Roger Young
Shane Buggle and Rosie Callanan*
Violas
Lauren Brigden
Katharine Brockman
Gabrielle Halloran
Fiona Sargeant
Ceridwen Davies
Isabel Morse
Cellos
Rohan de Korte
Andrew Dudgeon AM*
Rebecca Proietto
Peter T Kempen AM*
Angela Sargeant
Caleb Wong
Michelle Wood
Andrew and Theresa Dyer*
Double Basses
Jonathon Coco Principal
Rohan Dasika
Acting Associate Principal
Emma Sullivan
Caitlin Bass
Flutes
Prudence Davis Principal
Jean Hadges*
Sara Beggs
Oboe
Rachel Curkpatrick
Clarinet
David Thomas Principal
Saxophone
Tim Wilson Horns
Nicholas Fleury Principal
Margaret Jackson AC*
Rachel Shaw
Gary McPherson*
Trumpets
Shane Hooton
Associate Principal
Glenn Sedgwick*
Calum G’Froerer
Adam Davis Trombones
Richard Shirley
Iain Faragher
Bass Trombone
Mike Szabo Principal
Timpani
John Arcaro
Tim and Lyn Edward*
Percussion
Robert Cossom
Drs Rhyl Wade and Clem Gruen*
Learn more about our musicians on the MSO website * Position supported by
MSO Patron
Her Excellency Professor, the Honourable
Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria
Honorary Appointments
Chair Emeritus
Dr David Li AM
Life Members
John Gandel AC and Pauline Gandel AC
Jean Hadges
Sir Elton John CBE
Lady Primrose Potter AC
Jeanne Pratt AC
Lady Marigold Southey AC
Michael Ullmer AO and Jenny Ullmer
MSO Ambassador
Geoffrey Rush AC
Artist Chair Benefactors
Chief Conductor Chair Jaime Martín
Supported by the Besen Family Foundation
Cybec Assistant Conductor Chair
Leonard Weiss CF Cybec Foundation
SUPPORTERS
Program Benefactors
MSO Now & Forever Fund: International Engagement
Gandel Foundation
Artist Development Programs –Cybec Foundation
Cybec Young Composer in Residence
Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence
Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program
Community and Public Programs
Australian Government Department of Social Services, AWM Electrical, City of Melbourne, Hansen Little Foundation, Prof. Mary-Jane Gething AO
Student Subsidy Program
Anonymous
Jams in
Schools
Melbourne Airport, Department of Education, Victoria – through the Strategic Partnerships Program, AWM Electrical, Jean Hadges, Hume City Council, Marian and EH Flack Trust
MSO Regional Touring
AWM Electrical, Freemasons Foundation Victoria, Robert Salzer Foundation, Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation, Rural City of Wangaratta, Estate of the late Blanch Brooke Hutchings, Perpetual Foundation – Alan (AGL) Shaw Endowment
Sidney Myer Free Concerts
Sidney Myer MSO Trust Fund and the University of Melbourne, City of Melbourne Event Partnerships Program
Instrument Fund
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Sonia Gilderdale
Dr Celia Godfrey
Dr Marged Goode
Fred and Alexandra Grimwade Q
Hilary Hall, in memory of Wilma Collie
David Hardy
Cathy Henry
Gwenda Henry
Anthony and Karen Ho
In Memory of Rosemary Hodgson
Anna Holdsworth
Rod Home
Lorraine Hook
Doug Hooley
Katherine Horwood
Penelope Hughes
Shyama Jayaswal
Basil and Rita Jenkins
Jane Jenkins
Wendy Johnson
Dr Gint Kalpokas and Dr Michael Upson
Angela Kayser
Drs Bruce and Natalie Kellett
Dr Anne Kennedy
Akira Kikkawa ∞
Dr Richard Knafelc and Mr Grevis Beard
Tim Knaggs
Dr Jerry Koliha and Marlene Krelle
Jane Kunstler
Ann Lahore
Wilson Lai and Anita Wong Q
Kerry Landman
Janet and Ross Lapworth
Rex Lau
Bryan Lawrence
Halina Lewenberg Charitable Foundation
Phil Lewis
Elizabeth H Loftus
David Loggia
Chris and Anna Long
Elena Lovu
Wayne McDonald and Kay Schroer
Andrea McCall
Lesley McMullin Foundation
Dr Eric Meadows
Ian Merrylees
Sylvia Miller
Ian Morrey and Geoffrey Minter
Susan Morgan ∞
Anthony and Anna Morton
Dr Judith S Nimmo
George Pappas AO, in memory of Jillian Pappas
Bruce Parncutt AO
Ian Penboss
Peter Priest
Professor Charles Qin OAM and Kate Ritchie
Eli and Lorraine Raskin
Michael Riordan and Geoffrey Bush
Cathy Rogers OAM and Dr Peter Rogers AM
Guy Ross ☼
Marie Rowland
Liliane Rusek and Alexander Ushakoff
Viorica Samson
Martin and Susan Shirley
P Shore
Kieran Sladen
Janet and Alex Starr
Dr Peter Strickland
Bernard Sweeney
Russell Taylor and Tara Obeyesekere
Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher
Margaret Toomey
Andrew and Penny Torok
Chris and Helen Trueman
Ann and Larry Turner
Dr Elsa Underhill and Professor Malcolm Rimmer
Nicholas and Faith Vann
Jayde Walker ∞
Edward and Paddy White
Willcock Family
Dr Kelly and Dr Heathcote Wright
Demetrio Zema ∞
Anonymous (19)
Overture Patrons ($500+)
Margaret Abbey PSM
Jane Allan and Mark Redmond
Jenny Anderson
Doris Au
Lyn Bailey
Robbie Barker
Anne M Bowden
Caroline Bowler
Stephen and Caroline Brain
Robert Bridgart
Miranda Brockman
Dr Robert Brook
Christine Brown
Elizabeth Brown
Phillip Brown
Patricia Buchanan
Marc Buchholz and Stephan Duchesne
Ian Carson AM
Jungpin Chen
Dr Hyein
Ellen Cho
Alan and Wendy Chuck
Robert and Katherine Coco
Dr John Collins
Gregory Crew
Sue Cummings
Dr Catherine Duncan
Dr Matthew Dunn
Vivien and Jack Fajgenbaum
Brian Florence
Nadine Fogale
Elizabeth Foster
Chris Freelance
M C Friday
Simon Gaites
Nikki Gaskell
Lili Gearon
Dr Julia Gellatly
David and Geraldine Glenny
Hugo and Diane Goetze
The late George Hampel AM KC and Felicity Hampel AM SC
Dr Neville Hathaway
Geoff Hayes
Alison Heard
Noela Henderson
Dr Jennifer Henry C M Herd Endowment
Carole and Kenneth Hinchliff
William Holder
Peter and Jenny Hordern
Gillian Horwood
Oliver Hutton and Weiyang Li
Rob Jackson
Ian Jamieson
Karen Johnson
Linda Jones
Leonora Kearney
Jennifer Kearney
John Keys
Lesley King
Dr Judith Kinnear
Katherine Kirby
Heather Law
Peter Letts
Sarah and Andrew Lindsay
Dr Helen MacLean
Sandra Masel in memory of Leigh Masel
Janice Mayfield
Dr James McComish
Gail McKay
Jennifer McKean
Shirley A McKenzie
Richard McNeill
Marie Misiurak
Professor Heather Mitchell
Joan Mullumby
Yoko Murakoshi
Rebecca-Kate Nayton
Adrian and Louise Nelson
Marian Neumann
Ed Newbigin
Valerie Newman
Amanda O’Brien
Rosemary O’Connor
Brendan O’Donnell
Phil Parker
Sarah Patterson
The Hon Chris Pearce and Andrea Pearce
Jason Peart
William Ramirez
Geoffrey Ravenscroft
Ian Reddoch
Dr Christopher Rees
Fred and Patricia Russell
Carolyn Sanders
Julia Schlapp
Irene Sutton
Tom Sykes
Allison Taylor
Hugh and Elizabeth Taylor
Lily Tell
Serey Thir
Geoffrey Thomlinson
Mely Tjandra
Noel and Jenny Turnbull
Rosemary Warnock
Amanda Wasilewski
Amanda Watson
Michael Whishaw
Deborah and Dr Kevin Whithear OAM
Adrian Wigney
David Willersdorf AM and Linda Willersdorf
Charles and Jill Wright
Richard Ye
Anonymous (13)
MSO Guardians
Jenny Anderson
David Angelovich
Lesley Bawden
Peter Berry and Amanda Quirk
Tarna Bibron
Joyce Bown
Patricia A Breslin
B J Brown
Jannie Brown
Jenny Brukner and the late John Brukner
Sarah Bullen
Georgie Burg
Peter A Caldwell
Peter Cameron and Craig Moffatt
Luci and Ron Chambers
Roger Chao
Sandra Dent
James Dipnall
Sophie E Dougall in memory of Libby Harold
Alan Egan JP
Gunta Eglite
Marguerite Garnon-Williams
Dr Clem Gruen and Dr Rhyl Wade
Louis J Hamon OAM
Charles Hardman and Julianne Bambacas
Carol Hay
Dr Jennifer Henry
Graham Hogarth
Rod Home
David Horowicz
Lyndon Horsburgh
Katherine Horwood
Tony Howe
Lindsay Wynne Jacombs
Michael Christopher Scott Jacombs
John Jones
Merv Keehn and Sue Harlow
Pauline and David Lawton
Robyn and Maurice Lichter
Christopher Menz and Peter Rose
Dr Helen MacLean
Cameron Mowat
Laurence O’Keefe and Christopher James
David Orr
Matthew O’Sullivan
Rosia Pasteur
Kerryn Pratchett
Penny Rawlins
Margaret Riches
Anne Roussac-Hoyne and Neil Roussac
Michael Ryan and Wendy Mead
Anne Kieni Serpell and Andrew Serpell
Jennifer Shepherd
Suzette Sherazee
Professors Gabriela and George Stephenson
Pamela Swansson
Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher
Mr and Mrs R P Trebilcock
Christina Helen Turner
Michael Ullmer AO
The Hon Rosemary Varty
Francis Vergona
Mr Steve Vertigan and Ms Yolande
van Oosten
Tam Vu and Dr Cherilyn Tillman
Robert Weiss and Jacqueline Orian
Terry Wills Cooke OAM and the late Marian Wills Cooke
Mark Young
Anonymous (18)
The MSO gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Estates
Norma Ruth Atwell
Angela Beagley
Barbara Bobbe
Michael Francois Boyt
Christine Mary Bridgart
Margaret Anne Brien
Ken Bullen
Deidre and Malcolm Carkeek
Elizabeth Ann Cousins
The Cuming Bequest
Margaret Davies
Blair Doig Dixon
Neilma Gantner
Angela Felicity Glover
The Hon Dr Alan Goldberg AO QC
Derek John Grantham
Delina Victoria Schembri-Hardy
Enid Florence Hookey
Gwen Hunt
Family and Friends of James Jacoby
Audrey Jenkins
Joan Jones
Pauline Marie Johnston
George and Grace Kass
Christine Mary Kellam
C P Kemp
Jennifer Selina Laurent
Sylvia Rose Lavelle
Dr Elizabeth Ann Lewis AM
Peter Forbes MacLaren
Joan Winsome Maslen
Lorraine Maxine Meldrum
Professor Andrew McCredie
Jean Moore
Joan P Robinson
Maxwell and Jill Schultz
Miss Sheila Scotter AM MBE
Marion A I H M Spence
Molly Stephens
Gwennyth St John
Halinka Tarczynska-Fiddian
Jennifer May Teague
Elisabeth Turner
Albert Henry Ullin
Cecilia Edith Umber
Jean Tweedie
Herta and Fred B Vogel
Dorothy Wood
Joyce Winsome Woodroffe
The MSO honours the memory of Life Members
The late Marc Besen AC and the late Eva Besen AO
John Brockman OAM
The Hon Alan Goldberg AO QC
Harold Mitchell AC
Roger Riordan AM
Ila Vanrenen
Listing current as of 29 October 2025
The MSO relies on the generosity of our community to help us enrich lives through music, foster artistic excellence, and reach new audiences. Thank you for your support.
♡ Chair Sponsors – supporting the beating heart of the MSO.
Q 2025 Europe Tour Circle patrons –elevating the MSO on the world stage.
☼ First Nations Circle patrons –supporting First Nations artist development and performance initiatives.
♫ Commissioning Circle patrons –contributing to the evolution of our beloved art form.
∞ Future MSO patrons – the next generation of giving.
The MSO welcomes support at any level. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible.
MSO Board
Chair
Edgar Myer
Co-Deputy Chairs
Martin Foley Farrel Meltzer
Board Directors
Shane Buggle
Tony Grybowski
Lorraine Hook
Chris Howlett
Joel McGuinness
Gary McPherson
Lisa Mitchell
Meredith Schilling SC
Mary Waldron
Company Secretary
Randal Williams
MSO Artistic Family
Jaime Martín
Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor
Benjamin Northey
Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor – Learning and Engagement
Leonard Weiss CF Cybec Assistant Conductor
Sir Andrew Davis CBE †
Conductor Laureate (2013–2024)
Hiroyuki Iwaki †
Conductor Laureate (1974–2006)
Warren Trevelyan-Jones
MSO Chorus Director
James Ehnes
Artist in Residence
Karen Kyriakou
Artist in Residence – Learning and Engagement
Christian Li
Young Artist in Association
Liza Lim AM
Composer in Residence
Klearhos Murphy
Cybec Young Composer in Residence
James Henry
Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence
Prof. Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO
First Nations Creative Chair
Xian Zhang, Lu Siqing, Tan Dun
Artistic Ambassadors
MSO FAMILY
MSO Staff
Richard Wigley
Chief Executive Officer
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
Simonette Turner
Director of Orchestra & Operations
Meg Bowker
Orchestra Manager
Ffion Edwards
Orchestra Manager
Callum Moncrieff
Head of Operations
Brenton Burley
Production Manager
Renn Picard
Production Coordinator
Andrew Robinson
Production Coordinator
Nicholas Cooper
Operations Coordinator
Katharine Bartholomeusz-Plows
Head of Artistic Planning
Keturah Haisman
Artistic & Engagement Manager
Veronika Reeves
Artistic Administrator
Julia Potter
Artistic Coordinator
Jennifer Collins
Principal Librarian
Glynn Davies
Orchestra Librarian
Meg Baker
Chorus Administrator
Nicholas Bochner
Head of Learning & Engagement
Erica Dawkins Learning & Engagement Lead
Fergus Inder
Jams Program Coordinator
Erika Noguchi
Executive Producer, MSO Presents
Kate Weston
Associate Producer, MSO Presents
DEVELOPMENT & REACH
Suzanne Dembo
Chief Operating Officer
Amy Jackett
Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer
Caroline Buckley
Head of Strategic Priorities
Christina Chiam
Head of Development
Charlotte Crocker
Philanthropy Programs Lead
Isobel Lake
Grants & Reporting Lead
Keith Clancy
Donor Liaison
Nellie McLean
Head of Partnerships
Nina Dubecki
Events & Partnerships Lead
Jayde Walker
Director of Brand & Communications
Phil Paschke
Senior Manager, Content & Digital
Samantha Meuleman
Digital Content Lead
Prue Bassett
Publicity Manager
Beckie Peel
Social Media Coordinator
Dylan Stewart
Director of Marketing & Sales
Shannon Toyne
Head of Marketing & Sales
Sally Hern
Senior Manager, Campaign Marketing
Claudia Biaggini
Senior Marketing Coordinator
Leah Toyne
Marketing Administrator
Alison Kearney
Customer Experience Manager
Nicole Rees
CRM & insights Manager
Sam Harvey
CRM & Data Specialist
Marta Arquero
Ticketing & Customer Experience Coordinator
Box Office Attendants
Angela, Ashley, Bec, Ben, Bradd, Christine, Emil, Grace, Jessica, Josh, Kara, Kez, Leah, Lucy, Maeve, Sasha, Stephanie
FINANCE & PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Alistair Mytton
Chief Financial Officer
Sonia Yakub
Senior Management Accountant
Lilian Karidza
Assistant Accountant
Matthew Bagi
Project Officer
Holly Wighton
People & Culture Lead
Aileen Eyou
People & Culture Administration Officer
Estate of the late Blanch Brooke Hutchings
