More than 150 years after a 27-year-old Gustav Mahler set out to create a symphony that contained “the whole world”, the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) performs his first symphony dubbed Titan. From awakening, to joyful dances, moments of irony, darkness and triumphant affirmation, Mahler’s Symphony No.1 unfolds as an epic journey of becoming. Hear this ground-breaking symphony interpreted by Australia’s finest young orchestral musicians as they embark on their own adventures.

This powerful work is paired with Mary Finsterer’s Lake Ice, an Australian work conceived as a musical quest for double bass and orchestra which follows a protagonist travelling through shifting and unfamiliar landscapes. AYO alumna and beloved Queensland talent, Phoebe Russell returns as soloist to deliver this striking double bass concerto which expands the expressive possibilities of the orchestra, just as Mahler expanded the possibilities of the symphony more than a century earlier.

Acclaimed New Zealand conductor Tianyi Lu conducts, bringing her signature combination of musical authority and sensitive interpretation. Together with Phoebe Russell’s commanding artistry at its centre, this program unites two exceptional artists helping shape the future of orchestral music across the Asia-Pacific region.

Be moved and inspired as the signature energy and skill of the Australian Youth Orchestra navigates this program of epic music. Music that expresses what it means to be young, to find your voice and to stand at the beginning of something extraordinary.