Don’t miss this exciting, cross-genre collaboration never seen before between Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) and Dead Puppet Society to mark QSO’s anniversary season.

Blending live puppetry with music, QSO and Dead Puppet Society will reimagine Stravinsky’s colourful and poignant Petrushka. Transforming its iconic characters into living elements – Wind, Fire, Water, and Ice – their struggle for balance echoes our own unstable relationship with the planet.

Inspired by their very first concert back in 1947, QSO opens with Wagner’s sensual and chromatic Tannhäuser Overture. They reunite with leading didgeridoo player William Barton as soloist in Matthew Hindson’s Kalkadungu. This highly charged and explosive work draws on a melody from one of Barton’s teenage compositions as its main theme to explore the evolution of traditional songlines and bring First Nations and Western cultures into alignment. QSO was the first orchestra Barton ever performed with, and they are delighted to welcome him back for this special event. 

QSO will also premiere a brand-new Fanfare by Brisbane-based composer Joseph Twist, specially commissioned for QSO’s 80th anniversary.