Classical

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov (Russian: Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов, Sergej Vasil’evič Rakhmaninov, 1 April 1873 [O.S. 20 March] – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, the last great representative of Russian late Romanticism in classical music. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom which included a pronounced lyricism, expressive breadth, structural ingenuity and a tonal palette of rich, distinctive orchestral colors.[1]

Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia, celebrating its centenary in 2007.
The MSO performs to more than 250,000 people in Melbourne and regional Victoria in over 150 concerts a year. The Orchestra has performed with renowned artists such as Igor Stravinsky, Mariss Jansons, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Jessye Norman, Artur Rubinstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, Hakan Hagegard, Geoffrey Lancaster, Emanuel Ax, Jeffrey Tate, Sumi Jo, and Nigel Kennedy.

Andreas Scholl (born November 10, 1967) is a countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto range. He specialises in Baroque music. His range is akin to that of the celebrated 18th century alto castrato, Senesino, for whom Georg Friedrich Händel wrote his greatest alto roles. Fanfare magazine says: "There are more excellent countertenors before the public today than ever before, but one stands out above all others, as Caruso among tenors a century ago: Andreas Scholl". In 2005, Scholl was the first countertenor ever to be invited to sing solo at The Last Night of the Proms in London.

The Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland. The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code.[1] John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as the orchestra's first chief conductor. The orchestra played concerts in various Queensland cities and towns, such as Innisfail and Townsville, travelling up to 3500 miles a year in the process.[2]