Next concert: Rotary Benefit Concert, Saturday, 6th December
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What others have said about the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra
"...powerful, rich-toned, vivid..." It was tempting to compare orchestras when the opportunity arose last weekend to hear the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ollivier-Phillipe Cuneo in Willoughby Civic Centre, and the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Henryk Pisarek at Ravenswood School in Gordon, on successive evenings. But comparison proved only marginally relevant because their programs were utterly different... Hot on its (WSO's) heels next night came the 80-strong Ku-ring-gai Phil. It is a powerful, rich-toned, vivid, though not always quite unified entity which can generate excitement under the steadfast direction of Henryk Pisarek. It centainly played with stimulating verve for Prokofiev's narrative masterpiece Alexander Nevsky, based on Eisenstein's 1938 Russian propaganda film, using several choirs (Liverpool, Blacktown, a Chinese community choir) and sonorous mezzo-soprano Nicole Smeulders; the famous Battle On The Ice movement made the nerves tingle. Also impressive was the potent young soloist Jiajing Wang for the violin concerto by Sibelius, which suggests icicles in spring. But Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien needed more gumption; this was a siesta reading. Classical Music with Fred Blanks North Shore Times, May 2006 Tumultuous musical planetorium For a non-professional community orchestra like the 86-member Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic to battle entirely unscathed through the tumultuous musical planetorium which is the Symphony No 5 by Gustav Mahler is probably impossible, yet this orchestra made its performance last week into a mighty achievement, supervised by the lucid, sober conducting of Henryk Pisarek. The strength of this enthusiastic band lies in its string sections, which began the concert quite beautifully with Arvo Paert's Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977). Mahler, so the program note told us, complained that while he was composing his Fifth in 1902, his concentration was upset by birds outside his Austrian county retreat singing in the wrong key. The work (which he kept revising until his death in 1911) plays magic with keys, tempos, rhythms for five cosmic movements taking 73 minutes. The KPO brass had its occasional problems, but the overall impact was meritorious. That also applied to Mozart's K313 flute concerto, radiantly played by soloist Emma Sholl. Classical Music with Fred Blanks North Shore Times, Friday 24th March 2006 Kris stands tall The Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra runs a Young Composers Workshop at which new pieces by young composers are rehearsed, analysed and sometimes played in a concert. This year the featured young composer is Kris Macken, of North Turramurra, with a piece called Tall Shadow. Also participating are Tamara O'Brien, of Frenchs Forest, and Alex Pozniak, of Narrabeen. Classical Music with Fred Blanks North Shore Times, Friday, 1st July 2005. A heavenly repertoire sets orchestras apart Advice which I heard offered by a lobbyist at an expensive launch of an arts magazine (which died before it even hit the newsagents) was this: "bite off more than you can chew, then chew like hell". Both of our leading north-of-the-harbour orchestras took this partly to heart last week. They chewed like heaven. Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic played the Symphony No 4 by Mahler. Willoughby Symphony and Choir presented Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Both orchestras laboured very assiduously, as this music demanded. Henryk Pisarek conducted the Ku-ring-gai orchestra, which has just been voted Australia's Community Orchestra of 2002. A high honour. Its Mahler had the right feeling of child-like celestial contemplation, unfolded with leisure, sometimes a little short of subtlety. Its strings, 51 of them, are very fine, matched by the flutes more than by some other sections. Soprano Lynne Murray sang that delightfully na�ve description of heaven in the last movement with soft brightness. Before Mahler, horn player Robert Johnson had been a distinguished note-perfect soloist in Mozart's K495 concerto, and the strings played the inconsequential Three Pieces in An Olden Style (1963) by Gorecki. This orchestra, and the audience, has benefited from the comforts of its new venue, Ravenswood School Centenary Hall in Gordon... Programs for 2003 for Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby Orchestras are now available... The Ku-ring-gai series shows more enterprise. Both series are kind to the concert-going budget. Review of KPO Concert, November 23, 2002, by Fred Blanks North Shore Times, Wednesday, December 4, 2002. Two awards of note by MARY POWIS Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra and Anne Cahill have won awards in The Orchestras of Australia Network (TOAN) national orchestral Awards. Anne's award recognises "her extraordinary contributions to the development of the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra". Anne joined the orchestra as a player member in 1985. She has served as business manager, president and, currently, vice-president. She has been heavily involved in the general planning and marketing committees of the orchestra. Anne won the Individual Metropolitan Award for an individual who has fostered excellence, innovation and creativity in an orchestra in a metropolitan area. The Community Orchestral Award was given to the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra for its innovative programming and community outreach. Judges agreed the "KPO vision extends the presentation of quality orchestral performances to a variety of suburban audiences and supports the development of young musicians." The awards were presented in the third annual TOAN national orchestral awards in Melbourne on Saturday, September 21. TOAN is a national organisation supporting more than 180 members from professional, community, youth and school orchestras across Australia. Music educators, conductors, composers, students, players and organisations also belong. TOAN aims to create an environment in which orchestras throughout Australia flourish artistically and financially through representation, advocacy, professional development opportunities and support services. The awards also serve to raise awareness of the diversity and scope of orchestral activity in Australia. North Shore Times, Friday, September 27, 2002 Not all Hungarians are gypsies and not all gypsies are Hungarians. But Gypsies have had a strong influence on Magyar music. It is said that the gypsy does not preach his religion, he dances it. Dancing with it last week was the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra conducted alternatively by Henryk Pisarek and Ivan Ungar. This was an exclusively Hungarian concert: 4 Brahms Hungarian Dances, Kodaly's Dances of Marosszek. Bartok's 5 Hungarian Sketches, Liszt's Les Preludes, Ravel's Tzigane and Minti's Czardas. Quite a variety, with some non-Hungarian influences from further north (especially in Liszt). A unifying factor was competent, sometimes excitingly idiomatic, playing by one of our best suburban orchestras and by soloist Chen Gu. The encore was a Hungarian supper for which I could not stay, but it reminded me that when I was last in Budapest (then still Communist) there were old pensioners and dropouts in a city park eating chestnut puree with whipped cream, very cheap. North Shore Times, Wednesday, September 25, 2002 (Review of KPO Concert Saturday, September 14, 2002) Orchestrating ways to bring music to our ears by MARY POWIS CONCERTGOERS and theatre patrons are only too familiar with the custom of paying for programs. Sometimes the cost is a trifling amount but often it is quite expensive and many people simply decide not to buy one. Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra has taken the innovative step of providing patrons with free programs for its concerts. The orchestra's marketing manager Peter Lacey said that 60 or 70 local businesses had supported the project by buying advertising space in the publication. "This has made it possible for the orchestra to give patrons a quality, informative concert program at each performance," Peter said. "Usually, a separate charge is made for concert programs but they are bought by only a minority of concert-goers. "The KPO felt that the information about the soloists and the orchestra and the music being performed should be available to all patrons. "First we put the information on our web site (www.kpo.org.au) and then approached local businesses to advertise to cover printing costs." This initiative is one aspect of the orchestra's marketing program which has resulted in an invitation to share the secrets of its success at the Network of Australian Orchestra's national conference in Melbourne on Sunday, September 22. "Community-based orchestras usually struggle to survive, " Peter said. "The major advances made by the KPO during the last 18 months are remarkable. "We examined every facet of the orchestra's operation before developing a marketing plan which we have gradually implemented over the past year or so. It has all been achieved by a team of volunteers. "The way the KPO has utilised its limited financial and people resources provides an interesting case study for other Australian community-based orchestras." However, the orchestra does not plan to rest on its laurels. Peter said it is constantly asked to expand its program of symphony concerts, to play in new venues, provide more special services like the popular Kids' Proms and Secondary Schools Concerto Competition. "First, we need some extra funding," Peter said. "If there's a sympathetic business or big-hearted individual out there, we'd love to hear from them." The next concert, on Saturday, September 14 at Ku-ring-gai Town Hall in Pymble, will be an evening of Hungarian Delights with the enthusiastic support of the Consulate-General of the Republic of Hungary. The event will include a pre-performance talk on Hungarian music by eminent Australian composer Nigel Butterley, then the program will include Hungarian music and after the performance a Hungarian supper will be served. Sponsorship has made it possible to sell tickets at $22 for adults, $15 for concessions, $10 for school children and $60 for a family. Available through MCA Ticketing 9645 1611. North Shore Times, Friday, August 30, 2002. "The latest Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra concert, in Ku-ring-gai Town Hall, possibly a prize-winner in an architectural competition for uncongenial venues, included: a valiant though not always effectively balanced Sibelius Symphony No 2; the highly appealing Concerto for Two Guitars and Orchestra (1966) by Castelnuovo-Tedesco with nimble soloists Raffaele and Janet Agostino; an initially stagnant but eventually fanfarishly exciting piece called God-Child by the orchestra's trombonist James Humberstone; and Borodin's na�ve In The Steppes of Central Asia. Wilfred Lehmann was the veteran conductor. The enterprising program deservedly proved popular with a full house ..." Review of May 25, 2002 concert by Fred Blanks North Shore Times, June 5, 2002 Anne adds extra string to her bow by MARY POWIS When Lindfield resident Anne Cahill was told that Ku-ring-gai Lions Club would present her with a Community Services Award, her initial reaction was surprise. "Then I thought it was very nice that someone had nominated me," Ms Cahill said. "Later, I realised that I am one of a team and I would accept the award on behalf of all those involved." Anne's award was made because of her extraordinary contribution to the development of Australian orchestras on both a local and national level. She is a tireless voluntary worker "behind the scenes" for the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO) and, on a national level, with The Network of Australian Orchestras. She is modest about her achievements but her colleagues say this recognition is richly deserved. "Anne has achieved some amazing results from her efforts," KPO member Madeleine Adams said. "Her work has been greatly appreciated by our orchestra and we are so pleased that she now has significant community recognition." Anne, who grew up in Wahroonga and attended Abbotsleigh, earned an A.Mus.A in Piano in 1971 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney in 1976. She worked as a project officer and later as a consultant to the Australia Council, as a consultant to the NSW Ministry for the Arts, as an arts officer for Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council and as a consultant to the Music Council of Australia. In 1998, following extensive research and community consultation she wrote The Community Music Handbook. In 1985 she joined the community-based Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist and soon became involved as a volunteer administrator. She was KPO's business manager in 1988 and 1989, president from 1990 to 1994 and she has been the orchestra's vice-president for seven years. As a member of the KPO's marketing committee she was a driving force behind the appointment of internationally respected conductor and teacher Henryk Pisarek as the orchestra's artistic director and chief conductor. At the same time, programming introduced more musically challenging works so that now, for the first time in its history, the orchestra has waiting lists of musicians who want to join. The result has been virtual full houses at KPO performance after performance. The orchestra sponsors and runs the NSW Secondary Schools Concerto Competition and another innovation has been the Kids' Proms - the next performance at Wahroonga Bush School in August. Anne is also Chairman of the Network of Australian Orchestras and spends one day every week working in its office. Initially set up for amateur orchestras, the network was expanded under her direction to meet the needs of all orchestras - professional, semi-professional, community, youth and school orchestras. It advises on liaison with governments on issues such as music development and funding, advises on sponsorship, on how to market to various audiences, gives information on hiring venues, public liability, music hire and runs workshops. The Network of Australian Orchestras also organises an annual Orchestras Alive! conference and presents annual National Orchestra Awards. Anne's friends say she is "the ultimate volunteer." North Shore Times, May 1, 2002 "Last week I had a surprise phone call to say I had won two tickets to go to the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra's concert. It is such a long time since I have won a prize of any sort and to have heard such a terrific concert was wonderful. I can no longer go out in the evening and I do so miss live performances. In consequence I did not know how good the KPO was. The young soloist, Thomas Talmacs, performed the Bruch Violin Concerto admirably, and the whole event has given me a much-needed boost." Joan M Goodwin Gordon" Letter to North Shore Times, March 27, 2002 "...But, soothsayer and Julius Caesar apart, this week's biggest concert came from the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra, honourable and ambitious as Mark Antony might have said, which undertook the daunting task of playing Gustav Holst's marvellous Planets Suite. Here was a performance to admire, best in the extrovert space journeys to Mars, Jupiter and Uranus, full-blooded and sonorous ... A choir of Ravenswood and Abbotsleigh girls inhabited Neptune. Henryk Pisarek conducted diligently, having opened with a dreadfully hidebound Lento by Howard Skempton (born 1947), an English Scratch Orchestra disciple and hence given to hoaxing and annoying - perhaps it was a satire on Albinoni's Adagio. Then violinist Thomas Talmacs played the G Minor Bruch concerto neatly and musically. The venue was the comfortable, new Ravenswood School Centenary Hall..." North Shore Times, March 27, 2002 "Some rhythmically challenging music - the Four Scottish Dances by Malcolm Arnold and the Dances of Galanta by Kodaly - tested the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic orchestra at its Spring Concert last week. Conductor Henryk Pisarek obviously enjoyed the challenge and transmitted the enjoyment to the keen and disciplined orchestra, and from there to the full-house audience at the Ku-ring-gai Town Hall. There was also a new piece, Angel's Flight, by Nigel Sabin (1994) - undemandingly melodic, well-scored music which might have suited a film. During the fist half, the orchestra was conducted by Ivan Ungar. Hungarian-born in 1941, he studies with Pisarek and was efficient, and indeed in convincing stylistic control, for Weber's Der Freischutz overture and Mozart's beguiling K299 Flute and Harp concerto. There was neat, shapely solo work from flautist Meldi Arkanstall and harpist Verna Lee. This was as polished a concert as you might expect from any well-trained community orchestra." North Shore Times, September 26, 2001 (Review of concert, September 15, 2001) "The other long symphony was No 2 by Rachmaninov (composed four years before Elgar No 2). This received a praiseworthy performance from the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra conducted, with every symptom of inside knowledge, by Henryk Pisarek. He has effected a remarkable improvement in this 66-member orchestra during recent seasons, so much so that it can now give the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra a run for its money, but it lacks a decent venue (the Ku-ring-gai Town Hall is unsuitable on several grounds) and deserves an audience large enough to justify, as in Willoughby, an afternoon repeat of each program. A genuinely blissful highlight of this Ku-ring-gai concert was the singing of soprano Shu-Cheen Yu, who came to Australia in 1987, and whose singing of Mozart's motet Exsultate Jubilate, a Handel aria from Samson (with solo trumpeter Brian Evans) and Caccini's Ave Maria was wonderfully luminous and delivered with a sunny charm of personality. Her first Australian CD, Lotus Moon, was launched by ABC Classics last week and deserves acclamation." North Shore Times, April 4, 2001 (Review of concert, March 24, 2001) "One of the most important assets confirming cultural values within Ku-ring-gai Municipality is the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Founded 30 years ago and now including nearly 70 musicians, this full-scale community orchestra has reached a performance standard worthy of high acclaim under its Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Henryk Pisarek, whose Australia-wide and international activities have earned him much praise." Fred Blanks, Respected music critic |
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The Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra reserves the right to vary programs and/or venues without notice.