The Orchestra Project

The Orchestra Project The Orchestra Project was established in 2002 as a training
ensemble for the development of Australia's best young orchestral musicians.

This critically-acclaimed ensemble enables gifted young musicians to workshop & perform large-scale orchestral works. The Orchestra Project Inc. (Vic) provides mentoring and performing opportunities for gifted young local musicians, enabling them to work alongside the very best musicians from Australia's professional orchestras. It also offers the wider public affordable access to live performance

s of large-scale or rarely performed orchestral works. Chair: Peter Tregear, Secretary: Fabian Russell.

04/04/2026

Mid rehearsal for tomorrow's performace of Adams' epic Harmonielehre. If you're in striking distance of the Sydney Conservatorium at 2:30 pm on Easter Sunday, this is a truly unique opportunity to hear this masterpiece in a most spectacular acoustic setting (alongside some marvellous Wagner and Strauss to-boot!). Tickets still available via the link here. https://events.humanitix.com/the-orchestra-project-wagner-strauss-adams

Meet Yoram Levy.Yoram is Head of Brass and Trumpet at the Australian National Academy of Music, and one of Australia’s m...
03/04/2026

Meet Yoram Levy.

Yoram is Head of Brass and Trumpet at the Australian National Academy of Music, and one of Australia’s most influential brass pedagogues.

He began his international career in 1982, invited by Maestro Zubin Mehta to join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, where he performed extensively with leading conductors and toured across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia.

In Australia, Yoram served as Principal Trumpet of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra from 1998 until his recent retirement, and has appeared as guest principal with the Sydney, Queensland, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic. As a soloist, he has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and his recordings have received widespread acclaim.

Alongside his performing career, Yoram has made a lasting impact as an educator, teaching for many years at the Queensland Conservatorium and mentoring generations of leading brass players.

Meet Robert Johnson.Robert studied French horn at the NSW Conservatorium of Music and went on to build a distinguished c...
03/04/2026

Meet Robert Johnson.

Robert studied French horn at the NSW Conservatorium of Music and went on to build a distinguished career as one of Australia’s leading orchestral horn players. After serving as Principal Horn with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra, he was appointed Principal Horn of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1986, a position he held until 2017.

During his time with the SSO, Robert appeared as soloist in works by Mozart, Richard Strauss, Britten and Ross Edwards, and premiered Christopher Gordon’s horn concerto Lightfall in 2009. He also performed in the orchestra’s first presentation of Messiaen’s From the Canyons to the Stars, and has appeared as guest principal with major orchestras across Australia and New Zealand.

Alongside his orchestral career, Robert has been an active chamber musician and dedicated educator, teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium and Canberra School of Music, and appearing as Artist in Residence across Australia and internationally.

Beyond the horn, he is also a countertenor, performing Medieval and Renaissance repertoire, and has conducted ensembles drawn from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Meet Joshua Han, our Piano Soloist, 23-year-old Australian pianist Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of ...
31/03/2026

Meet Joshua Han, our Piano Soloist,

23-year-old Australian pianist Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of his instrument as well as complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). Joshua is an accomplished performer who has received international success and appeared with distinguished orchestras including the Queensland Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic (Japan) and Suwon Philharmonic (South Korea).

Joshua achieved critical recognition with first prizes at the 2025 International Piano Competition J. S. Bach in Saarbrücken, Germany, and the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, where he also received the prize for Audience vote and prizes for best interpretation of Bach, Chopin, and Beethoven. He was also awarded Second Prize at the 2024 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, where final round performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra received Concerto Prize and QSO Musicians’ Choice Prize. Joshua maintains a regular performance schedule; feature appearances in the 2025–26 season include the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Harbour Ensemble, Canberra International Music Festival, Albury Chamber Music Festival, Shepparton Arts Festival, among others.

Born in 2002, Joshua started piano studies at the age of four with his mother. Joshua showed early promise by being among the youngest recipients of the Licentiate of Music (LMusA) at 10 years and Fellowship Recital Diploma (FTCL) at 14 years. He received first prizes at the 2014 Ettlingen International Piano Competition, Germany, and the 2015 Aarhus International Piano Competition, Denmark. Joshua and his violinist brother, Oscar, appeared in the 2013 edition of the television talent show, Australia’s Got Talent, where they progressed to the Grand Final stage.

Joshua currently studies a Master of Music Studies (Performance) under Dr Paul Rickard-Ford at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is a current grant recipient of the Theme and Variations Foundation and Cope-Williams Arts Foundation.

📷 Joe Cheng

31/03/2026

Due to illness, Alexander Gavrylyuk has reluctantly taken the decision to withdraw from this weekend’s performance on Easter Sunday with The Orchestra Project. We wish Sasha a speedy recovery and look forward to collaborating with him in the near future.

We thank Sydney-based pianist Joshua Han, who has agreed to step in at extremely short notice, as soloist for Richard Strauss’ Burleske for Piano and Orchestra.

Meet Shane Hooton, Associate Principal Trumpet of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.Shane has held his position with the ...
31/03/2026

Meet Shane Hooton, Associate Principal Trumpet of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Shane has held his position with the MSO since 2009, following four years as Principal Trumpet of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, he has established himself as one of Australia’s leading orchestral brass players.

He has performed as Guest Principal with all of Australia’s major symphony and opera/ballet orchestras, and internationally with ensembles including Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, the Malaysian Philharmonic, and the Auckland Philharmonia.

Shane’s career has also taken him on tour across Europe and the United States, and he is a founding member of the brass quintet Brass On Tap, with whom he has performed extensively in Australia and internationally.

Meet Eve McEwen, Associate Principal Horn of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.Born and raised in Sydney, Eve began...
29/03/2026

Meet Eve McEwen, Associate Principal Horn of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Born and raised in Sydney, Eve began playing the horn at age nine and went on to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating in 2018. She later continued her training at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), where she performed Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2 with the ANAM Orchestra.

Before joining WASO, Eve built a vibrant freelance career, performing with the Sydney Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, and Opera Australia orchestras, and appearing as Guest Principal Horn with Orchestra Victoria and Guest Associate Principal Horn with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She has also featured on numerous film and video game soundtrack recordings.

Outside of music, Eve enjoys cooking and tending to her ever-growing collection of indoor plants.

Meet Max McBride, our Principal Double Bassist.One of Australia’s most respected musicians, Max has built a distinguishe...
29/03/2026

Meet Max McBride, our Principal Double Bassist.

One of Australia’s most respected musicians, Max has built a distinguished career as a conductor, educator, and performer across the concert stage and theatre.

Following his return to Australia in 1979, Max began his conducting career with the ABC, going on to work with orchestras across Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. He has also conducted with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, as well as leading opera productions for Victoria State Opera and Australian Opera, and large-scale choral works with Sydney Philharmonia and the Canberra Choral Society.

A passionate educator, Max served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Double Bass and Conducting at the Canberra School of Music for over 15 years. He later became Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Youth Orchestra (2009–2014), and Chief Conductor of the Canberra Youth Orchestra (1992–2010), leading major performances of works by Mahler, Saint-Saëns, and alongside premieres by leading Australian composers.

More recently, Max has played a central role in revitalising orchestral music at the ANU School of Music, conducting the ANU Orchestra in its acclaimed debut at Llewellyn Hall.

Meet Simon Cobcroft, Associate Principal Cello of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.Simon enjoys a diverse career as a soloi...
28/03/2026

Meet Simon Cobcroft, Associate Principal Cello of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Simon enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral performer across Australia and internationally. He previously served as Principal Cello of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (2014–2023), following earlier roles with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

A founding member of the award-winning Lyrebird Trio, Simon has performed with leading ensembles including the Philharmonia Orchestra (London) and London Philharmonic Orchestra, and at festivals such as Aldeburgh and Salzburg. As a soloist, he has appeared with major orchestras across Australia and abroad, and was awarded the Adelaide Critics Circle Prize for his performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto.

Alongside his performing career, Simon is a dedicated educator, having taught at both the Elder Conservatorium and the Queensland Conservatorium.

Simon performs on an 1840 Thomas Kennedy cello.

Meet Christopher Moore, Principal Viola of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.A highly respected orchestral and chamber mu...
28/03/2026

Meet Christopher Moore, Principal Viola of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

A highly respected orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, conductor and teacher, Christopher spent ten years with the Australian Chamber Orchestra before joining the MSO as Principal Viola in 2015. He is also regularly in demand as a guest principal with leading orchestras across Australia, New Zealand, and internationally.

Raised in Newcastle’s rich choral tradition, Christopher’s musical life began early and hasn’t slowed since.

Offstage, he’s a proud father of two multi-talented daughters, a (self-proclaimed) occasional theremin player, and is still fighting a losing battle with his miniature pinscher.

Christopher performs on a 1610 Giovanni Paolo Maggini viola, generously on loan.

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Brunswick, VIC
3056

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