The Maroondah Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra founded in 1964 and based in Ringwood, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. We present four programs of classical music each year, usually at the George Wood Performing Arts Centre, in Ringwood.
New players are welcome, particularly orchestral percussion and string players. Players of other instruments are welcome to go on our waiting list. Please see the new players page for details.
Rehearsals are on Tuesday nights in Ringwood. Please see the Members page for details, including a complete 2024 rehearsal schedule.
This will be an Afternoon of Orchestral Masterpieces
The program features three extraordinary works from the Romantic era, each showcasing the power and beauty of music to tell stories and stir emotions.
The concert opens with Weber’s Oberon Overture, a lively and imaginative prelude that brings the magic and adventure of his final opera to life.
Next, Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor takes centre stage, blending lyrical melodies with virtuosic interplay between the piano and orchestra. This timeless piece captures both intimacy and grandeur.
The concert concludes with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, the Romantic. Known for its sweeping themes and dramatic contrasts, this symphony paints vivid scenes of nature, heroism, and reflection.
We hope you can come and enjoy this afternoon of unforgettable music!
Soloist: Glenn Riddle, Piano
Glenn Riddle studied piano at the University of Melbourne with Ronald Farren-Price before undertaking post-graduate studies at the Royal College of Music, London with Peter Wallfisch and the University for Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna with Paul Badura-Skoda. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, a Research Associate at the University of Waikato, NZ and Visiting Professor at the Nanjing University of Arts in China.
One of Australia’s leading piano pedagogues, his students have been prize-winners in international competitions throughout Europe, Asia and the USA. They have also been major prizewinners in every significant competition in Australia, most recently winning both first and second prizes in the Lev Vlassenko Competition in Brisbane. His students have performed concertos with the Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra Victoria, and internationally with the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra, the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, the Helsinki Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, Beijing, the Morocco Philharmonic, Thailand Philharmonic, Hanoi Philharmonic and Jakarta Concert Orchestras.
Glenn has worked extensively throughout Asia, USA, Australia and New Zealand presenting recitals, pedagogy workshops, masterclasses, examining and adjudicating. He has also been a member of international competition juries in the United States, Greece, Indonesia, New Zealand and Thailand.
Glenn is an AMEB Federal Examiner, and a member of the AMEB International Examining Panel, He has also edited or co-edited 12 volumes of piano music for the AMEB. Glenn is Senior Music Critic for the leading online cultural magazine Classic Melbourne, a member of the National Committee of the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference, and a Board Director of the Victorian Music Teachers Association. He is also Vice-President and Artistic Advisor to the Camberwell Music Society a volunteer-based community organization that runs a subscription series of concerts for local residents.
Glenn has recorded 15 CDs for labels such as ABC Classics, Move Records, Tall Poppies and Hal Leonard, and is also featured on the internationally acclaimed DVD Classical Destinations III performing the works of Percy Grainger on the composer’s own piano held at the Grainger Museum. His latest CD features the chamber music for piano and strings by Australian composer Christine McCombe. Glenn continues to perform as both chamber musician, concerto soloist and in recital.
This concert offers an unforgettable afternoon of music, featuring some of the most evocative works in the orchestral repertoire.
The program opens with Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture, a piece of lyrical warmth and dramatic intensity. Next, our soloist Jason Xanthoudakis joins the Orchestra for a unique interpretation of Strauss’s Oboe Concerto , performed on soprano saxophone, adding a fresh twist to this reflective work.
The concert closes with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9(“From the New World”) , a masterpiece blending American and European influences, with its stirring melodies and iconic Largo theme.
The Orchestra welcomes David Medine as guest conductor of this concert.
Soloist: Jason Xanthoudakis, Soprano Saxophone
Jason studied at Melbourne University, where he graduated with a Master of Music, the Victorian College of the Arts with David Thomas, Phillip Miechel and Dr. Peter Clinch, Monash University where he studied with David Griffiths and is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium where he studied with Frank Celata, Mark Walton and James Nightingale. He has also studied in Paris, Amsterdam and London. Jason has won 3MBS Performer of the Year Award as well as many prizes in various music competitions.
Jason has a busy performance schedule including performances with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as frequent solo recitals and concerto appearances with orchestras and wind ensembles in Australia. From 2015 Jason held the position of Clarinet/Bass Clarinet with the NSW Police Band where he frequently performed on both Clarinet and Saxophone.
Jason has performed several live broadcasts on Australian radio, has recorded for ABC Classic FM and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has arranged/transcribed more than 50 works for Saxophone and Clarinet and is very active in the field of Contemporary Music, encouraging composers to write music for Saxophone and Clarinet and over 20 works have been dedicated to him. For more information about Jason’s activities go to www.jasonxan.com
David Medine is a violinist, violist, and conductor originally from Tucson, Arizona. He holds a Bachelor’s in viola performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master’s in the same from the University of California, San Diego. While earning a PhD in computer music at UCSD, David served for many years as the music directory and conductor of the University’s Chamber Orchestra. During that time he also premiered many works of his UCSD contemporaries, both as an instrumentalist and conductor. Earlier in his professional career, David performed as a violinist and violist in dozens of professional and semi-professional orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. After moving to Australia in 2020, he was for several years the Leader of the Maroondah Symphony Orchestra and continues to serve the Orchestra as an assistant conductor. Apart from his work with MaSO, David is a violinist in the Dandenong Ranges-based Tarella String Quartet.
Join the Maroondah Symphony Orchestra for an unforgettable afternoon of music, featuring four iconic composers. The concert begins with Mozart’s thrilling Don Giovanni Overture , setting the stage for a night of drama and energy. Next, Sibelius’ Valse Triste offers a hauntingly beautiful waltz, full of bittersweet elegance and longing. Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C , performed by a brillante soloist, delights with its sparkling melodies and emotional depth. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 1 , blending classical tradition with bold innovation. This concert promises to be a captivating afternoon of beauty, brilliance, and musical storytelling.