Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Ambition And Virtuosity

Way back in 1995, a young violinist won a double academic and music scholarship to Sydney’s Ravenswood School for Girls which she attended till 1998. She went on to St Andrew’s Cathedral School on a full music scholarship in Years 11 and 12. Whilst still at school, she won both the junior and senior sections of the KPO Concerto Competition, and was a finalist in the ABC Young Performer Awards. Her name was Naoko Miyamoto. Now Naoko Keatley, she is a full-time member of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Naoko made her first appearance as soloist with the Sydney Youth Orchestra at the age of eight, playing Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. This August, Naoko returns to where it all began to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, with the Sydney Youth Orchestra, in a concert entitled Ambition and Virtuosity, conducted by Alexander Briger AO.

The concert programme includes Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7. Inspired by Brahms’ 3rd Symphony, its composition was fortuitously supported by a commission from the Philharmonic Society of London. Ambitious in structure but not as popular as Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony “From the New World”, the 7th symphony is considered to be Dvořák’s greatest and an important example of how the symphony developed after Beethoven.

Naoko began her violin studies in Sydney with Alinta Thornton, and continued lessons with Harry Curby, Peter Zhang and Alice Waten. Naoko premiered Matthew Hindson’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Youth Orchestra, performing it at the Sydney Opera House before taking it on tour in Europe. In addition to her present role as a full-time member of the London Symphony Orchestra, Naoko also works with the Australian World Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra and modern music group the Riot Ensemble.

Tickets: $50 +bf/$25 +booking fee

Bookings: click here or phone 02 9251 2422