Journeys: ANU Alumni play the work of Mike Dooley

ANU Alumni and students will showcase local music in an evening of lyrical and stirring orchestral fireworks with virtuoso soloists.

The evening is headlined by soloists Dr Aaron Chew and Andrew Rumsey (piano) and Timothy Wickham (violin) - all ANU Alumni - with an orchestra led by Max McBride, conductor of the ANU Orchestra, and featuring a selection of top ANU students.

The musicians bring to the stage the work of local Canberra composer Michael Dooley, CityNews Canberra artist of the year in 2019, in a concert entitled "Journeys" which will showcase three of his works.

Dooley's Piano Concerto #1, performed by virtuoso pianist Andrew Rumsey, was first premiered in 2019 with the National Capital Orchestra. A reviewer at the time commented: "The work came across as a serious piece for the symphonic and concerto repertoire and deserves to be placed as something that can and should be performed again and again." 

Also premiered in 2019, the second work - "The Land that is very far off" - a Celtic rhapsody for violin and orchestra, will be performed by violinist Timothy Wickham. It was described in reviews as "a sweeping, melodic work of great beauty, wistful and nostalgic and it was especially well played by Wickham."

The third work "Australian Landscapes" a suite of 5 impressionistic movements for piano and orchestra, was first premiered as a solo piano piece by Rumsey at the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. In this first performance of the full orchestral version the soloist in this work will be the dynamic Aaron Chew, who recently completed his PhD in piano performance at the ANU School of Music.

The pieces are also being recorded for production of an album to be released on CD and digitally. This recording project and concert are being partly supported by Arts A.C.T.

Tickets are available at

https://www.trybooking.com/CIFGR

Adults:$50

Seniors:$35

Students: $25

Family (2A+2C) $100