Queensland Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023 season – the first programmed by new Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici. Highlights include a new Mahler cycle starting with Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, a theatrical presentation of Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote, and world premieres by Justin Williams and QSO Section Principal Percussion David Montgomery, while the Maestro Series opens with Ode to Joy, featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, alongside Peter Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry and Kalkani by William Barton and Véronique Serret.

Umberto Clerici. Photo © Sarah Marshall

“My ambition for these next three years is to create a web of interconnected programs in which each single concert has a clear and unique storyline that develops into a unified arc, embracing the entire season. My theme for 2023 is humanity, for after the past few challenging years, I felt we needed music that celebrates sociality, friendship and community,” said Maestro Clerici.

“An important priority for me is to feature soloists from within our orchestra and showcase the abilities of single sections. Our strings, wind,...