VYSO’s 80th Anniversary

🎉 It's our birthday, and you're all invited to the celebration!

Way back in 1944, a group of young musicians came together under the Victorian Schools Music Association and formed what was then called the Junior Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor John Bishop. Their debut? A performance at the C.E.M.A Autumn Music Festival. Fast forward 80 years (and a few name changes), and today we’re the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra – a community of young musicians dedicated to making orchestral music more fun, creative, and boundary-pushing than ever.

Now, it’s time to party! We’re throwing an epic 80th birthday bash, and we want YOU to be there. We’ve got former players coming back to join us, some of our all-time favourite pieces on the program, a special throwback to the very first concert as the JSO, and a brand-new composition by our own VYSO bassoonist, William Hanna.

Come help us make some noise and celebrate 80 amazing years of music-making! 🎶🎂

Program

Johannes BRAHMS - Academic Festival Overture (1880)

Antonín DVOŘÁK- Slavonic Dances No. 8 (1878)

Frank TICHELI - Vesuvius (1999)

George Frederic HANDEL - Occasional Overture (1746)

William HANNA - Concerto for 2 Bassoons (2024)*

Jean SIBELIUS - Finlandia (1899)

Juliana KAY - Henhouse (2021)

*World Premiere

We would also love to invite alumni to join us. At this stage, we are particularly keen to gather contact information of anyone interested in joining and any notable pieces you think we should include in the programme.

Please RSVP if you are interested in joining and/or would like to share any repertoire you think we should include in the program.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email us at anniversary@vyso.org.au.