What Our Subscribers Say
“We love being a part of the joy created by the 'best little chamber group in the world'.” Virginia McDowell, subscriber
“We have been subscribing for years now, after going to a concert just to see what it was like. We have made friends with our fellow subscribers who sit near us in the concert hall.” Paul Fisher, subscriber
“As an Australian music lover, I am intensely proud of the ACO and what they have achieved, both here and internationally.” Roy and Margaret Bennett, subscribers
“I don't want to miss these concerts as they are the most exciting musical events in town.” Dr Terry Cutler, subscriber
“There is nothing to beat live music, especially when the musicians are so talented.” Molly Bonnefin, subscriber
“I always buy tickets with the intention of introducing others to live classical music. So far six people I have done this with have subsequently taken their own subscription.” Clark Cameron, subscriber
“The ACO is the best orchestra in the country because of their musicianship and energy and enthusiasm for a huge range of music.” Morgan Stewart, subscriber
“When music is played by the ACO it has soul and I feel it.” Tine Spiegel, subscriber
“The ACO is a wonderful group in every way. They not only play well, they look good and they look happy.” P W Matthews, subscriber
“They have provided me with the highest level of musical serenity that I can find. I experienced my first body-tingling ACO concert in 1995 and haven't looked back since.” Ian Taylor, subscriber
“The ACO has restored my faith in live performance. These are the first performances in years where I lose myself in the music, time disappears, and not once do I daydream about other things.” Kathryn Borrell, subscriber
“I have been a subscriber for 11 years. ACO concerts are the highlight of my year. I cannot put into words how much pleasure I gain from listening to and watching this orchestra.” Dr Sue Berners-Price, subscriber
“At each concert I have a sense that the musicians are emotionally and intellectually involved with the music and committed to communicating this with the audience. We enjoy having our musical boundaries extended - our trips home are full of exclamations and revisionings of the concerts.” Jan Larson, subscriber
“My soul is refreshed by seeing and hearing them play.” Nancy Stempf, subscriber
“The ACO sparkles. It spells quality and vitality and commitment and intelligence.” Roland Bannister, subscriber
“There's a different 'buzz' in the foyer before ACO concerts. If I had to give up all but one subscription, this is the one I would never surrender!” Anonymous subscriber
“I love watching passionate people perform with excellence – it takes me out of the normal hum drum of life to share with them just a little.” Dr Fiona Wallace, subscriber
“I absolutely totally love the concerts. I find a combination of music that I know and love plus other music that I welcome being exposed to for the first time compelling. The virtuosity of the band invariably uplifts and enraptures.” Dr Jan Resnick, subscriber
“We always leave concerts on a high.” Kevin Gummer, subscriber
“We love the liveliness and adventurousness of the programs. We like having our horizons extended. Thank you, ACO!” Anonymous subscriber
“Great Music. Great Venue. Great Night Out.” Dr Greg Gard, subscriber
“They really give their all, no slacking with the attitude of some orchestral musicians of 'here we go again'. They appear to enjoy the music as much as I do. The way the orchestra has rehearsed makes all aspects of the music absolutely clear. You've already done the analysis for us - it's not just a shoddy play through.” Jacquelyn Conn, subscriber
“ACO concerts bring our family together.” Mary Milanovic, subscriber
“I like the innovative approach taken to music in many of the concerts, where conventions are broken and we are challenged to accept a broader perspective of what music is about.” Pam Wilson, subscriber
“The ACO concert series is quite literally the highlight of my life.” Anonymous subscriber
“Absolutely entrancing - an experience utterly different from and entirely impossible to get from a recording alone. There is no subscription that we value more.” Kenneth Scott, subscriber
“I love being part of an audience that responds!” Diana Watts, subscriber
What the Critics Say
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a ticket to musical bliss” The Times, 2001
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a breath of fresh air on the world’s classical music scene.” US Tour Review, April 2000
“Listening to the Australian Chamber Orchestra is like taking a swig of a vitamin drink. Suddenly: pow! The music certainly feels stronger, muscled, hot from the gym… If that’s what Australia does for you, I’m also emigrating.” The Times, 2008
“A visit from the Australian Chamber Orchestra always raises questions. Does violinist Richard Tognetti, its leader for 19 years, have a slowly mouldering portrait in the attic? Can ugly players even audition? More pertinently, let's ask about what we settle for from music-making in the UK - why do so few of our ensembles present their music with this kind of ear-grabbing vigour?” The Guardian, 2008
“What a pleasure and yet what a shock it is to be reminded of just how remarkable a performance can be.” The Scotsman, 2008
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra is a firecracker ensemble, explosive in its spirit and nice-looking in its black silk concert uniforms designed by Akira Isogawa.” Boston Globe, 2005
“Astonishingly warm, fullbodied and tightly focused: the sound radiating from the crammed Wigmore Hall stage could only have come from the marvellous Australian Chamber Orchestra….Such panache, such confidence! Eighteen minds thinking and breathing as one. Heavenly playing, but that was expected: you’d have to scour the universe hard to find another band like the ACO.” The Times, 2003
“…all were standing, except the cellists, and playing with rhythmic vitality, forceful energy and something that can only be described as balls. There is nothing holding British ensembles back from chucking out the niceties and performing with this kind of bravado – so why don’t more of them try it?” The Guardian, 2003
“There was only one thing wrong with the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s April 12 Santa Fe Concert Association performance: nothing…It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, 2007
"The lean, sleek ensemble from Down Under is well enough established now to dare a little with its selection of tour repertoire. In a refreshing change from the standard chamber music blockbusters, the group offered a diverse collection of works spanning three centuries, cleverly united by the theme of a descending minor scale, symbol of intense melancholy." Financial Times, 2006
"It probably did not come as a surprise to those who knew it through its recordings, but the Australian Chamber Orchestra had those who were listening for the first time riveted to their seats..." El País, 2006
"This concert was that rare thing, a beautifully shaped whole in which all the parts were absolutely in tune with each other and with the space. The orchestra played like angels throughout, with springing rhythmic grace and impeccable style. (Richard Tognetti) is one of the most characterful, incisive and impassioned violinists to be heard today." The Telegraph, 2006
“Unified, polished and energetic…(the Corelli) was delivered with virtuoso ensemble playing and an invigorating spontaneity that seemed to flow from Mr. Tognetti’s charismatic leadership. These spirited Australians seemed reluctant to start the long trip home.” New York Times, 2004
"Tognetti's sound - and his orchestra's sound - has rough edges, and those rough edges are a kind of glory. Theirs is the aggressive give-and-take approach of musicians playing for themselves - the take, sometimes, as in take no prisoners.” Los Angeles Times, 2004
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra realises that classical musicians must shake themselves out of hibernation if they are to survive in the 21st century. It’s time for pioneers, and the ACO seems to be leading the way.” US Tour Review, April 2000
“The Australian Chamber Orchestra took the breath away. Such supple phrasing and dynamics! Such a gorgeous tone. Such freshness, passion, and commitment! This group must be the best chamber orchestra on earth.” The Times, 1999
“The performances were impressive not only for their unfailing virtuosity and unanimity of spirit but also for the individuality they found in each work…the evening seemed a fascinating, even slightly adventurous, journey with interesting companions.” New York Times, 1998
“Flawless ensemble, beauty of tone and boundless energy were the hallmarks of this superb concert by the Australian Chamber Orchestra…it is rare to hear the chamber repertoire dispatched with such a combination of finesse and vitality.” San Francisco Chronicle, 1998
“ACO shines because each individual has the artistry and technique to play music the way they want to hear it. They don’t do what is easier or more reliable. They don’t choose a moderate tempo because they can’t play faster. They simply don’t compromise.” Herald Sun, 2007
”This concert made me fall in love with music all over again” Sydney Star Observer, 2005
“On the eighth day God created the Australian Chamber Orchestra and appointed a leader – Richard Tognetti – who was nothing less than visionary.” Herald Sun, 2005
“Brilliant playing on the edge of the abyss.” Sydney Morning Herald, 2004
“With the Shostakovich Symphony 110a, we heard a quintessential ACO performance pulsating with an electrifying energy, sending volts of such thrilling vibrations that even the dead would be awakened.” Herald Sun, 2003
“This is the sort of concert that deserves all the high murmuring it can get. With such an impressive combination of bold programming and impeccable musicianship, the ACO’s commitment to serious music performance is beyond doubt. And they have that rare quality of looking as stylish as they sound. Not that that really matters." media-culture website, 2003
“When the ACO is in top form, it has no rival.” The Age, 2002
“Every single detail of this unfailingly expressive score was cherished as though it was the most precious, never-to-be repeated moment in all time.” The Advertiser, 2002
“The ACO has continued to stimulate, challenge and excite music lovers as it continually reinvents itself.” The Courier-Mail, 2000