This year we are shining a spotlight on some of the wonderful ACO staff working behind the scenes to help bring you the music you love and keep the Orchestra touring. This time we catch up with Katie Christou, our Philanthropy and Partnerships Operations Manager.
Image: Katie Christou with guests at an ACO Next event
Which part of your role at the ACO do you find the most exciting or rewarding?
I love the unique performances and special experiences that our team puts on and gets be a part of. From Private Rehearsals for our supporters, to Private Performances for our Partners, to very special one-off performance events and bespoke recitals. And of course, all the amazing national concerts we get to see. And seeing firsthand how much our audiences enjoy the Orchestra’s performances, and how much the ACO means to them, is such a reminder of why I’m so lucky to work for the ACO.
Can you tell us about a little “only at the ACO” moment you’ve experienced?
The ACO’s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in November last year. The breadth and variety of performers onstage with the ACO, from the Tawadros brothers, to Iestyn Davies and the Sydney Dance Company dancers, to the ACO Foundations students from St Mary’s North Public School, and special guest Neil Finn, the concert truly encapsulated the ACO’s love of collaboration and diversity of performance. No other orchestra could do all that in one concert!
What is your favourite ACO performance to date (and why)?
My favourite ACO performance of this year was Mozart’s Last Symphonies. Such a spectacular, energetic, and spirited concert, it reminded me of why I fell in love with the ACO in the first place, long before I worked for the Orchestra. It’s a very close second to my favourite ACO performance of all time - Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 featuring the Choir of Clare College Cambridge in 2012. I still remember the sheer joy and exuberance that I, and the whole audience, felt during that performance, which stayed with me long after I left City Recital Hall that evening.
If you could invite supporters to experience one ACO performance or project, what would it be?
I’m going to cheat and suggest two. First, the ACO Foundations program. Seeing the Foundations students perform alongside the ACO and the pride and dedication they take in their performance and learning is just extraordinary. And the greater impacts that the program has had on their lives outside of learning to play an instrument is incredible. It can’t be overstated just how important this program is, and the impacts it could have for Australian children if its reach could be furthered. Secondly, ACO Families performances. I know they are intended for children aged 3-8 years old, but I love attending them! They are so beautifully produced and staged, and I love to see the joy that our very little audiences and their families get from attending them. I’m very much looking forward to the return of ACO Families’ The Nutcracker in December, this time bringing the little person in my life. No one is too young to enjoy music, or too old to enjoy ACO Families shows either!
