ACO Collective
ACO Collective combines the professional musicians of the ACO with Australia’s most talented emerging string players. The result is an ensemble full of youthful energy with the dynamism and artistry for which the ACO is renowned.
Connection. Discovery. Joy.
Anthony Marwood is riveting to watch. An exceptional violinist, Marwood plays with a deep emotional investment in each work. He is intensely connected to the music, to his ensemble and to his audience.
A long-time friend of the ACO, this concert marks 20 years of Marwood working with our Emerging Artists program. In this concert Marwood doubles as soloist and director, performing alongside the ACO Collective led by ACO Principal Violin Helena Rathbone.
At the heart of the program is Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in D minor, which the composer wrote at about age 13. Tender, inventive, elastic, tumultuous – everything you’d expect from a teen prodigy – it was lost to history for more than 100 years. Since violinist Yehudi Menuhin came across it in 1951, promptly publishing, performing and recording it, it’s been a favourite of violinists who can put their own stamp on the work.
Amid atmospheric Renaissance and Baroque works from Byrd, Dowland and Purcell, you’ll hear an arrangement of Schumann’s String Quartet No.1 in A minor, written as a birthday present for his wife Clara. It’s a showcase of magnificent contrasts, featuring everything from joyful dance to an emotional love song to a rhythmic romp in the finale.
Finally, they’ll play a contemporary arrangement of Raskatov’s Five Minutes from the Life of W.A.M – a delightful tribute to Mozart which samples the composer’s famous themes and juxtaposes them with quirky, modern techniques.
PROGRAM
ARTISTS
LOCATION
WILLIAM BYRD Fantasia à 4
JOHN DOWLAND Lachrimae Antiquae
HENRY PURCELL Chacony in G minor, Z.730
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in D minor
ROBERT SCHUMANN (arr. strings) String Quartet No.1 in A minor, Op.41, No.1
ALEXANDER RASKATOV Five Minutes from the Life of W.A.M.
JOHN DOWLAND Lachrimae Antiquae
HENRY PURCELL Chacony in G minor, Z.730
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in D minor
ROBERT SCHUMANN (arr. strings) String Quartet No.1 in A minor, Op.41, No.1
ALEXANDER RASKATOV Five Minutes from the Life of W.A.M.
ARTISTS
Anthony Marwood director and violin
ACO Collective
ACO Collective
LOCATION
The Neilson, ACO On The Pier
Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct
13A Hickson Road
Dawes Point NSW 2000
Open in Google Maps
ABOUT ACO UP CLOSE
Step into The Neilson at ACO On The Pier and enter a temple of sound. Let music speak in its own clear voice — curious, crafted, and deeply human. The ACO is thrilled to present an exceptional gathering of musicians carefully curated to reflect and extend the dynamic and explosive vision of the ACO, and to shape a musical conversation between tradition and bold imagination. Discover the full 2026 program.
Open in Google Maps
ABOUT ACO UP CLOSE
Step into The Neilson at ACO On The Pier and enter a temple of sound. Let music speak in its own clear voice — curious, crafted, and deeply human. The ACO is thrilled to present an exceptional gathering of musicians carefully curated to reflect and extend the dynamic and explosive vision of the ACO, and to shape a musical conversation between tradition and bold imagination. Discover the full 2026 program.
