Share the love with QSO this February
Blog ·
Love is in the air this February as Queensland Symphony Orchestra sets a passionate tone for its 2026 season with musical love letters, intimate venues, fan favourites and joyous repertoire.
The month starts with two concerts curated by QSO audiences, followed by a new Portraits series, an Up Close Studio Session and, to end, an homage to the cinematic mastery of John Williams.
Our Director – Artistic Planning Matthew Wood explains that February’s program was designed to be a warm and welcoming start to the season for audiences and musicians alike:
“We’re welcoming everyone back with familiar repertoire and cracking tunes that showcase the talent of our incredible local musicians. There is a real sense of joy, familiarity and comfort in these concerts, whether they’re intimate recitals featuring new work or crowd-pleasing performances of instantly recognisable tunes.”
The first concert of the year is QSO Favourites, a feel-good concert featuring some of the most renowned and cherished pieces in the classical canon on 7 February.
Audiences voted to curate a memorable program of musical gems including Tchaikovsky’s elegant Waltz of the Flowers and Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Cello Concerto, the latter performed by 2025 Young Instrumentalist Prize winner Patrick Phillips.
An adapted encore performance of QSO Favourites then launches QSO’s Music on Sundays series with a morning concert on 8 February.
Music on Sundays 1: QSO Favourites
Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Beethoven’s Symphony No.6 & more
Music by
Beethoven / Coates / Elgar / Jessica Wells
Two special Portraits recitals debut over the Valentine’s Day weekend, spotlighting QSO’s Principal Flute, Alison Mitchell (13 February), and Principal Harp, Emily Granger (14 February).
QSO Chief Conductor Maestro Umberto Clerici said a real-life love story beat at the heart of the Portraits series:
“Emily’s program revolves around the theme of love because it will happen on Valentine’s Day and also because we are playing the world premiere of a new harp concerto written for her by her husband, Tristan Coelho. It doesn’t get more romantic than this!
Alison curated a hybrid symphony with single movements from her favourite repertoire by different composers, starting with Dvořák and passing through Schumann, Mendelssohn and Sibelius – a sort of travel-book of Alison’s musical life.
I created this new series to showcase the talent of our musicians and connect them to the audience, not just musically, but through their stories and personalities.”
Music by
QSO Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto curates, directs and performs in Up Close at the QSO Studio on 20 February, presenting a program including Beethoven’s Symphony No.2, Mozart’s The Magic Flute overture and mesmeric string textures from Arvo Pärt.
QSO rounds out February with The Music of John Williams, a celebration of the composer famed for his cinematic scores including Jurassic Park, Superman, Jaws, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Conducted by Nicholas Buc, the concert special plays QPAC’s Concert Hall on 27 and 28 February.
“John Williams is the second most-nominated individual in Oscars history, behind Walt Disney, and his work is so iconic that I daresay there won’t be a single piece within our two-hour presentation that the audience doesn’t instantly recognise,” Mr Wood said.
“It’s always a huge privilege to perform an evening of his work and it’s a testament to his craft and popularity that his scores are as beloved by our musicians as they are by the audiences.”
Music by
