The 2022 Season will feature 10 Maestro concerts, five Morning Masterworks, five Music on Sunday concerts, six Studio Sessions, six Special Events and a regional touring program.

Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser Johannes Fritzsch said the program traversed a diverse musical landscape, created to take audiences on a breathtaking journey powered by music.

“Along this musical journey our audiences will meet soloists and conductors who will serve as tour guides, pointing out musical sights and sounds,” he said.

“We believe in the power of live performance to create beautiful, life-affirming experiences and in 2022, we invite you to take your seat and experience the magic for yourself.”

Highlights include a 90th birthday tribute concert for John Williams, who wrote the score for cinematic masterpieces such as Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Schindlers List. 

The Maestro Series includes tributes to the musical greats with two concerts dedicated to Mozart, Mozart’s Clarinet and Mozart’s Requiem, as well as two iterations of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons led by Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto.

The Maestro Series will also feature concerts using the repertoire of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.

In a celebration of Australian composition, the 2022 Season will see the Australian premiere of Brisbane-born Cathy Milliken’s Piece 43 for Now which won the Large Ensemble Work of the Year award at the 2021 Art Music Awards.

“This work was written in response to the rollercoaster months for me in the six months since the announcement of lockdown in March 2020,” said Milliken.

2022 will see the Queensland premiere of composer Lachlan Skipworth’s Hinterland, the Queensland premiere of Andrew Howes’ Luminifera – Wild Light for Orchestra, and music from Elena by Kats–Chernin and Nigel Westlake. 

Guy Noble’s Music on Sundays series will feature five performances: Dance Around the World, Heroes and Revolutionaries, Fantasy and Folklore, Superfamous and Viennese Classics.

Conductors featured in the series lineup alongside Johannes Fritzsch are Umberto Clerici, Jonathan Stockhammer; Giordano Bellincampi; Asher Fisch; Elena Schwarz; Nicholas Buc; Dane Lam; and Benjamin Northey.

It also involves the first full series with the inclusion of Natsuko Yoshimoto as Concertmaster, who said QSO would perform all over the state next year.

“In 2022 we will continue our commitment to reaching more people across Queensland with the joy of live music. We will venture into classrooms and town halls in regional centres and remote communities.

“We will play alongside young musicians, and seek to inspire their creativity and ambition. Sometimes it is here, away from the bright lights of the stage, that we feel our impact most,” she said.

“In addition to our on-the ground touring, we will continue to produce digital performances for those who can’t access us live.

“We passionately believe that our music is more powerful when shared, so we invite you to join us. Expect to be inspired and moved and to marvel at the power of live music.”