Arts Directory Profile

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra was established as such in 1948 as a result of a partnership between the State Government, the Hobart and Launceston City Councils and the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Since 1923 an amateur orchestra, the Hobart Orchestral Society, had provided concerts for Hobart patrons. In the 1930s the ABC Tasmanian Studio Orchestra was formed and, under conductor Clive Douglas, it provided live radio broadcasts on 7ZL.The outbreak of war delayed the ABC�s decision to create a permanent orchestra in every state. However, the introduction of a four-concert subscription series by the augmented amateur orchestra in 1946 paved the way for the establishment of a permanent professional orchestra.

Since its inception, the orchestra has regularly toured regional Tasmania. Over the last twenty years it has played frequently on the mainland and has toured internationally on several occasions. The orchestra has performed at the Festival of Perth, the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, the Australian Theatre Festival in Canberra, the Brisbane Biennial and the Adelaide Festival. In 1979, the orchestra joined the Australian Ballet to undertake a highly successful tour of Greece and Israel. Since then the orchestra has toured to South Korea, Indonesia, China, Argentina, Canada and the USA. Most recently, in 2005 the orchestra took part in Asian Orchestra Week in Japan