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Kel's vision comes with sound
"Music is
the most important thing in all our
lives. "It can
make you happy, it can make you sad, it
can make you sponsors." Kel
McMillan's passion for music is tempered
by a strong sense of marketing, which is
how he has maintained the independence of
the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra
without any government funding for 22
years. It is one
of the few highly successful, privately
managed orchestras in the
world. Kel, a
former concert saxophone player and
transport sales and marketing manager,
says he has always loved the Boston Pops
Orchestra. Lying on a
beach in Queensland 22 years ago he
decided to start an orchestra to play
music that a vast number of people would
want to listen to. Going
under two names, the Australian
Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) or Australian
Pops Orchestra, depending on the
repertoire, it has thrived due to Kel's
flair for marketing and his understanding
of popular music. The APO
has performed with Jose Carreras several
times, Luciano Pavarotti on both his
Australian tours, Victor Borge, Barry
Humphries, Rolf Harris and Cliff Richards,
to name a few. It
presented Dame Joan Sutherland in her
farewell Melbourne performance and has
played with the Bolshoi Ballet,
Netherlands Dance Theatre and the Royal
National Ballet of Spain. The Pops
Orchestra, still using the same musicians,
performs light, popular music ranging from
opera, ballet and classics to jazz,
musical theatre and film hits. "We never
play a full symphony or concerto," Kel
said. "We play familiar pieces of opera or
classic, pieces that people might not know
the name of but always recognise and
love. "We can't
afford to have a managing director in the
front row falling asleep," said Kel.
Based in
Melbourne and performing regularly at the
Melbourne Concert Hall in the Victorian
Arts Centre, the orchestra now has its own
administration and rehearsal building and
is planning to expand its interstate
touring. The
orchestra's first tour to Perth this year
is with singers Marina Prior and Donald
Cant in an evening of The Music of Rodgers
and Hammerstein. Supported
by the Collegium Symphonic Chorus, the
APO, Marina and Donald will perform such
favourites as Some Enchanted Evening, If I
Loved You, Edelweiss and You'll Never Walk
Alone. The
concert will be at the Burswood Theatre
from March 22 to 24 at 8pm with matinees
on Thursday 22 and Saturday 24 at
2pm. Tickets
are available through BOCS on
94841133. WASO
classics The first of the series of evening
concerts takes place at 8pm on Friday,
March 9, and is repeated on Saturday,
March 10. All the Great Classics concerts are
preceded by a free Music Unmasked talk at
7.15pm by Phil Robertson, who will provide
insight into the evening's music. For bookings and details of the concert
series ring WASO on 9326 0000. Much
more than music It is not just the wonderful music that
leaves such a deep impression but the
simple fact that, by today's standards,
these musicians are all old. A 74 year old danced around the stage,
singing, grinning and having a ball. A frail, knarled 93 year old was helped
on to the stage and guided to his piano
stool. There was no sheet music, his
musical director played him a note or two
and then his arthritic hands flew up and
down the keyboards. A 71-year-old woman oozing sex appeal
urged the audience into a clapping and
dancing frenzy. And at the end of an exhausting two and
half hours, we are left to wonder how we
can so casually dismiss the hard-earned
talents of our elders and betters. The Buena Vista Social Club is not just
a tribute to glorious music, but a tribute
to life. - Sarah McNeill The
best of Beethoven Fresh from the Sydney Festival, Mark's
recital, The Brilliance of Beethoven,
features two of Beethoven's best-loved
sonatas, The Pastoral Op28 and The
Farewell Op81a. Critical acclaim for his performance of
these works in Sydney included: "...a
superb recital, utterly spontaneous and
unaffected, yet deeply considered." There's no need to book for the
lunchtime concerts. Just head along for a
1.10pm start at the Octagon Theatre at the
University of WA The free lunchtime recitals, presented
by UWA, will be performed every Thursday
during this semester. Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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