Zelman Orchestra marks milestone with concerts
Since Alberto’s passing in 1927, the orchestra has grown to become one of Australia’s finest not-for-profit community orchestras, and undoubtedly its most daring and ambitious.
One of Australia’s oldest and most vibrant symphony orchestras is celebrating its 90th birthday throughout 2023 with a year of outstanding concerts to suit all tastes, spanning the eras of classical, romantic, 20th century and contemporary music – including the world premiere of a specially commissioned Australian work.
The Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1906 by Jewish musician Alberto Zelman Jr – as the first Melbourne symphony orchestra. His grandfather, Samuel Vita Zelman, was a well-loved cantor in Trieste, Italy. His father, also named Alberto, was an opera singer, composer and conductor in Italy who travelled the world leading an Italian opera company.
While Alberto Jr was conducting his orchestra, many Jewish visiting international soloists were accompanied by Zelman and his orchestra – for example, pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch, violinist Mischa Elman and cellist Jean Gerardy.
Since Alberto’s passing in 1927, the orchestra has grown to become one of Australia’s finest not-for-profit community orchestras, and undoubtedly its most daring and ambitious.
In 2017, Zelman Symphony produced a concert commemorating the 75th anniversary of the horrendous massacres perpetrated by the Nazis during WWII at Babi Yar on the outskirts of Kiev. The concert featured Shostakovich’s Symphony No 13, Babi Yar, which sets to music the poem written by Yevgeny Yevtushenko of the same name, and which brought the attention of the world to these atrocities less than 20 years after these horrendous events. The only known survivor of the Babi Yar massacres living in Australia was a special guest at this concert.
From Strauss, Kreisler and Korngold in a concert featuring visiting Canadian superstar Alexandre Da Costa with his 1701 Stradivarius violin, to Mahler and Bruch, who composed music for Kol Nidrei, the orchestra will celebrate 90 years of bringing beautiful music to the community.
For more information and bookings, visit zelmansymphony.org.au
Alexandre Da Costa
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