The TarraWarra Festival: Australian Chamber Orchestra 2027

For the 2027 TarraWarra Festival, Richard Tognetti and the ACO will perform a unique suite of concerts and an open workshop at The Eva & Marc Besen Centre.

– 12.30pm Saturday 27 February (1 hour concert)
– 6pm Saturday 27 February (90 minute concert)
– 11am Sunday 28 February (1 hour workshop with ANAM students)
– 2.30pm Sunday 28 February (1 hour concert)

CONCERT 1 – 12.30pm Saturday 27 February

ARTISTS
Richard Tognetti Director & Violin
Timo-Veikko Valve Cello
Maxime Bibeau Bass
Australian Chamber Orchestra

PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suites, BWV1007–1012: Selection
Missy Mazzoli Dark with Excessive Bright
Johann Sebastian Bach Two-Part Inventions, BWV772-786: Selection
Caroline Shaw Punctum
Johann Sebastian Bach Three-Part Inventions, BWV787-801: Selection
Jessie Montgomery Duo for Violin and Cello
Johann Sebastian Bach The Art of Fugue, BWV1080: Chorale: Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein
Gabriella Smith Carrot Revolution
Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. György Kurtág) Das alte Jahr vergangen ist, BWV614
Paul Wiancko Lift: Part III

CONCERT 2 – 6pm Saturday 27 February

ARTISTS
Richard Tognetti Director & Violin
Satu Vänskä Violin
Australian Chamber Orchestra

PROGRAM
Igor Stravinsky Concerto in D
Olivia Bettina Davies Trace
Ludwig Van Beethoven (arr. strings) Grosse fuge, Op.133
Bryce Dessner Aheym
Steve Reich Duet for Two Violins and Strings
Ludwig Van Beethoven (arr. Richard Tognetti) String Quartet in F minor, Op.95 “Serioso”

CONCERT 3 – Sun 28 Feb at 2.30pm

ARTISTS
Richard Tognetti Director & Violin
Helena Rathbone Violin
Timo-Veikko Valve Cello
Australian Chamber Orchestra
With musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM)

PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV1043
John Tavener Eternal Memory
Igor Stravinsky Apollo: X. Apothéose
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht, Op.4

Complimentary refreshments will be available to ticket holders from one hour prior to each performance, and you can also present your ACO tickets at the museum entry for free access to the exhibitions, plus a free guided tour at 1.45pm on Saturday 27 February.

About the Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra with Richard Tognetti. Installation view,  Looking Glass: Judy Watson and Yhonnie Scarce curated by Hetti Perkins, TarraWarra Museum of Art. Photo: Samara Clifford

The Australian Chamber Orchestra lives and breathes music, making waves around the world for its explosive performances that redefine orchestral music. With its fearless leader of 35 years, Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, in 2025 the Orchestra celebrates 50 years of invention, disruption and unforgettable music-making.

The ACO performs more than 100 concerts each year, with programs that embrace celebrated classics alongside new commissions and ground-breaking collaborations, working with artists and musicians who share the Orchestra’s ideology: from Emmanuel Pahud, Steven Isserlis,

Polina Leschenko, Pekka Kuusisto, Nicolas Altstaedt and William Barton, to Jonny Greenwood, Neil Finn and Meow Meow; to visual artists and film makers such as Bill Henson, Shaun Tan, Jane Campion, and Jennifer Peedom, who co-create unique, hybrid productions for which the ACO has become renowned.

In addition to its national touring schedule, the ACO undertakes multiple international tours a year, regularly performing in cities including London, New York and Tokyo. Following the success of Richard Tognetti’s season as the Barbican’s first ever Artist-in-Residence at Milton Court Concert Hall, the Orchestra performed a three-year residency as International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court in partnership with London’s Barbican Centre from the 2018/19 season.

The ACO has a series of award-winning cinematic concert films, ACO StudioCasts, as well as an active recording program across vinyl, CD and digital. Its recordings of Bach’s violin works won two consecutive ARIA Awards. Recent releases include Beethoven & Brahms: Concertos for Violin and Orchestra, featuring Richard Tognetti as soloist, Water | Night Music, the first Australian produced classical vinyl for two decades, Beethoven 1, 2 & 3 Eroica and ARIA award-winning albums River and Indies & Idols.

In 2022 the ACO opened a new, world-class venue, ACO On The Pier, continuing the Orchestra’s dedication to creating and presenting transformative experiences for all music lovers.

Please Note: The Eva and Marc Besen Centre will be closed to the general public on 28 February & 1 March 2026 for this special event. However the Museum and current exhibition The City Wakes, The City Sleeps will be open all weekend.