The Metropolitan OrchestraSupport The Metropolitan Orchestra

Much More Than Just An Orchestra

TMO’s mission has always been to inspire a love and enjoyment of classical and orchestral music to a wide range of audiences through accessible, first-class concert performances. We are also dedicated to providing professional performance and educational opportunities to outstanding Australian musicians, composers and soloists.

In this mission, we continue to build and support audiences with low-cost, accessible, understandable, and non-intimidating concerts across a wide spectrum of genres, without sacrificing the quality or standard of performance. We also have a range of support and development opportunities from composer and conductor development programs through to focussed educational opportunities to nurture young musicians through our offerings in TMO Junior. For our musicians, TMO is a family that is committed to supporting each individual musician on their own personal musical journey all while building a strong and sustainable Australian arts landscape.

After 16 Years, TMO Have Proven We’re Here To Stay

Since we started back in 2009, we’ve always had to do things our own way. As such, we have carved a unique niche in the Australian musical landscape as a truly professional orchestra that is bridging the gap between the well funded Major Performing Arts Companies, and the fantastic youth and community orchestras. TMO is a platform where extremely talented musicians get to work at the highest levels, where both established and rising professional musicians can access first-class live performance opportunities across a wide variety of genres. Visit our ABOUT page to learn more about our history and the many, many major artists we have worked with throughout our history.

Our collaborative rehearsal and performance environment is designed to support each individual musician on their own unique journey with the hope that their involvement in TMO’s family of musicians will help them sustain a career in music. In this way, we strive to halt the loss of outstanding musicians from our shores and keep them actively engaged in their chosen Australian based artistic career.

“TMO continues to be a very important part of my life in both a personal and professional sense; it is a collective of excellent musicians dedicated to the highest standards of music-making but it is also a family in music for us all.”

Dominique Guerbois TMO Violin

Supporting Musicians Through First-Class, Live Performance

We are proud of our long history of supporting and developing musicians so they can sustain viable careers in music whether they are composers, soloists, young artists, tutti orchestral players or children starting out on their musical journeys. We are committed to encouraging more musicians to have a career in the arts. That is why our musicians refer to The Metropolitan Orchestra (TMO) as their musical family. We want every individual in TMO’s family to thrive, and in doing so continue growing the Australian musical landscape.

“As with many of us in the orchestra, I am a passionate music educator and firmly believe that in order to teach well, I need to be able to play well myself. Being a part of the orchestra keeps me practising, and keeps my fire for music alive, which in turn I can use to inspire the next generation of musicians.”

Caroline Kelly, TMO Violin

Our founding Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Sarah-Grace Williams is a vocal supporter of Australian artists, continually creating and championing new opportunities for our incredible homegrown talent. Her passion for supporting exceptional musicians in Australia is the inspiration that drives the collaborative culture at TMO which is built on the pillars of mutual respect, a shared passion for music, and a commitment to first-class performance. TMO not only provides a positive and supportive performance and rehearsal environment for musicians, we also work hard to create concerts that satisfy the needs of a wide audience demographic. At TMO, artists can share with peers, hone and polish skills, and fine-tune the art of live performance.

Since 2009, TMO has presented concerts across many genres. Each concert allows musicians to experience different performance environments where they gain vital experience which supports their personal careers in music. Whether they are professional performing musicians, musical educators, or exceptional students performing at the top of their field driving new professional music careers, TMO’s flexible work and performance culture will support each individual in the music-making process. We want every musician in TMO’s family to thrive in music and in doing so, we will continue to enhance Australia’s cultural environment and support the important Australian Arts Sector.

Why First-Class Performance Opportunities Are Important

In Australia, there are very few available full-time positions to keep musicians employed. The potential for musicians to sustain a performance career with one employer in this country are minimal at best. As a result, our musicians need to be adaptable, flexible, and creative with their careers. Many are self-employed or work in other aspects of music. ALL want to perform at the highest levels.

“I never dreamed that such an orchestra could exist. An orchestra that fulfills a passion and lust for playing music, with people who have become like family to me. An orchestra that allows its members to contribute not only to the decision-making of our vast scope of repertoire, but in the execution and presentation of our concerts.”

Ezmi Pepper, TMO Cello

TMO offers a rare opportunity for these hard-working musicians to come together and deliver concerts of the finest quality, and in doing so, build on their own careers. This not only helps the individual it also enhances our greater cultural landscape. Visit our Youtube Channel to see some of the hundreds of performances that we’ve delivered since 2009.

Musician Testimonials

Click on the link below to read over 30 testimonials from our valued orchestral musicians. We hope this will give you a sense of how important having a unique, professional and supportive organisation like TMO is for our Australian artists.

We cherish each individual not only for their artistic skills but for their unique and highly-valued contribution to The Metropolitan Orchestra.

Click Here To Read TMO Musician Testimonials

Varied Musical Genres

Each year TMO curates a number of concerts as part of our annual season which is composed of mainstage Met Concerts, a Chamber Music Festival (which is FREE to attend), plus Children’s Cushion Concerts designed to introduce kids and families to the magical world of orchestral music.

TMO is passionate about great Australian music while supporting incredible Aussie composers. Each year TMO commissions a number of world premieres with all soloists being home-grown Aussie talent!

On top of all this, TMO has built a powerful reputation for versatility, professionalism, and energy which is highly sought after by promoters, producers, and touring artists looking to work with a versatile and capable orchestra based in Sydney.

“TMO provides me with invaluable experiences as a freelance musician – to play top flight orchestral repertoire with an established cohort; to exercise leadership as a section principal; to play a wide range of styles including soundtrack, chamber, Dixieland jazz, commercial music as well as standard orchestral music.”

Gareth Lewis, TMO Trombone

Some recent engagements have included the Muppets Movie live with orchestra at the International Convention Centre, Synthony, which is a fusion of electronic dance music, live orchestra, DJ’s and vocalists performed at Aware Super Theatre in Darling Harbour, 32 shows of Amadeus starring Michael Sheen at the Sydney Opera House and over 20 performances of the family show, Meeting Mozart, also at the Sydney Opera House.

Please click here for an extensive list of performers with whom TMO have worked.

TMO Junior – Educational and Development Programs

Since our inception back in 2009, TMO has initiated a number of musician development and support programs as we strive to help artists build individual careers in music. These have included our Composer Development Programs, Artist Development Programs such as Composer in Residence and Young Artist Programs, Conductor Development, Internships and Traineeships.

“The Metropolitan Orchestra provides a unique opportunity for composers, such as myself, to workshop and bring to life our creations in a professional environment. A resource of this calibre is just not available logistically or financially for emerging Australian artists.”

Adrian Hallam, TMO French Horn and Composer.

In 2022, TMO launched TMO Junior which offers a range of educational and performance programs and opportunities for primary and high-school musicians of all levels. TMO Junior is growing each year and currently includes both the Junior String Camp 3-day educational and performance program, as well as the Young Instrumentalist Festival, with more to come in 2025 and beyond. All TMO Junior events are run and adjudicated by professional musicians.

Each of these first-class experiences builds a sense of teamwork and self-confidence which is fundamental in supporting musician careers while also cultivating a uniquely resilient and dynamic ensemble that can deliver on any type of commercial opportunity.

How Will Your Donation Be Used?

Your donation will support the continued growth of the orchestra in creating and delivering exceptional music across all of our production streams from TMO Junior Educational Programs right through to our mainstage orchestral concerts.

We are always looking for ways to create more, to do more, and to make exceptional music accessible to more Australians. This can’t be achieved without adequate funding and resources. We are a tightly run, extremely busy, and very cost-conscious organisation that has survived for over 16 years “on the smell of an oily rag”. You can be sure that your important financial contribution to TMO will be used wisely.

CORPORATE AND LARGER PERSONAL DONATIONS

If you are considering a larger (or regular) donation, would like to create a support partnership with TMO, or want to discuss other ways that you, or your business can make a greater impact on TMO and the greater NSW arts landscape, we would welcome a discussion with you. Please reach out directly to our Managing Director to organise a discreet chat in the first instance.

Managing Director – Bevan Rigato

E: bdr@metorchestra.com.au