Queensland Symphony Orchestra Shares the Majesty of Music in a Bumper 2025 Regional Program

3 minutes read
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Audiences across Queensland will experience the might and majesty of classical music in their own backyards when Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) embarks on its impressive 2025 regional concert, engagement and education program.
Headlining the regional residency is a series of concerts in Gladstone, Townsville and Mackay performed by a full orchestra of up to 60 musicians.
The 2025 tour is the second in QSO’s five-year regional touring program, developed to give thousands of regional and remote Queenslanders the chance to experience their state orchestra live.


The regional touring schedule begins with an Orchestral Adventures performance for primary school students at Gladstone Entertainment Convention Centre on Thursday 26 June and the all-ages Symphony Under the Stars presented by Australia Pacific LNG operated by ConocoPhillips at Gladstone Marina Stage Friday 27 June.
The Orchestra will then stage the similar events in Townsville on 10 October and Mackay on 30 October. QSO will also perform special one-off concerts in Cairns on Wednesday 24 September and Charleville on Thursday 6 November, and continue its decade-long Chinchilla, Miles, Roma, and Tara (CMRT) Enrichment Through Music program from 29 July to 1 August, featuring workshops, school concerts, and Community in Concert performances.
QSO Chief Executive Officer Michael Sterzinger said the company’s regional residency model of touring built enduring bonds with Queensland communities and fostered cultural vibrancy and arts accessibility.
At its core, the model presents education opportunities for Queensland children, delivers health and wellbeing outcomes for regional communities and engages with First Nations artists and cultures.
QSO is committed to not only giving thousands of regional and remote Queenslanders a chance to hear live
orchestral music but to enriching the communities in which we perform, ”
“We are invested in nurturing an understanding and appreciation of music in children and sparking the imagination of Queensland’s emerging young talent.
“Music is a powerful form of expression and storytelling, and by bringing some of the state’s preeminent musicians to perform timeless and beloved work, we are offering hope and happiness to our communities.
“The incredible success of our regional touring program has demonstrated the vitality of investing in our state. We are grateful to the local councils, tourist organisations, and our sponsors and partners for supporting our vision to be an orchestra for all Queenslanders.”
QSO Chief Conductor Maestro Umberto Clerici has curated unique concert repertoire for each event whether it be a Symphony Under the Stars or starlight themed indoor evening performance, from the graceful beauty of Maurice Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princes in Mackay and Townsville to Beethoven’s electrifying Egmont Overture in Gladstone.
Similarly, each Orchestral Adventures offers a tailored gateway into classical music for primary school students, spanning classics from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to movie masterpieces from Hans Zimmer.
QSO is an orchestra for all Queenslanders, and we take seriously our responsibility to reach audiences across the state: to play, to teach, to tell stories and to bring hope and optimism to communities, ”
“Music is an essential part of a community’s fabric and QSO’s commitment to regional tours and residencies extends an open invitation for everyone to experience and admire the joy of music without barriers.
“Our regional concerts are a wonderful celebration of community and music with a full orchestra performing repertoire that audiences will know and love, new pieces that will excite and captivate them and unfamiliar work that will move them.”
Maestro Clerici will share the baton with Sam Weller across the concert series.
QSO’s five-year regional touring program aims to enrich and empower regional communities by delivering annual performances and educational opportunities to major cities and outback locations from 2024 to 2028.
For more information about Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Under the Stars regional program, visit qso.com.au/events/2025/regional-concerts