Simone Young

Chief Conductor

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Best known for the stabbing strings of Psycho, Bernard Herrmann’s Souvenirs de Voyage sounds like the soundtrack to an epic romance, full of yearning.

Weber’s Quintet is a thrilling showpiece for the clarinet, revelling in the possibilities of the instrument.

These intimate one-hour chamber music concerts in the Utzon Room showcase our musicians in a different setting, allowing the deep connections between them to be heard on a smaller scale. Hosted by Genevieve Lang, each concert has been curated by one of our musicians, making for a showcase of their instrument and giving you deeper insight into their personalities.

Program

HERRMANN

Souvenirs de Voyage

WEBER

Quintet for Clarinet & Strings

Artists

Musicians of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Alexander Morris

Principal Bass Clarinet

Alexander (Alex) Morris hails from Bundaberg in regional Queensland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Advanced Performance (First Class Honours) from the Queensland Conservatorium, where he studied with Paul Dean and Floyd Williams, before attending the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne as a student of David Thomas. His studies also took him to Los Angeles, where he studied at the Colburn Conservatory with Yehuda Gilad.

Before joining the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Clarinet in 2018, he was Assistant Principal Clarinet and Bass Clarinet of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2016–2018). In addition to his work in Vancouver, he has performed as guest principal clarinet with the Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmanian symphony orchestras, as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, Opera Australia Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Aspen Music Festival, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the South Melbourne Symphony.

Alex Morris was a Bass Clarinet Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in 2014 and won the Aspen Concerto Competition that year. In 2013 he was an ANAM Fellow, performing, directing and curating his own series of recitals and chamber music concerts with students, faculty and guest artists. From 2006 to 2010 he participated in many programs of the Australian Youth Orchestra, including performing as principal clarinet on the AYO’s 2010 European tour.

A passionate chamber musician, he was a winner of the ANAM chamber music competition and the Gertrude Langer Ensemble prize, and many of his solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on ABC Classic FM. He has also premiered many new works for both clarinet and bass clarinet.