Sydney Symphony Orchestra Opens 2020 Season With Latin Music And Dance

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 2020 Season Opening Gala will bring the Sydney Town Hall alive with the flair and passion of Latin music and dance in The 1950s Latin Lounge (5-8 February).

Kicking off its 2020 Season, Australian conductor Guy Noble will lead Australia's premier Orchestra as they perform rhumba, mambo, and chachachá - music genres that defined the heady days of the 1950s. Australian soprano Ali McGregor and burlesque diva Imogen Kelly will feature alongside the full Sydney Symphony Orchestra as they perform Gershwin's Cuban Overture, Marquez's Danzón No. 2, and the iconic Mambo from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, among others.

Returning to perform with the nation's leading Orchestra, McGregor said "I am very excited to be returning to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for The 1950's Latin Lounge performances."

"To be able to combine my love for orchestral work and the immediacy of cabaret performance is a dream come true! I will be singing music made famous by the iconic Yma Sumac - a Peruvian soprano with a four-and-a-half octave voice who, in the 1950s, even outsold Bing Crosby and astounded the world with her exotic and unique sound. These songs were the talk of New York in the 1950s.

"I will even be wearing priceless jewels once owned and worn in performance by Ms Sumac herself. I am especially excited to be first cab off the rank in Sydney Symphony Orchestra's season at the Town Hall, a venue lauded for its acoustics and celebrated for its remarkable place in Australia's modern history."

The 1950's Latin Lounge performances marks the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's first 2020 Season performances at the Sydney Town Hall, one of the world's best acoustic venues. In December 2019, the Orchestra vacated its iconic Sydney Opera House Concert Hall home to allow for a two-year renovation of the venue. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra will return to its iconic Concert Hall home in 2022 - an event which will coincide with incoming Chief Conductor Simone Young's debut year with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In the 12 months prior to 2022, the internationally-renowned artist will be Chief Conductor Designate of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's 2020 Season features landmark works and audience favourites, and welcomes luminary conductors and international soloists. Nine special events of large-scale works and multi-disciplinary collaborations will feature throughout the season, led by the Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, Conductor Laureate Vladimir Ashkenazy, Chief Conductor Designate Simone Young, and guest conductor David Robertson.

At the Sydney Town Hall, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will launch a new Symphony Hour series ­- hour-long programs starting at 7.00pm offering audiences to hear key works of the symphonic repertoire with the world's leading artists right in the heart of the CBD, featuring the world's leading artists.

Tickets to The 1950s Latin Lounge are available via the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's website or through the Box Office on (02) 8215 4600.

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