By REBECCA BILLS
THE Nicolas Chamber Orchestra (NCO) will be kicking off the Classical Tracks winter series as part of the Culture Tracks program.
NCO is predominantly made up of local musicians who are passionate about making orchestral music a staple of the ranges.
Music Director Eric Klay said the group was formed four years ago because there were two people in the area who wanted to play chamber music but did not have an outlet close by.
“When we first started we did our first performance at Stones of the Yarra Valley in 2011 and 70 people turned up to the chapel to listen,” he said.
“Most were our own family and friends, however since then our audience has grown to 220 at our last performance at Burrinja.
“Everyone is excited about the audience size growing and it just shows that there is a need for classical music to be played in the hills and it really is appreciated.”
Each Sunday afternoon throughout the winter season some of the best known classical ensembles and performers from around Australia will be showing off their talents including the Melbourne Guitar Quartet, Australian Octet, ACO Virtual and the Nicolas Chamber Orchestra.
Mr Klay said those who attend the opening performance of the program will witness an orchestra that is happy and loves music.
“Audience members will get to hear a more unusual arrangement with the performance broken into two parts – the first half classical and the second half jazz,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful experiment of putting classical and popular together.
“There is no point putting on performances that nobody wants to see but people have been saying to us how good it is that they now don’t have to travel into town and pay big bucks to listen to quality music.”
The Classical Tracks Season begins on Sunday 1 June with the Nicholas Chamber Orchestra performing at Burrinja from 2pm onwards.
For more information on the Classical Tracks program or to purchase tickets, visit www.culturetracks.info.
