Program

Gershwin Girl Crazy: Overture
Wynton Marsalis Trumpet Concerto
Vanessa Perica New work*
Bernstein On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite

*MSO co-commission

About this performance

“Extraordinary”.

That’s how the composer himself described trumpeter Selina Ott in a performance of his Trumpet Concerto in 2025. Wynton Marsalis didn’t stop there, saying Ott’s interpretation was one of “precision, power and deep feeling”.

Marsalis’s Trumpet Concerto is a piece of endless invention. Six movements, each showcasing a different aspect of the trumpet’s range of expression or a musical style, the Concerto is virtuosic and bold while allowing for a soulful introspection. Marsalis and the MSO share a celebrated history of collaboration after sold-out performances together in 2019 and 2023. Led by renowned cross-genre specialist conductor Clark Rundell, this will be the Trumpet Concerto’s Australian premiere, along with a brand-new commission by jazz composer turned orchestral composer Vanessa Perica.

These contemporary works are bookended by the greats of the American classical-jazz blend, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.

The Girl Crazy Overture bursts from the stage, drawing together some of the musical's most beloved songs, I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You, and But Not for Me. It’s a whirlwind tour through a score brimming with humour and charm. Bernstein’s On the Waterfront suite adapts his earlier film music from the famous 1954 film starring Marlon Brando. The symphonic suite captures a range of emotion: loneliness, courage and redemption.

Featuring

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Clark Rundell conductor
Selina Ott trumpet