While the concert marks the high point of its 50th anniversary celebrations, it also coincides with the departure of their CEO and artistic director, Kathleen Grant, who will leave the CYO’s hosting organisation tomorrow.
Grant says: “What an amazing place Canberra is… we are going to miss the people and liveability of our bush capital very much, but moving interstate is the job when you are part of a defence family.”
Grant’s successor as CEO and artistic director will be Eloise Fisher, who takes up the position at the beginning of Term 1. A self-described “Canberra native”, Fisher holds a doctorate from the Juilliard School in New York and has experience working in administrative roles in both musical and non-musical organisations. She also started out as a Junior Strings member and continued through to the CYO.
As for the Canberra Youth Orchestra and its busy conductor Leonard Weiss, they will be enjoying CYO alumni drinks followed by a rehearsal tonight then the grand 50th anniversary concert tomorrow with Morrison, where they’ll be playing jazz and Latin favourites, Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and Copland’s “Appalachian Spring”.
Canberra Youth Orchestra’s James Morrison concert, Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm, Saturday, November 11. Bookings to ticketek.com.au