QMO is very excited to welcome a celebrity guest conductor for the Best of British: Nigel Gaynor is currently the music director/conductor for Queensland Ballet and is internationally renowned for his work with various ballet companies around the world. He has spent the last decade working in the UK, and has very generously shared his spare time to work with our orchestra in between a very busy season of QB's 'Midsummer Night's Dream'.

We had our first rehearsal with Nigel last Sunday, it was clear that the rehearsal was a pleasurable experience for all as the whole orchestra was in awe of their celebrity conductor. Our members were full of enthusiasm and passion, even if the first few notes were wobbly; these were transformed into magnificent music within two hours under his tutelage. All of us feel privileged to work with someone of his calibre and hope our audience on Sunday 17th April will be in awe of the sound that he has inspired us to produce.

Nigel and Ryan, with the orchestra have worked hard to bring you a fantastic program of music from the British Isles, including some magnificent Operatic works, such as Rule Brittania and Dido's Lament. These will be sung by Tanya Cooling, yet another world-renowned celebrity, a New Zealand Soprano who has worked extensively in Europe, including the English National Opera. It is a rare opportunity for QMO to work with a professional with such mesmerising voice and we can't wait for you to hear it in The Old Museum. 

Don't forget to buy your tickets now, as we are sure it will be a sell-out!

Date: Sunday April 17th

Time: 2pm

Venue: The Old Museum, Bowen Hills

Tickets: General Admission $30/ Concession $25

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE. 

As some of you may be aware, our music director/conductor Dr Ryan Williams was involved in a horrific car accident just under two weeks ago. Dr Williams was extracted from his terribly mangled car, and taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. He sustained a significant scalp laceration and fracture wrist. We are all very glad and thankful that Ryan is still with us and on the mend after his surgery last Monday night. 

Here's a little excerpt from Ryan's post: 

"On Tuesday morning, I was about 5 mins from arriving at my fabulous new GP Practice in Ningi, when I was involved in a serious car accident at ~100kph. It all happened very fast and I remember very little of what happened beforehand... I definitely lost consciousness for a few minutes - when i did wake up, my head was resting against my airbag, I was bleeding and someone was trying to cut me out of the car. I was taken to the RBWH ED, where they did a fabulous job of looking after me - could not sing their praises enough. Despite the speed of the accident, my injuries were limited to a comminuted right distal radius fracture with dorsal angulation plus a large occipital laceration requiring 13 sutures, whiplash and a few other minor bruises here and there. Mercifully, I was the worst injured - I am told that the other passengers escaped with minor injuries only.

Given what COULD have happened in an accident such as this, it is quite miraculous that no one was seriously hurt. I am grateful to God that I only have a few broken bones; even more so that these will be operated on this coming Monday afternoon (ORIF distal radius). My car is a write off, but it seems to have done a phenomenal job of absorbing the worst of the impact.

At this point, I will likely be off work for a few weeks, but I am incredibly proud to be an Australian - thanks to the exceptional Doctors in the Public Emergency Department and my top Orthpaedic Surgeon. I know that I have and will continue to receive excellent medical care.

My sincerest thanks to those who have already sent me their well-wishes. At difficult times like this, it is heartwarming to know that so many people care.

I will be a little slower than usual for a while, and I have to do my best to be a good patient - something Doctors are notoriously bad at, but the fact that I have my health is more precious to me tonight than it has been in a long time. I am being very well looked after by family and friends, and I want for nothing at this stage. "

Like all unexpected events, this has not only emphasised to all of us how precious and unpredictable Life can be, but how grateful we are for all the wonderful people we have in our lives. QMO&C loves everyone of its family members, and we are very lucky to have Ryan leading us (on the straight and narrow - most of the time!)

Rehearsals are starting for our upcoming concert on 17th April - and although we may have a left-handed conductor for a few weeks, we are sure our concert will be even more magnificent as we celebrate Life with our love for music.

Save the Dates! QMO and QMC are excited to launch their 2016 Season. This year again promises to be full of great music and new challenging works. We will also be featuring some of our best soloists. 

So, put these dates into your diaries:

• Sunday 17th April - Best of British
• Sunday 17th July - Virtuosis
• Sunday 11th December - Christmas Fantasia

These concerts will be held at The Old Museum in Bowen Hills, and will commence at 2pm. As per tradition, afternoon tea will be serve during intermission at each concert.

If you would like to become a season ticket holder and enjoy all three concerts, join our QMO Friends. For just $190, you will enjoy 2x tickets to each concert, put aside for you before public sale opens, as well as other exclusive benefits. Visit our QMO Friend page to find out more.

For those who would like to be kept updated with all our latest news and ticket sale opening dates, follow us on Facebook, or subscribe to our newsletters here. You can also visit our website and check out our Events page to find out more about each concert. Don't forget, our tickest sell out fast, so purchase them early!

In Get To Know Us, we publish new profile posts each month on one of our performers in either the orchestra or the choir. This month, we meet up with Eleanor Robinson. Some of you may recognise Eleanor, who in many of our concerts have been the Concertmaster (or is it Concertmistress?). She has also performed as a soloist many times over the last 3 years with our orchestra, and if you have ever heard her perform, you would never forget the exquisite melodies this young doctor produces from her violin. To Read more about Eleanor and other members of our QMO Family, visit our page 'Get to Know Us'.

(Eleanor leading the orchestra in the Ashintosh 10th Celebratory Concert, July 2015)

QMO has raised over $6000 for Micah Project Inc., with proceeds from our '13th Day of Christmas' concert in December last year. A big Thank You to our audience who came to support us and gave us the opportunity to contribute towards Micah Project's great community work. Also, thank you to our QMO Family, who participated in and helped out with the concert, especially those who supported our chocolate drive to minimise our costs.