Concerto Concert 2025

MSE's Concerto Concert Showcases a Season of Growth

On a warm evening in late November, MSE musicians and their families filled the hall for the ensemble's annual Concerto Concert - an evening built around two of our most accomplished young soloists and rounded out by every ensemble in the program.

The night opened with MSE, under Artistic Director Fintan Murphy, and violinist Curtis Or, who brought clarity and confidence to the Rondo from Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major. It's a movement that demands both technical precision and a light touch, and Or delivered both, setting a high bar for the evening ahead.

MSE Prelude, directed by Naomi Durston, followed with a spirited pairing of Katie O'Hara LaBrie's Tánc Furioso and Daniel Keeler's Daybreak - a set that showed off the ensemble's growing ensemble discipline. MSE Arietta, also under Durston's direction, brought colour and character with Stephen Chin's Rainbow and his arrangement of The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, drawing some of the warmest applause of the night.

MSE Intermezzo, directed by Rohan Mack, offered a study in contrasts with Vivaldi's Sinfonia in G Major and Schoenberg's Weihnachtsmusik - Baroque clarity giving way to something richer and more textured.

The evening's second soloist spotlight belonged to Emma Li, performing the first movement of Samuel Barber's Concerto for Violin & Orchestra with MSE. Barber's concerto is a demanding, lyrical work, and Li's performance was assured and expressive from the opening bars.

The program closed with MSE and MSE Chamber joining forces for Grieg's Two Elegiac Melodies - a fitting, reflective close to a concert that, across every ensemble, told the story of a full year's work.

Congratulations to Curtis and Emma on their solo performances, and to every musician across Prelude, Arietta, Intermezzo, Chamber and MSE who made the night such a memorable one.