As the year draws to a close, things haven’t slowed down for the Australian symphony orchestras and Symphony Services International. Just a couple of weeks ago SSI was pleased to arrange a “pop up orchestra” in Canberra’s Parliament House, featuring performers from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. They entertained a range of children, politicians and the general public in performances of works by Elgar, Vivaldi, Graeme Koehne, Coldplay and The Beatles.

For our final edition of the year, our regular correspondent Gordon Williams also spends time in the political realm, considering how classical music has contributed to political commentary and discourse over the years. Our Member, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, showcases its regional touring program and we launch our new website, showcasing and selling our Goodear product line – the Goodear Acoustic Shield, Goodear Editions, Goodear Notes and Goodear Surtitles. Further information and a link to the site can be found below. As always, our Speed Read will bring you up to date.

I take this opportunity to wish you all season’s greetings from us all at Symphony Services International. We look forward to bringing you more orchestral news in 2019.

Kate Lidbetter
Chief Executive Officer

Is there is much of a political dimension to classical music? Gordon Williams concludes there most definitely is. Read his article

In 2018, Queensland Symphony Orchestra received funding from Arts Queensland to enable it to collaborate with the Townsville community orchestra, Barrier Reef Orchestra, in the performance of Stage and Screen, conducted by Richard Davis. Read the full story

Now with more than 70 orchestras and organisations around the world using the Goodear Acoustic Shield, we’re proud to launch a new website which showcases this revolutionary WHS product.

The website is packed with images of the shield as well as useful new features such as product specifications, a list of users, interviews, testimonials, FAQs and one-click functionality to easily contact us and share information about the shield with others on social media.

Hearing protection for children involved in music making is just as important as for professional musicians and so we’ve included a dedicated page to introduce the Goodear Acoustic Shield to schools and universities.

The Goodear website serves as the new portal for Symphony Services International’s product range and you’ll find links to our other products: Goodear Editions, Goodear Notes and Goodear Surtitles. These sections of the website are still under construction – we’ll let you know on The Podium as soon as they are published.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback about the new Goodear website so please visit and discover it now!

News from around the world:

The Guardian reports on the first school to appoint a lecturer on musicians' wellbeing;

and a program reclaim the achievements of women composers;

while Jennifer Gersten writing in The Washington Post examines the language used to describe classical music.