This is one of those times where I call upon the “n Stuff” element of the blog’s title! Hah hah!

As you know (if you’ve been following the blog) I’m keen on promoting and bringing to a wider audience the various facets of our instrument, the classical guitar – classical guitarists well known and rising, classical guitar music also both well known and less so, the “hardware” associated with the art form, approaches to learning it, developing technique and so on.

I’m also extremely keen on helping breakdown the notion that classical music is some rarified and “special thing”. As I’ve said on the “About Me” page for a long time – Yes, it is special in that all music is special, but not special in that it should be accessed by only a privileged few. Classical music is for all. I’m keen as mustard, one might say, to encourage people to experience the wonders of Western classical music.

One of my favourite things to do is to experience a symphonic orchestra in full-flight. Witnessing 80 highly-skilled musicians, professionals at the top of their game, working to produce such beautiful (mostly!) music together is astounding. I fully encourage others to share that experience too, particularly guitarists who are often singular creatures by nature and who don’t often experience that wonderful experience of playing with a vast collection of other musicians. I find sitting back and letting those other musicians do all the hard work whilst enjoying the fruits of their labours is really quite inspiring thing for myself as a guitarist!

I was privileged this week to be invited to the launch of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s 2015 season launch. I was rather excited! And I was rather excited to see some fantastic works coming up  – some more Tan Dun works (including one featuring the composer himself as conductor), film scores played live with screenings of their respective movies including Star Trek and Babe, Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust featuring Welsh superstar bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, a full revisit of Beethoven’s famous 5 hour epic 1808 Vienna concert, a festival of all new music including the Jonny Greenwood’s (of Radiohead fame) orchestral suite There Will Be Blood and Britten’s War Requiem played as the MSO’s tribute to the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli in World War One.

I am also rather excited to say that I will be extremely privileged over the coming months to feature previews and reviews, for you dear readers, of the marvelous Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (whoop!).

Head along to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra website to check out the 2015 performance schedule – http://www.mso.com.au/whats-on/list?series%5B1105%5D=1105

And of course I can’t leave you without some music, so here’s a taste of the orchestra with a YouTube playlist. Enjoy!