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Global Orchestra
The Global Orchestra combines technology and music to connect people from all corners of the world. Its ambitious vision is to use music as an agent for social and environmental change.

It was founded in Sydney in 2013 by Artistic Director Charlie Chan and Chair Angela Catterns as they were watching the lights go out over the city during Earth Hour. Reflecting that millions of people around the world were doing the same thing, it occurred to them that Earth Hour needed a soundtrack, and there was a real opportunity to connect musicians in a global music event.

The Global Orchestra believes that music truly is the global language. Its first project was the Concert for the Planet in March 2014 when an ensemble orchestra played Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Balmain Town Hall.

The following year, as the city’s lights were switched off for Earth Hour, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra led a mass-participation, multi-location performance of Holst’s The Planets.

With sheet music and innovative technology including “Conductor Cam”, more than 200 schools, community groups and orchestras across 350 global locations participated in this extraordinary, collaborative event guided by conductor David Robertson. With resources provided for free, the Concert for the Planet allowed everyone to play along regardless of their circumstance, experience or ability.

In 2017 the Global Orchestra combined technology with creativity to produce the Interactive Orchestra. This immersive, interactive orchestral experience, in partnership with Accenture Interactive, brought together data, artificial intelligence, music, real-time visualisations and the Adobe Experience Cloud. A world-class 40-member jazz ensemble performed on stage alongside Baxter, an AI-powered robot rescued from a production line, playing marimba.

In 2018 the Global Orchestra Concert for the Planet took place at HOTA on the Gold Coast featuring the Gold Coast Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Lachlan Snow, with musicians from all over the world participating via a worldwide livestream.

In 2021 Marin Alsop was appointed as Conductor of the Global Orchestra. Internationally recognized for her deep commitment to education, and an advocate for music’s power to change lives, Alsop wears several hats, including Chief Conductor, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Music Director, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of Honor, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. Marin believes in the ability of music to connect people and transcend borders - a belief she shares with the Global Orchestra.

The Global Orchestra has collaborated with like-minded organisations from around the world, including NASA, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, UNICEF and the United Nations.