Shooting for the Stars
At Townsville Civic Theatre on 14th June 2025 at 5:30pm
Shooting for the Stars was an unforgettable evening with the Great Barrier Reef Orchestra under the baton of internationally acclaimed conductor Theodor Kuchar.
The audience of over 700 people journeyed through the elemental power of Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry and were captivated by the passion of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, performed by ACVC winner Hannah Kim.
After the interval, the audience enjoyed the dramatic triumph of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and the sweeping emotion of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, arranged by Bennett.
This stellar program celebrated resilience, beauty, and the wonder of music that reaches for the skies.
Featuring our guest conductor Theodore Kuchar
Theodore Kuchar hardly needs an introduction to Townsville audiences as he is one of our celebrated sons. He founded the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and was its Artistic Director for 17 years. The Townsville City Council together with AFCM established the annual Theodore Kuchar Music Scholarship in recognition of his contribution to the development and enhanceent of this city's cultural identity.
Multiple award-winning conductor Theodore Kuchar is one of the most recorded conductor of his generation and appears on over 130 compact discs for the Naxos, Brilliant Classics, Ondine, Marco Polo and Toccata Classics labels. Having recently accepted the positions as Principal Conductor of the Ukrainian Festival Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ukrainian National Opera and Ballet in Lviv he has served as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of two of Europe’s leading orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Czech Radio Orchestra) while also serving as the Principal Conductor of the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and Slovak Sinfonietta...
Music Programme
Peter Sculthorpe
- Earth Cry
Max Bruch
- Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 67
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
George Gershwin (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)
- Porgy and Bess – A Symphonic Picture
Featuring our guest artists...
Hannah Kim
Violin
Hannah won 1st prize at the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition in 2024.
Concert Programme:
Click on the image above to view a PDF of the printed concert programme.
Photo Gallery
Photo Credit: Chrissy Maguire
