BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
I’ll preface this opinion piece with a personal statement: I’m voting Yes.
And now that you know where I stand on the Voice to Parliament referendum — alongside countless arts workers and organisations in Australia, from Musica Viva Australia to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Women in Music Awards to the Australian Recording Industry Association, Sydney Symphony Orchestra to Opera Australia — you won’t be surprised to read my perspective on the brave decision one Australian orchestra has announced.
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has just pulled the pin on its 2023 Last Night of the Proms concert program — a regular affair in its Federation Concert Hall home, and one that attracts regular concertgoers from its local audience. This concert program was originally to be conducted by the ever-popular Guy Noble and feature a patriotic British-themed program that you could enjoy while you “drape yourself in a flag and do a little singing”, as stated in the lighthearted concert brochure.
Despite the boom in ticket sales this show would surely bring (after all, it’s repeated year after year), the orchestra nevertheless cancelled its own concert program in the narrow lead-up to the event, and for one powerful reason: it would have fallen on October 13, the night before Australia votes on the Voice.
On the decision to cancel and replace their Last Night of the Proms performance, a TSO spokesperson told Tasmania’s major newspaper The Mercury: “To press ahead with a musical celebration of British pageantry on this night felt insensitive given its proximity to the Voice referendum the following day…The TSO believes strongly that art and music should transcend political debate, but we also strive to be sensitive and mindful of community expectations.”
This decision hasn’t gone down particularly well with the Tasmanian community — online, anyway. You’ll only need a quick look at The Mercury‘s social media page to feel a dominant No to the Voice (and consequently, a dominant No to the TSO’s move). To this effect, one Hobartian said on the record that the decision to cancel is an “ultra-sensitive” symbol of a “world gone mad”.
However, I’m a Hobartian too — and as a member of this community, and a TSO concertgoer of more than 20 years, I can say our local orchestra’s decision is A-OK with me.
To celebrate music that symbolises Australia’s colonial history — the very night before a vote that may help Australia progress further towards recognising and listening to First Nations voices — just doesn’t sit right. To sing songs and anthems that were originally composed to pledge love, honour, and loyalty to the very powers that invaded this land is not only unsettling, but a way to make noise rather than truly listen to the voices that need to be heard.
The TSO’s decision should not exist in a vacuum. The incredibly poor timing of this concert — though planned in good spirits before the referendum date was chosen — could have been seen as a tremendous inconvenience (or worse, seen as no problem at all). Instead, it appears to have presented an opportunity not only for the TSO, but for broader arts organisations across Australia to reassess the impact their music makes on local audiences. And this is where the TSO’s bold decision has turned an awkward situation into a constructive one, whether or not this was intended.
What message does your arts organisation want to share? Sure, plenty of listeners love a bit of Holst and Vaughan Williams — but is it time to accept it may no longer be appropriate to print British flags in concert programs, promoting nationalism through a quaint Pommy aesthetic while ignoring the cost or the symbolism?
Does your arts organisation want to hold onto its loyal followers, or does it want to take risks in its programming — perhaps bringing loyal followers with you, and even gaining new ones along the way?
Does your arts organisation want to be seen as holding fast to old traditions, or as forward-thinking? To inspire audiences to keep up with the times, to think differently about music-making in Australia, and to have their ears, hearts, and minds challenged in a healthy way?
The TSO has replaced its cancelled Last Night of the Proms with A Feast of Family Favourites, which Guy Noble will still conduct on the eve of the vote. Out with Land of Hope and Glory; in with some film music by John Williams. No, it’s not a game-changing program — but when faced with the logistical nightmare of cancelling and replacing a concert at the last minute, it’ll certainly do.
We have one major orchestra in this state, and its decision may have inspired a minor and temporary local uproar among Mercury readers (who may not have even purchased a ticket). But the handful of TSO subscribers who may be genuinely angry at this concert cancellation are, in all likelihood, not going to cancel their subscription, or refuse to go to the next season of TSO concerts. Because we all love our home orchestra, no matter what side we may stand on. If there’s one thing that can truly unite us, it’s music — but it must be done right. Bravo TSO for setting an example and taking this brave first step.
Stephanie is an award-winning freelance arts writer who regularly collaborates with major orchestras, arts workers, and arts organisations Australia-wide — however, her views are her own. If you would like to read the views on the Voice that are expressed by Australia’s arts organisations, read this and this compilation of official statements in ArtsHub.
If you would like to learn more, you can read the full Uluru Statement from the Heart here.
If you would like to read the official Yes and No arguments, you can find the official referendum pamphlet here.
TSO images credit Caleb Miller, Ben Raynor.
