Rhapsody in Blue at 100: a Celebration of Orchestral Jazz

Award winning Australian conductor Jessica Gethin has gained widespread attention for her stellar musicianship and vibrant energy on the podium. As one of the most versatile conductors in the country, Jessica glides seamlessly between core symphonic repertoire to ballet, opera, contemporary and film score. Jessica’s international roster includes engagements with the Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, Dallas Opera, Orchestra Victoria, Perth Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, Tasmanian Symphony, Opera Queensland, Orchestra Macao, the West Australian Ballet and The Australian Ballet among others. Jessica is currently the Principal Conductor of the West Australian Ballet, Artistic Advisor of Orchestra Victoria and Head of Orchestral Studies and Conducting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. From 2011-2019 Jessica was the Chief Conductor of the Perth Symphony and is now Ambassador and lead faculty for their Women on the Podium initiative.

Her accolades include being listed in Limelight Australia’s Top 20 Artists and AFR’s 100 Most Influential Women of Australia, a winner of the Brian Stacey Emerging Australian Conductor Award, a Churchill Fellow and inaugural Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute Fellow, a finalist in the West Australian of the Year Awards and induction into the 2024 WA Women's Hall of Fame.

Makoto Ozone is a unique force in both jazz and classical music, blending sound worlds and a host of influences into his performances. Born in Kobe, Japan, he was self-taught in jazz, under his father’s guidance, first on the organ, then piano. He first came to public attention when he gave his solo recital at the Carnegie Hall in 1983, following his graduation from Berklee College of Music. Ozone then became the first Japanese artist to sign an exclusive contract with CBS and released his first album, Ozone, a year after his Carnegie debut.

His stellar career in jazz, which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2003, has brought him regularly to the forefront of the international jazz scene, recording and touring with musicians such as Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Anna Maria Jopek, Branford Marsalis, and others. In 2004, he formed his own big band in Japan, “No Name Horses” which has regularly toured to Europe, North America and Asia since its creation. In more recent years, Ozone has expanded into classical repertoire, alongside his jazz engagements. Having first performed Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue in 1996, he now performs concertos by Mozart, Bernstein, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov with major orchestras. Alongside his performing schedule, Ozone composes music, with over 300 pieces to his name, many for ‘No Name Horses’, as well as a symphony and piano concerto.

Recent highlights include Ozone’s debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France / Lahav Shani, Detroit Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin and Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra / Christian Arming. This season, Ozone will perform with Stuttgarter Philharmoniker / Dan Ettinger, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony / Alan Gilbert, as well as performing with his jazz trio in New York and Toronto.

Panorama Brasil draws on the diverse musical landscape of Brazil: music with influences from the arid interior, the Amazonian basin, and the streets of Rio and Salvador - samba, MPB, bossa, folkloric music and regional styles mixed with jazz and more.

Musical director of Panorama Brasil is drummer/composer Alastair Kerr, a long-time student of Brazilian music, and recognised as one of Australia's leading exponents of Brazilian percussion. Kerr is known for his work with groups such as The Doug de Vries Trio, The New Sheiks, Sexteto Zona Sul, and Trio Agogo, and leads this stellar group.

Panorama Brasil have performed at major festivals, including the 2013 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, 2014 Stonnington Jazz Festival, 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festival (with Vince Jones and Alda Rezende), and 2017 Melbourne International Jazz Festival (with Vince Jones and Doug de Vries). In 2017 they performed a sold-out Melbourne Recital Centre concert of Os Afro Sambas (with Alda Rezende), and they returned to the MRC in 2018 with Brazil's Modern Poets. Alda Rezende returns to Australia in 2023 another tour of Os Afro Sambas.