Entertainment
28 August, 2026
Young composer’s work an historic orchestral debut
A YOUNG Atherton composer will make history when his work receives its world premiere with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) in Cairns tonight.
Jonathon Platz, 17, will become the first high school student to have a commissioned work premiered by QSO when his new composition, ‘Prelude for a Painted Sky’, is performed at Symphony Under the Stars at Munro Martin Parklands on Friday 28 August.
Jonathon said the work was inspired by the landscapes and skies he grew up with in Far North Queensland.
“Growing up with a father who heads up the School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, I spent many evenings in the backyard, looking through a telescope at the night skies,” he said.
“Many trips around the Atherton Tablelands, together with holidays out west to places like Mount Surprise and the Gulf Savannah, have also been a constant source of inspiration.”
Jonathon said those experiences helped shape Prelude for a Painted Sky’s sound.
“For this piece, the vivid colours and energy of the sky inspired its fanfare-like character, bold brass writing and sweeping dynamic swells.”
His involvement with QSO began through the Compose Program, which offers secondary students the opportunity to write for the QSO Ensemble.
Jonathon said that being selected for the commission was both exciting and challenging.
“It’s a huge honour, and I’m incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity when I was 17,” he said.
“I have to admit that when I first received the commission, I felt a little daunted by the challenge of writing a piece for a professional orchestra, but I was equally excited.”
As the premiere approaches, Jonathon said that hearing his composition performed would be a significant moment.
“I can’t wait to hear the QSO take something that has existed for so long as notes on a page and finally bring it to life in front of an audience.”
The Cairns performance will be hosted by Ed Le Broq, with conductor Nil Venditti leading QSO through Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, classic works by Bernstein and Gershwin, movements from Tchaikovsky’s Polish Symphony, and Jonathon’s world premiere.
Symphony Under the Stars Cairns begins at 7.30pm at Munro Martin Parklands on Friday 28 August. Tickets on sale via Ticketlink.
