Spring Concert 2025
Hounslow Symphony Orchestra continues its 70th-anniversary celebrations with the third concert in its landmark series, featuring the monumental Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler
Earlybird tickets available at a discounted price of £13 (full price £16). Click here to buy now.
22nd March 2025 at 6:00pm
Chiswick School
Burlington Lane, Chiswick, W4 3UN
Mahler Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”
Soloist: Anita Montserrat (Soprano)
Soloist: Lily Mo Browne (Alto)
Featuring Chiswick Voices & Chiswick Community Choir
Conductor: Dorian Dimitrov
Choir Director: Zac Moxon
Coming off the back of a highly successful collaboration with Chiswick School and their esteemed music director and conductor, Zac Moxon, HSO is excited to once again join forces with Chiswick Voices and Chiswick Community Choir. Their recent performance of Fauré’s Requiem was met with resounding acclaim, highlighting the synergy between the two ensembles. This concert is poised to elevate that collaboration to even greater heights as they tackle one of the most profound works in the symphonic repertoire. Find out more.
Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 2
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, often referred to as the “Resurrection Symphony,” is a monumental composition that explores themes of life, death, and the afterlife. Spanning five movements and culminating in a powerful choral finale, it is a piece that demands immense emotional and technical commitment from the performers. The symphony’s grandeur and depth have cemented its place as one of the cornerstones of classical music, captivating audiences worldwide.
Reflecting on this upcoming performance, Hounslow Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Dorian Todorov Dimitrov, shares his deep connection to the work:
“Mahler’s Second Symphony is a piece that every conductor aspires to conduct. Its exploration of the human condition, the afterlife, and ultimately, resurrection, resonates deeply with all who experience it. For me, this symphony is not just a piece of music; it is a profound journey that speaks to the very essence of what it means to be alive. It holds a special place in my heart as my favourite work in the symphonic repertoire. To share this masterpiece with our audience, especially during such a significant milestone for HSO, is a dream come true.”
The performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 will also showcase the exceptional talents of HSO’s musicians, along with the powerful voices of Chiswick Voices and Chiswick Community Choir, under the masterful direction of Zac Moxon. The collaboration between these passionate artists promises to deliver a performance that will resonate with the audience long after the final note has been played.
As the Hounslow Symphony Orchestra continues to celebrate its 70-year legacy, this concert serves as a testament to the ensemble’s commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement. Audiences are encouraged to secure their tickets early, as this highly anticipated performance is expected to draw a full house.
Lily Mo Browne
Lily Mo Browne is a 24-year-old mezzo-soprano from East London currently in her final year of study on the Vocal and Opera Masters Programme at the Royal College of Music. She studies under Ben Johnson and Caroline Dowdle, is generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust, and is both a Robert Lancaster and Helen Majorie Tonks Scholar.
Lily placed third in the Junior Kathleen Ferrier competition in 2019, and was a recipient of the Pamela Hart award. She has taken part in masterclasses with Roderick Williams OBE and Dame Sarah Connolly. With a passion for song and spoken text, Lily has performed in numerous song concerts, including the RCM’s SongPlus concerts with Audrey Hyland, selections of Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and other songs at the Luton Music Club with Simon Lepper, and most recently Benjamin Britten’s Cabaret Songs with Ella O’Neill. In July 2024,
Lily took to the stage as both performer and ‘Master of Ceremonies’ in Omnibus Theatre’s sold-out Classical Meets Cabaret concert. Earlier this year, Lily placed second in the RCM’s Brook van der Pump English Song Final, as well as placing third in the RCM’s Joan Chissell Schumann Competition Final. Lily competed in and won the Somerset Song Prize, where she also received the Audience Prize. She also received first prize in the AESS’s Patricia Routledge Senior Song Prize.
She is excited to join the London Song Festival for their prize winners’ concert in November 2024, and will return to Devon to perform a solo prize-winner recital in September 2025.
Lily was a Southrepps Music Festival Young Artist in 2022 and a 2023 Emerging Artist at Nevill Holt Opera in Leicester.
Operatic roles include Second Witch (Dido and Aeneas-Hurn Court Opera) and Old Lady (Candide-Southgate Youth Opera). She has performed with the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio in both productions of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte as Zweite Dame and later, as cover Dreite Dame, chorus in Orpheus in the Underworld and most recently, La Regina in Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco.
Opera scenes include Maurya (Riders to the Sea), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Bradamante (Alcina), and Mistress Quickly (Falstaff). Lily recently debuted the role of Marie in Ed Driver’s new opera Airtime, in collaboration with the RCM International Opera Studio and Tete-A-Tete opera. She performed with the Grange Festival in a concert performance of David Matthews’ opera Anna.
Lily has been the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, and Mozart’s Requiem. She is thrilled to be joining Martyn Brabbins and the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Chorus as the alto soloist in Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, and Hounslow Symphony Orchestra for Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony.
Chiswick Community Choir
The Chiswick Community Choir, formed in February 2024, is the brainchild of visionary musician and music educator, Zac Moxon. Zac’s initiative brings together a diverse group of singers, from seasoned performers to those who have not sung since their school days. Following their debut performance of Fauré’s Requiem alongside the Hounslow Symphony Orchestra and Chiswick Voices (a senior choir also formed by Zac), the Chiswick Community Choir has established itself as an inclusive and vibrant musical collective. Open to all, the choir welcomes anyone willing to put in the effort and try something new, fostering a strong sense of community through music.
A key feature of the choir’s format is its project-based approach. Rather than committing to weekly rehearsals, members prepare independently, with music and recordings provided well in advance. The choir then comes together for a few intensive rehearsals leading up to each concert, allowing singers to balance their musical involvement with personal schedules. This structure ensures high musical standards while keeping the experience flexible and accessible to all.
In the upcoming 2024/25 season, the choir is preparing for two major performances. In December 2024, they will join forces with Kew Sinfonia under the baton of Daniel Hogan for Beethoven’s iconic 9th Symphony. Then, in spring 2025, they will collaborate once again with the Hounslow Symphony Orchestra and conductor Dorian Dimitrov for Mahler’s powerful Second Symphony. These exciting projects reflect the choir’s growing ambition and their commitment to tackling large-scale works that push their musical boundaries.
Zac Moxon
Zac Moxon is head of music at Chiswick School. He took on the challenge of revitalising the department in late 2020, bringing a whole new way of developing music. Within only a few months, participation had risen and the school was producing twice as many concerts. Amongst mentoring a number of ensembles across a wide range of genres, he has overseen a growing choral group, who perform classical concerts in churches across the area, making quite a reputation for themselves. In 2023 he won Outstanding New Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Pearson National Teaching Awards.
