The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will mark its 121st year in 2027 with a season combining major symphonic repertoire, new Australian commissions, international artists and performances designed to broaden access to orchestral music across Melbourne and Victoria. The season, announced on Monday, August 10, continues the MSO’s programming emphasis on Australian composition alongside established European repertoire. MSO Chief Executive Richard Wigley said the orchestra’s focus remained centred on the concert experience and the repertoire. Chief Conductor Jaime Martín will begin his sixth season with the orchestra by conducting three Beethoven works, culminating in the Ninth Symphony and its setting of Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”. One of the season’s contemporary highlights will be the Australian premiere of The World’s Wife by Australian composer Brett Dean.