Eternal love with ASO players Joshua & Martin
- Behind the Scenes
- Meet the Artists
Ahead of our special Symphony Series opening concert for 2025 on Fri 14 Feb, Eternal, we spoke with ASO musicians Joshua Oates, Principal Oboe, and Martin Alexander, Tutti Viola, on how music brought them together, the pieces that hold special meaning to them, and what to listen for in this Valentine’s Day concert.
How did you two first meet, and was music involved in bringing you together?
Joshua: Music was involved! We met in Melbourne to rehearse for a tour of Marriage of Figaro that toured around China for a month.
Martin: I wish I could say it was love at first sight – and that would be a lie!! It wasn’t until the flight over to China that we really clicked.
Do you have a favourite musical work or composer that feels meaningful to your relationship?
Joshua: We do listen to music a lot together, showing each other something that we’ve just heard that caught our attention. I’m always really amazed by good singers, so often that’s what I’m sharing with Martin – or when we first met I was listening to musicals a lot, so I was sharing some of my favourite hits.
Martin: I always think of opera in our relationship – obviously Figaro but also Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto, which we had the opportunity to perform together as well. Orchestrally speaking, Mahler’s 9th Symphony is probably one of the toughest works we’ve faced together and the musical journey you undertake as a listener or performer really stays with you, so as a couple, I think that’s left a pretty indelible mark!
What’s it like performing together in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra?
Joshua: A real privilege I’d say – it’s hard for an established musician couple to get jobs in the same place. Then you have the added bonus of some great friends, colleagues and workplace in a nice city! It’s hard to beat.
Martin: We’ve joined the exalted ranks, as we’re far from the first couple in the ASO – but as Josh said, it was hard-won for us to get positions in the same orchestra. Performing for a living can be a real roller-coaster, and it’s an absolute privilege to have my best friend and biggest supporter in the ensemble with me.
This Symphony Series concert falls on Valentine’s Day—what would you recommend the audience listen out for in the works that you feel is a great sonic depiction of romance or love?
Joshua: Well you can’t miss the love theme in Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, which is shared between our sections! It’s the beautiful sound of the violas with the cor anglais, a classic combination.
Martin: This is hard – I feel like any oboe solo is a sonic depiction of love, so I’m usually quite spoilt for choice! For me, it would be the oboe solo in Pines of Rome, in the third movement, ‘I pini del Gianicolo’. It’s yearning, singing and ephemeral – it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!
Symphony Series
Eternal
Fri 14 & Sat 15 Feb
Adelaide Town Hall
Our first Symphony Series of the year is the perfect Valentine’s date night! Surrender to the passion of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet with soaring strings and powerful brass.
Joshua is supported by Caryl Lambourn & Graham Norton via our Musical Chairs program.
Martin’s chair can be supported through our Musical Chairs program. If you would like to get to know him better, and get closer to the music, please contact Philanthropy Manager Lucy Eckermann on (08) 8233 6263 or EckermannL@aso.com.au