Farewell Hilary Bruer – Reflecting on 33 Years with ASO

Looking back, what are some of your fondest memories from your time with the ASO? 

This is a tricky question as I have so many. From a personal perspective, the overseas tours stand out — they were wonderful opportunities to socialise and forge deeper relationships within the team, and to show the world just how good Australian orchestras can be!

From a playing perspective, I’ve always enjoyed performing the big Romantic symphonies, such as Tchaikovsky and Brahms. At the same time, the commercial projects have been great fun, especially the disco concerts — the disco string lines of the ’70s are so satisfying to play!

The Community Concerts with Martin Butler have also been an absolute joy and privilege to be part of, and working with the Friends of the ASO committees over the years has been another highlight. They’re such a brilliant bunch of people, and collaborating on the annual Quiz Nights was always a lot of fun. 

Is there a particular performance or piece of music that will always stay with you? 

It’s hard to go past the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony. I don’t think I have ever played it without having major goosebumps in the last movement. Also, ‘The Studio: 54 Reasons to Party’ in 2018 was an unforgettable journey into the land of disco, with unparalleled electric bass playing by our own beautiful David Phillips. 

What do you think you’ll miss most about being part of the orchestra? And what won’t you miss? 

What I’ll miss the most is the people and the social connections. It’s been a privilege to be a part of such a special community. What I won’t miss are the winter ballet seasons, where the schedule is relentless and you often arrive at the theatre soaked through, despite using an umbrella! I also will not miss trying to find a park on a Friday night in the Town Hall precinct! 

Outside of music, what are you most looking forward to in retirement? 

Spending more time with my cats “Batman and Robin”! (I’ve been a Crazy Cat Lady in training for many years, but now I might actually be able to graduate!) I’m also looking forward to taking up some new hobbies, getting to the gym more regularly and spending more time outside and in my garden. I love teaching the violin and hope to continue doing that for many more years. 

Tell us about your new venture, A Chat and a Tune, bringing live music to people who are housebound — what inspired you to create this, and what do you enjoy most about it? 

I’ve always been concerned about the loneliness epidemic and wanted to do something meaningful to address it. My initial thought was to sign up with my local council to do home visiting, (if such a program existed) but in more recent years I’ve witnessed elderly and disabled people being shut out of attending live performances due to mobility issues.

So a few months ago, I had a defining moment — that I could combine the two ideas and do home visits, but take my violin along and focus on visiting people who had been concertgoers but could no longer attend. I hope I can entertain not only with some ‘tunes’, but also with the ‘chat’, and get to know people on a more personal level. A cup of tea, a chat and a tune — hopefully a recipe to brighten someone’s day!

Although I’m just starting out, the few experiences I’ve had so far have been wonderful.