General News
11 August, 2026
Hitting the right note
AN Atherton composer has become the first high school student ever commissioned by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, with his original work set to premiere at Symphony Under the Stars during Cairns Festival later this month.
Jon Platz will hear his orchestral work, Prelude for a Painted Sky, performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra at Munro Martin Parklands on 29 August.
Mr Platz, now a first-year university student in Brisbane, said receiving the commission while still in high school was both humbling and exciting.
“Through the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Compose Program, I have had the privilege of working alongside many talented young composers, so I know the standard of writing and creativity that’s out there,” he said.
“It’s a tremendous honour and something I am incredibly grateful for.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to challenge myself as a composer and to write something that will be shared with a live audience from my local area.”
Mr Platz said Prelude for a Painted Sky reflected the colours, light and textures that had shaped his life growing up in the region.
The work captures the changing moods of sunrise, sunset and tropical night skies through the rich sounds of a full symphony orchestra.
“Growing up in Far North Queensland has had a huge influence on the way I think about music,” Mr Platz said.
“I hope the audience is able to share in that experience and be transported, even for a few minutes, to the spectacular skies that inspired the work.
“More than anything, I hope they leave with the same sense of wonder I feel whenever I look up at a Far North Queensland sky that is so magnificent, it could have been painted by the hand of a master artist.”
Symphony Under the Stars will be held at Munro Martin Parklands on 29 August. For more information, tickets and the full program, visit www.cairnsfest.com.au
