Every few months, the MSO sends out hints, via their Twitter and Facebook pages, as to the location of their next secret performance. The time and place is announced 24 hours before
each concert, but people try to decipher the clues in advance.
The Secret Symphonies are a way to reach an audience who may not usually listen to orchestral music - by holding their concerts in unusual locations in the city. So far, they've performed in the old gold vaults under the Old Treasury Building, Old Melbourne Gaol, Paris Cat Jazz Club, and Platform One nightclub (near Flinders Street Station).
The concert I attended was held in Mural Hall, on the top floor of the Myer city store on Bourke Street - talk about a hidden gem! The choral section of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra sang Maurice Durufle's requiem, and three a cappella Australian compositions (listen to some of the beautiful music, below).
Mural hall is a beautiful European ballroom with high ceilings, art deco stairs and leadlight windows. It was originally designed to host private fashion parades and exclusive events, but now it's open for hire. Let's thank the Global Financial Crisis for this.
It's called Mural Hall because of the eight murals displaying figures from the arts, literature, opera, dance and fashion. The murals have helped the venue attain a National Trust classification.