All Heart, No Tail

Australian World Orchestra’s Alexander Briger is prepared to conduct in a Givenchy suit.

- Jennifer Chen

For his art, Alexander Briger AO – “AO” stands for the Officer of the Order of Australia honour – is willing to forgo one of the distinguishing elements of a conductor’s costume – the tail. For too long, classical music has been associated with stuffy formality and elitism, notes the founder of the Australian World Orchestra (AWO). Now, the globe-hopping Briger is on a mission to dial up its cool factor. “Some people are succeeding at it, with Facebook interactions etc, but it’s a constant struggle,” says the 47-year-old Sydneysider. “How do we get the younger generation involved?”

To refresh the image of classical music, AWO musicians will not wear tails this year, says Briger. He himself will be in a custom-made Givenchy suit and, to keep to form, he will not mind applause in between movements. “Back in Mozart’s days, that was the norm. Music was repeated if the audience liked it. To me [not being able to clap] is a shame because people are nervous about going to a performance.”