AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ISSUES WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING OF JOHN LUTHER ADAMS’ ‘HORIZON’
Album released on 17 April
Currently available for pre-order
Horizon released by Cold Blue Music (North America) and by
ABC Classic (all other territories)
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is to release the world premiere recording of Horizon, a major new work commissioned by the Orchestra from Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer John Luther Adams.
Released on 17 April 2026, the album documents the culmination of an extended period of close collaboration between Adams and the ACO, resulting in a large-scale work that reflects the composer’s distinctive musical language and the Orchestra’s long‑standing commitment to commissioning and recording new music at the highest level.
The release coincides with the ACO’s 2026 USA Tour during which Horizon will receive its first performances in the United States (16 – 29 April 2026). The world premiere of the composer’s final two-movement version will take place at Carnegie Hall (22 April 2026).
Horizon is a 40-minute work in two movements for strings, composed specifically for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and shaped by the ensemble’s distinctive sound. It explores the idea of two horizons: the “visible horizon” – shaped by trees, mountains and human structures – and the “true horizon”, the unobstructed line where sky meets land or sea. Across its span, the work invites listeners to experience both space and time as a single, expansive continuum.
John Luther Adams said:
“I began composing Horizon on a ship crossing the Pacific en route to Australia. Over the next two years I continued work — in the tropical savannah of the north and the deserts of the great Red Centre, in the forested hills and grasslands of the south, and on the rocky shore of the Tasman Sea. As inspiring to me as the landscapes of Australia are the musicians of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. This music would not have been born without them.”
Adams – winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music (2014) and Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition (2015) for Become Ocean – moved to Australia in 2024 and has remained there ever since.
Horizon was recorded in full by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, directed by Richard Tognetti and in the presence of the composer, in Sydney in October 2025. The recording was produced by Nathaniel Reichman and John Luther Adams.
Richard Tognetti said:
“John Luther Adams is one of the world’s great musical thinkers, and the experience of collaborating with him on his epic new work, Horizon, has been nothing short of extraordinary. This new recording reflects the depth of this collaboration, as well as the ACO’s commitment to performing music that speaks to our times.”
Australian Chamber Orchestra – USA tour dates
- Thursday 16 April, 7.30pm – Lensic Performing Arts Center, SANTA FE, New Mexico
- Saturday 18 April, 8pm – Walton Arts Center, FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas
- Sunday 19 April, 7pm – Midwest Trust Center, OVERLAND PARK, Kansas
- Wednesday 22 April, 7.30pm – Carnegie Hall, NEW YORK, New York (World premiere of Horizon by John Luther Adams)*
- Thursday 23 April 7.30pm – Richardson Auditorium, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, New Jersey
- Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April – Banff Centre, BANFF, Canada
- Wednesday 29 April, 7pm – Segerstrom Center for the Arts, COSTA MESA, California
* Please note that although excerpts of Horizon will be performed throughout the tour, the 22 April performance at Carnegie Hall represents the world premiere of the full work.