The series of concerts, performed by the Omega Ensemble and featuring Umberto Clerici, will showcase a program centred around Italy and some of its greatest musicians.

From Luigi Boccherini to Antonio Vivaldi and Giovanni Sollima, the evening will explore classical music through the strings, with the addition of a clarinet.

After Melbourne, the concert will move to Sydney’s City Recital Hall on March 25 and Newcastle’s City Hall on March 27.

Clerici, a cellist and the conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra since 2023, will step off the podium during the show and return the cello, the instrument that introduced him to music when he was just five.

“My mum wanted a musical education for me and my brother,” he recalled, “We started with the Suzuki method, an approach that teaches music in the same way one learns their mother tongue, through imitation.”

After years of study and practice, Clerici made his solo debut at 17 in Japan, an experience he remembers fondly despite the challenge of playing for the first time alongside an orchestra of professional, and adult, musicians.

After earning his diploma from the conservatory in Turin, his hometown, he pursued further studies in Nuremberg, Germany, and played with various orchestras around the world.

From 2009 to 2014, he served as principal cellist at the Teatro Regio di Torino and frequently performed at the iconic La Scala theatre in Milan.

It was in 2014 that the idea of life in Australia started taking shape. At the beginning of his career, Clerici was looking for change, a place where he could experiment and avoid being confined to playing only La Bohème and La Traviata.

“I wanted to live somewhere with a Western culture but that was, in some way, more open,” he explained.

The experience Down Under allowed him to engage with a market that was “culturally more receptive to experimentation”.

“That said,” he continued, “the lack of tradition in some instances can lead to a lack of cultural depth.”

However, performing The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, “a piece that revolutionised the 20th century,” with a Brisbane circus - including 10 acrobats and a 110-piece orchestra - was something he says would be hard to imagine happening in Europe.

Upon arriving in Australia, Clerici joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist.

In 2018, he was asked to conduct a private concert at the Sydney Opera House. Initially reluctant, he eventually changed his mind after seeking guidance from a colleague who taught conducting and undergoing nine months of preparation.

It was a demanding process, but once he stepped onto the podium, he never looked back.

“Music is music,” he explained, “but turning it into sound through an instrument you've played since you were five is one thing; translating it into movement - movement that produces no sound but somehow becomes a meta-language for the musicians - is another.”

Despite the pandemic, Clerici’s career as a conductor took off rapidly, leading him to frequently travel across Italy, Europe and beyond.

Transitioning from an orchestral musician to a conductor is no small feat, as it requires a significant shift in perspective.

“For a musician, preparation and study are key. But when [musicians] come together with others is when they find their place and timing,” he said.

“[Conducting] is almost a strategic job that demands knowledge of all instrumental parts - their interactions, rhythms, dramatic structure and even which harmonies might sound off.

“Like in sports, where the work happens on the field. The highlight of this process is the concert, where one must give their best, just like in an athletic performance.”

Clerici also places great emphasis on managing people, drawing yet another comparison with sport. A conductor, like a coach, must earn the trust of the team and convince them of the validity of his vision.

“Building trust is not easy in a short time. It requires professionalism, knowledge and even a strategic approach to psychological management,” he said.

In mid-2023, Clerici picked up the cello again. It felt as though he had never stopped.

“Even though,” he admitted, “since my approach has changed, I’m more forgiving of small mistakes.

“And paradoxically, because I’m more relaxed, I make fewer of them.”

The days of conductors being unapproachable and grumpy figures are long gone, and Clerici is proof of that. Outgoing, cheerful, and generous, he explained that not only would a despotic attitude no longer work, but that cellists are naturally social creatures, as they can’t play solo and need to surround themselves with other musicians.

The idea of performing with the Omega Ensemble in a more intimate setting than an orchestra, combined with holding the cello again excites Clerici, who describes it as “a bit like coming home”.