Some local stories have a way of travelling.
Mosman Symphony Orchestra may now call Mosman home, but its first notes were played in Lane Cove more than 50 years ago.
More than five decades on, the orchestra is preparing for another special first.
Pianist Dong Jun Ha, known as DJ, will make his orchestral solo debut with Mosman Symphony Orchestra on Saturday 20 June and Sunday 21 June 2026 at Mosman Art Gallery.
Many Australians came to know DJ through ABC’s The Piano, where his story moved audiences across the country.
After suffering a major stroke in his late twenties, DJ lost movement on the right side of his body. He has since rebuilt his life and his music, relearning the piano using only his left hand.
For his orchestral debut, DJ will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 4, a work written entirely for the left hand.
But it is also a Lane Cove story, a resilience story and a reminder of the extraordinary things that can grow from a community project.
A Pianist Rebuilding His Life Through Music
DJ began playing piano as a toddler.
He went on to train with the late Alexandra Vinokurov in Sydney and the late Aleksei Nasedkin in Russia, studying at the prestigious Moscow Conservatorium before settling in Australia, where he built a career as a performer and teacher.
Then, in his late twenties, DJ suffered a major stroke. It left him unable to speak and without movement on the right side of his body.
What followed was a long and difficult period of rehabilitation. DJ had to rebuild his life and relearn the piano using only his left hand.
Today, he specialises in transcribing and performing traditional piano repertoire for the left hand alone, creating performances known for their depth, colour and musicality.
In 2024, DJ won the Shine Ability Competition. In 2025, after appearing on ABC’s The Piano, he was invited to perform for ABC Classics Countdown at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall.
Why This Concerto Matters
There is something very fitting about DJ’s choice of music for his first orchestral solo performance.
Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat major was composed in 1931 for Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during the First World War.
The concerto is written entirely for the left hand.
DJ is wonderfully honest about where Prokofiev sits on his personal list of favourite left-hand concerto composers.
“Prokofiev is my third favourite left-hand concerto composer,” DJ said.
“My first is Godowsky, who unfortunately didn’t write a concerto as far as I know, and my second is Ravel, who wrote the best epic concerto for the left hand in history. That one is on my practice list, so stay tuned!”
For DJ, Prokofiev’s music is full of drama and theatre.
“I can’t forget Prokofiev as the Romeo and Juliet composer,” DJ said.
“When I hear this music I think of the first and fourth movements as Romeo and the young men’s fight scene. The second movement is Romeo and Juliet’s love scene.
“The third movement is my favourite. It is the haughty, arrogant and merciless Montagues and Capulets who end up killing the two lovers.”
The Orchestra’s Lane Cove Beginnings
Before it became Mosman Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra had deep Lane Cove roots.
It began in 1975 when Sydney Symphony Orchestra bassoonist Richard McIntyre and his wife Gillian, a former SSO violinist, helped lead a local committee to establish the Lane Cove Symphony Orchestra.
Leaflets were distributed across the district to encourage musicians to join. Lane Cove Council supported the idea, local businesses and residents helped gather financial support, auditions were held and players were selected.
Richard McIntyre became the orchestra’s musical director and chief conductor, while Gillian McIntyre became concertmaster. The Masonic Hall in Longueville Road was used for rehearsals.
The first concert was held at Lane Cove Town Hall on 2 December 1975, with a program that included Beethoven, Quantz, Schubert and Sibelius.
The orchestra gave 16 concerts between 1975 and 1979 before disbanding.
But Lane Cove’s musical life continued and, in 1985, the orchestra was re-established as the Lane Cove Orchestra.
For several years, it was a true community orchestra. It performed family concerts at Lane Cove Town Hall, gave free concerts in Lane Cove Plaza and created opportunities for talented young local musicians to perform as soloists.
When changes to the Town Hall meant the orchestra no longer had a suitable local performance space, members voted to find a new home rather than let the orchestra disappear again.
In 1992, it became the Mosman Orchestra, based at Mosman Art Gallery and Community Centre in Myahgah Road. Read the full history of the orchestra here.
More than three decades later, that is where DJ Ha will make his orchestral debut.
A Special First on Stage
For DJ, stepping out as a soloist is a long-held wish finally answered.
“It’s so thrilling to be a soloist and the orchestra accompanies you,” DJ said.
“I actually really missed accompanying singers and instrumentalists, when I was young and healthy, but I never got a chance to be accompanied myself. I was just one of millions of pianist-wannabes.”
Asked what his return to the piano has taught him, his answer is simple.
“You never know where life will take you. Keep practising daily, whatever you want to be good at.”
It is a message that feels especially powerful coming from someone who has had to rebuild his relationship with music in such a profound way.
For Lane Cove locals who love music, history or a story of resilience, this concert is a special one.
It brings together a pianist making a remarkable debut and an orchestra whose first notes were played right here in Lane Cove.
Concert Details
Mosman Symphony Orchestra, Concert 2: Questions
Dates: Sat 20 June 7:30pm & Sun 21 June 2:30pm
Venue: Mosman Art Gallery, Myahgah Road, Mosman
Program: Ives, The Unanswered Question
Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 4, featuring soloist Dong Jun Ha
Elgar, Enigma Variations
Musical Director: Andrew Del Riccio
Tickets: $40 adult/senior, $25 student/pensioner, $10 under 16
Bookings: Book tickets here
