Tale of the Firebird

Concerto for Violin, Fire & Acrobatic Orchestra

composed by Chloé Charody for Sonja Schebeck & The Freestyle Orchestra

About

TALE OF THE FIREBIRD is a concerto for violin, fire & acrobatic orchestra composed by Chloé Charody for Sonja Schebeck & The Freestyle Orchestra that was commissioned by Creative Australia in 2017.

The concerto aims to fully integrate three art forms: modern circus, contemporary art-music & physical theatre, with a compelling narrative conveyed through movement and physicality.

Chloé composed this work specifically for Sonja & her orchestra’s unique capabilities, where the music, movement, and fire performance are conceived simultaneously.

Tale of The Firebird premiered at City Recital Hall Angel Place in 2019 for Sydney’s VIVID Festival. From 2025, it will tour throughout Europe in a brand new production created by The Freestyle Orchestra. It has been presented in project pitch sessions at Classical:Next Berlin (2024), UP Circus & Performing Arts Festival Brussels (2024), MICC - Montreal International Market of Contemporary Circus (2025) and SIPAM - Sibiu International Performing Arts Market Romania (2025).

Upcoming performances: Milk & Honey Festival, Vienna (October 31 2025), pitch presentation at APAP New York (January 9, 2026) with further shows to be announced.

Press

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/it-s-a-different-energy-fire-work-comes-with-strings-attached-20190604-p51ufc.html

https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/concertos-on-fire-city-recital-hall/

http://www.altmedia.net.au/concertos-on-fire/139752

“In this classical concerto, fire is an instrument of the orchestra - musicians shoot up in the air performing daring acrobatic stunts, taming and manipulating fire while music literally springs to life from all corners of the concert hall.”

— Sonja Schebeck, acrobatic violinist