Five students from across the region were last month selected by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) to work with the ensemble as part of The Riverland Mentorship Project – an initiative of RAA’s Community Sponsorship Program to help open new opportunities for young people in regional SA.

Watch their musical journey with ASO here:

As well as watching the orchestra play different musical works, including the Love and War concert at the Adelaide Town Hall, each of the students had an exclusive one-on-one lesson from the experts.

Following these lessons, they played alongside their mentors – this time a little closer to home in the Riverland – at one-off shows in Loxton, Berri and Barmera before the ASO hosted its spring concert earlier this month.

Braden, a 16-year-old clarinet player from Berri, said the mentorship was a “huge opportunity’’ which would help him make some big decisions about his career.

For saxophonist Matthew, from Renmark, it’s all about his passion for music.

“You can just express your problems and feelings through music,” he told samotor.

He said the one-on-one lesson with the ASO musician taught him to “keep with the flow’’ of the other players because “that’s what makes a great piece’’.

Working with their idols was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students who are now weighing up pursuing music as a full-time career, and this visit provided a glimpse into what their futures could look like as professional musicians.

The mentorship party also comprised double bassist Jasper from Barmera, Levi on the trombone from Waikerie and saxophonist Victoria from Paringa.