Though born and trained in Sydney, Simone Young is by no means a stranger to Vienna. In 1993, she made history as the first woman to conduct at the Vienna State Opera, following up in 2005 as the first woman to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic at home in the Musikverein. From the earliest days of her career, Australia has seen little of her, for the whole world has been her podium. Raising the baton in her new role as chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony, she brings home the signature lilt and lift she assimilated on the (no longer) blue Danube. —M.G.