NZSO Testimony: a treasure trove of exhilarating music on tour in April

The NZSO brings an exhilarating and evocative music experience, featuring classical giants Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Bruckner and more, to Wellington, Nelson, Napier, Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland from 12 April.

Testimony: Shostakovich & Tchaikovsky, directed by the NZSO’s acclaimed Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen, is a rare opportunity to enjoy five unforgettable works performed exclusively by the NZSO’s strings.

Alongside Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Bruckner are works by renowned New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn and Finland’s greatest composer since Sibelius, Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Testimony features the NZSO’s talented Associate Principal Cellist Ken Ichinose as soloist for Tchaikovsky’s romantic Andante cantabile, the famous second movement from his String Quartet No. 1 arranged by the composer for cello and orchestra.

“Tchaikovsky's Andante cantabile is a treasured melody, especially for any string quartet player,” says Ichinose.

“For me, the emotion and beauty of this work is drawn from the sheer simplicity of form and musical line. We are so fortunate to have an arrangement by Tchaikovsky himself and I very much look forward to performing this particular version for solo cello and orchestra, having previously had the pleasure to perform the original quartet with colleagues from the NZSO a few years ago.”

Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony is an arrangement of his Eighth String Quartet, written after he saw the aftermath of the apocalyptic 1945 bombing of Dresden. Though he dedicated the Quartet to “victims of fascism and war,” in his later memoir, Testimony, Shostakovich said that the Quartet in fact described himself.

The Adagio from Bruckner’s String Quintet has been lauded as “the pearl of the quintet … one of the noblest, most enlightened, tenderest and most beautiful in sound.”

Rautavaara’s Pelimannit is a suite of fantasies on Finnish fiddle music, while Lilburn’s Diversions for String Orchestra overflows with Lilburn’s love for the Kiwi countryside.

The Testimony tour begins in Wellington on 12 April, followed by Nelson (13 April), Napier (16 April), Tauranga (18 April), Hamilton (19 April) and Auckland (20 April).

The Nelson performance of Testimony is generously supported by NZSO Maestro supporters Roger and Catherine Taylor. Ken Ichinose’s appearance as a soloist is supported by Susan and Donald Best ONZM.

Free Relaxed concerts coming to Napier and Tauranga in April

The NZSO’s Relaxed Concert, presented in collaboration with Autism New Zealand, is a free performance curated for neurodivergent audiences with sensory needs so they can experience symphonic music in a supportive setting.

 To celebrate World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month we’re excited to launch our Relaxed Concert series with performances in Napier on 17 April (10.30am) and Tauranga on 18 April (11.00am). More Relaxed Concert performances around Aotearoa New Zealand will be announced later this year.

 Hosted by the NZSO’s Animateur Chris Lam Sam, this is a chance for neurodivergent children and adults to enjoy the Orchestra in a sensory-friendly environment. With a more relaxed approach to concert-going, the aim is to minimise patrons’ anxiety and ensure they have a calm, enjoyable and safe concert experience.

 The programme for the Relaxed Concert in Napier and Tauranga includes Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile and movements from New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn’s Diversions for Strings, and the opportunity to meet and greet NZSO players and Chris Lam Sam.

A guide is prepared for each performance with descriptions of what to expect at the concert. This is a wonderful way to ensure patrons get the most enjoyment possible from the experience.

Relaxed concerts offer an open-door experience where audiences are free to move in and out of the performance at any time. Chill-out spaces are also available within the venue.

Musicians play in the NZSO as part of groundbreaking new course

A new and innovative music course, the first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand, is giving its first cohort of students firsthand experience performing in a world-class professional orchestra.

The Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) in Orchestral Studies is a partnership between the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa and Victoria University of Wellington—Te Herenga Waka’s New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī.

As part of the one-year Masters, which began this year, students complete a performance-based internship with the NZSO, receiving one-on-one mentoring from the Orchestra’s players and regular lessons focusing on orchestral repertoire and audition skills.

It’s the first time that the Orchestra and NZSM have partnered to offer a course where music students can gain experience as NZSO interns.

MFA(CP) Director, Thomas Voyce says “The Orchestral Studies stream of the MFA(CP) is a brilliant new addition to an already vibrant programme. Not only does this new stream build on the long-standing relationship between the NZSO and the NZSM, but it provides a unique opportunity for our top performance students to intern at the NZSO, where they will soak in the environment of a high-functioning arts organisation with world-class performers.”

NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New says Orchestral Studies gives music students the tools necessary to succeed in a professional, high-calibre music performance career.

“I look forward to celebrating the achievements of these talented graduates from this groundbreaking programme,” she says.

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Biggs says the course is the first of its kind because it gives aspiring music students direct key experience performing both in an orchestra, and to audiences.

“This is the equivalent of a film student getting to work on the set of a Peter Jackson movie, or a club rugby player given the chance to play with the All Blacks. For music students, performing with Aotearoa New Zealand’s national orchestra, and taught by our highly talented and skilled musicians is a potentially life-changing opportunity.”

Biggs says partnering with New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī is also the right fit for the NZSO, as both institutions are already working together on the national music centre to be based in Wellington.

One of the first students into the programme, flute player Keeson Perkins-Treacher, says, “The new orchestral studies component of the MFA(CP) is a fantastic addition to this course. The MFA(CP) is designed around inspiring creativity and stimulating collaboration, virtues that will prove invaluable for orchestral playing and musicking.”

Keesan and another student, Amy Clough, are recipients of the Deane Endowment Trust's Deane Orchestral Studies Scholarship, which was established specifically to aid students in this new course.

The Orchestral Studies stream will include a substantial public performance project for each student, with the option to collaborate with students studying Performance, Composition, Film and Theatre at Victoria University. All MFA(CP) students also study creativity and arts management, ensuring they graduate as an arts leader and critical thinker.

NZSO to perform with Royal New Zealand Ballet from 1 May

As New Zealanders count down the days to the Royal NZ Ballet’s Swan Lake performances with the NZSO from 1 May in Wellington, we also celebrate the 39th anniversary of our exciting artistic partnership.

Back in 1985 the Orchestra performed with RNZB for the first time in a national tour of Swan Lake in November and December, with sold out performances in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. It was only the second time that a full production of Swan Lake had been performed in New Zealand.

When interviewed by Christchurch’s The Press the RNZB dancers said they really appreciated the live orchestral accompaniment of the NZSO conducted by John Matheson. A review in the newspaper following the first performance was ecstatic about having the RNZB and NZSO in the same performance.

“In this country, it is a rare privilege to witness an alliance between artists of both our national ballet company and national symphony orchestra, as played by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra emphasises, the form and structure of the work. It truly is an audio-visual experience.”

The NZSO performs with the RNZB for the Wellington performances of Swan Lake, led by RNZB Principal Conductor and NZSO Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich. Swan Lake also tours to Auckland (with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra), Napier, Christchurch (with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra), Dunedin and Invercargill in May and June.

A grand night for a gala dinner

The NZSO Foundation Gala Dinner at Parliament’s Grand Hall on 21 March was a wonderful evening for Foundation donors and guests.

NZSO players performed throughout the evening, alongside guest artists, which included young pianist Benjamin Carter, international star tenor Simon O’Neill and a surprise performance by Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith on piano.

The Gala Dinner was organised as a thank you to the generosity of NZSO Foundation donors over the years and the launch of a new Cadenza Circle category, which recognises extraordinary gifts for rare instruments of exceptional quality and provenance.

NZSO Board Chair Ainsley Walter was thanked for her enormously generous donation towards the purchase of a beautiful 1755 Guadagnini violin, now played in NZSO concerts by Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen.

Equally successful was a separate online fundraising auction launched by the NZSO Foundation on 21 March. Hosted by Webb’s auction house, the auction, which ran until 28 March, raised more than $40,000 for the purchase of more instruments for the NZSO.