Only three weeks to go till Pictures at an Exhibition   

Prepare to be captivated by an evening of extraordinary music that paints vivid pictures through sound – and much more!

NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New’s first concert in 2025, Pictures at an Exhibition is in Wellington and Christchurch this month.

Mussorgsky’s famous Pictures at an Exhibition brings to life the paintings of Viktor Hartmann, with each movement musically describing the artwork in exquisite detail.

Similarly, Gareth Farr’s The Invocation of the Sea from his acclaimed From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs vividly captures the sounds and instruments of the Pacific, transporting listeners to the heart of the ocean.

We are also thrilled to welcome Emily Beynon to our shores. As the Principal Flute of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and hailed as one of the top five flautists in the world by Classic FM, Emily will premiere a new work by French composer Guillaume Connesson.

The composer, one of the most widely performed French composers in the world, will be in New Zealand for the premiere in both cities. The French Embassy has provided support for Guillaume to come to New Zealand as part of Francophonie Month, a worldwide celebration each March of French language and Francophone cultures.

“Guillaume Connesson is a remarkable composer,” says Emily, who will also present a Masterclass in Auckland (22 March) and Wellington (24 March).

“I played his music for the first time in 2018 and was immediately hooked; he is both inspired by the rich and colourful heritage of French composers like Ravel, Messiaen and Poulenc and yet he is very much his own voice and of the 21st century. At times he takes inspiration from jazz and even rock music. He writes wonderfully for wind instruments, and I was absolutely thrilled when he agreed to write me a concerto.

“To be part of the world premiere of his Danses Concertantes and for it to be with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, is something I would never have dared dream of. I’m excited to both play with the NZSO for the first time and for New Zealanders to experience this exciting, brand-new work for flute and orchestra.”

NZSO appoints new Chief Executive

The NZSO is excited to announce the appointment of American Marc Feldman as our new Chief Executive. Marc, currently the Executive Director of France’s Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB), joins the NZSO in May.

NZSO Board Chair Carmel Walsh praised Feldman’s impressive achievements with the ONB, including financial stability, innovative programming, and community engagement. Under his leadership, the ONB has gained international recognition and increased its revenue and audience base.

“Marc’s extensive experience with orchestras in the US and France, along with his passion for orchestral music and fresh perspectives, make him an ideal fit for the NZSO,” says Carmel.

“He is well-versed in working with government and private funders and is familiar with the NZSO’s international reputation and unique place in New Zealand culture.”

Marc has led the ONB since 2011, earning accolades for its groundbreaking programming and dedication to Breton culture. He has also initiated partnerships with prestigious organisations like the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Opera House, boosting the ONB’s annual income by €1 million (NZ$1.8m).

Before his tenure at the ONB, Marc was the Executive Director of California’s Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, where he secured significant grants and donations, commissioned new works, and implemented community engagement projects.

Marc, a trained bassoonist, has performed with orchestras across Canada and Europe and was awarded a Tanglewood Fellowship under Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa.

“I am truly honoured to lead the NZSO,” says Marc. “New Zealand’s unique culture and history will inspire me to guide the orchestra into an exciting future.”

NZSO Baroque bikers head out on the highway for Timeless Beauty 

Our unmissable Timeless Beauty: Handel & Telemann tour continues with concerts tonight in Wellington and tomorrow in Carterton, followed by five more performances next week!

However, while their NZSO colleagues travel by tour bus for the remaining performances across the North Island, two players will instead get their motor runnin’ and head out on the highway for each performance. Principal Trumpet Michael Kirgan and Principal Timpani Laurence Reese will travel by motorcycle for the rest of the tour, beginning with Palmerston North on 11 March.

The musicians then take their two-wheeled marvels – Michael’s Honda VFR800 and Larry’s Suzuki V-Strom 650 – to Napier, Rotorua, Hamilton and Tauranga to perform in the Baroque-flavoured concerts, which includes Telemann’s trailblazing Concerto for 3 Trumpets and Timpani.

The bikers estimate the round trip will be more than 1,330 kilometres, and while each day is planned meticulously to ensure they arrive in each city with time to spare before they take to the stage, in the spirit of motorcycle anthem Born to be Wild, on the road they’ll be lookin’ for adventure and whatever comes their way.

“We aren’t just going to get up each day and ride straight to the next place,” says Michael. “We might go off the beaten track and ride around some back roads and have a really fun run before arriving at our hotel for a shower and rest before we play.”

Nor is it their first bike-ride rodeo. Larry and Michael have previously travelled by motorcycle for NZSO concert tours. Larry says an eight-day, 2,800km concert tour of the South Island in 2012 was “probably the best motorcycle ride of my whole life.”

“We rode one day from Wānaka to Westport in one go and it was a beautiful day. It was a Tuesday and no traffic. It was like our own private rollercoaster.

“I remember we pulled up at the hotel and Mike took off his helmet and had this huge grin. He looked at me and said ‘you wanna turn around and go back again?’ It was magic.”

Timeless Beauty features music by Baroque giants Handel and Telemann, along with renowned English Baroque composer Matthew Locke.

The NZSO ensemble, featuring 26 of the finest musicians in Aotearoa New Zealand, is led by the orchestra’s Concertmaster and passionate Baroque music violinist Vesa-Matti Leppänen.

Audiences will be treated to two astonishing works by Handel: his majestic and serene Overture and Symphonia from Occasional Oratorio and the sublime Alcina Suite from his opera.

Locke’s The Tempest, inspired by Shakespeare’s play, weaves themes of magic, illusion, and transformation. Michael and Laurence are soloists for the concerts, along with Associate Principal Trumpet David Johnson and Sub-Principal Trumpet Mark Carter.

‘Astounding’ Grammy Award-winning pianist to debut with NZSO next month

One of the most acclaimed pianists of the 21st century makes his New Zealand debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in April.

Grammy Award winner Daniil Trifonov will perform Rachmaninov’s extraordinary Piano Concerto No. 3 in Wellington and Auckland. The NZSO will be led by renowned Italian conductor Umberto Clerici for these performances.

Trifonov, 34, has been praised globally for his mesmerising performances of the great composers, including his musical idol Rachmaninov. Britain’s The Guardian hailed him as “perhaps the most exciting pianist to have emerged internationally in the last 30 years, and peerless today as a Rachmaninov interpreter.”

The New York Times noted, “Few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence of Daniil Trifonov.” London’s The Times crowned him “the most astounding pianist of our age.”

Trifonov first performed as a soloist with an orchestra at age eight, made his Carnegie Hall debut at 18, and won the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition at 20. He continues to make waves as one of the most sought-after pianists on the planet. “I adore Rachmaninov’s work,” he has said.

The concert, Pinnacle: Respighi & Rachmaninov, in association with the New Zealand Herald, also takes audiences to Italy with French composer Hector Berlioz’s resplendent Roman Carnival Overture and Italian composer Ottorino Respighi’s intoxicating Fountains of Rome.

Maestro Clerici, Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, made his NZSO debut in 2022. Wellington’s The Post praised his concert of Handel’s Messiah as “a sensitive and moving interpretation… and throughout the orchestra played beautifully.”

Mana Moana returns with spectacular show at Auckland’s Spark Arena 

The NZSO and Signature Choir, in collaboration with Live Nation, are thrilled to present Moana Mana at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Friday, 02 May.

Mana Moana is a unique fusion of symphony and Pacific songs, featuring the 80-strong Signature Choir alongside the NZSO. Following the success of the 2023 performance, this vibrant and emotional celebration returns, showcasing traditional and contemporary songs from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau.

Tickets are now on sale, starting from $19.90.

“Mana Moana re-imagines Pasifika music by blending choral harmony with a grand orchestra, creating a magical experience,” says Signature Choir Music Director Helen Tupai.

“Performing these significant songs with a world-class orchestra brings immense pride and emotion.”

The programme includes songs like Faliu le la, depicting Samoa’s beauty, Siueli o e pasifiki, written by Queen Salote Tupou III, and the Fijian farewell song Isa lei.

Since 2022, the NZSO and Signature Choir have collaborated to celebrate Pasifika languages and stories, producing high-quality recordings and videos with RNZ. The live performance at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre garnered over 1 million views on social media, leading to the highly anticipated 2023 Spark Arena event.

Don't miss this extraordinary musical experience!

Support our March fundraising appeal - the NZSO nationwide in schools 

Help us introduce orchestral music to children by sending our Animateur Chris Lam Sam and NZSO musicians into classrooms to deliver in-person music workshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

This work is proven to inspire young minds, build creative outlets for self-expression, develop cognitive skills, and ensure everybody feels invited to experience the wonder of symphonic music.

A gift of any amount helps! Find out more and get involved.

Passing the baton: new students join Conducting Fellowship 

The first 2025 session of our annual Conducting Fellowship Programme, over four days in the last week of February in Wellington, was an enormous success for everyone involved.

Driven by NZSO Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich, with support from NZSO Music Director Emeritus James Judd, the year-long Fellowship offers emerging orchestral conductors one-on-one mentoring and opportunities working with internationally acclaimed conductors, NZSO players, educators and music ensembles.

With generous funding from the Tindall Foundation and Creative New Zealand through its Pacific Arts Strategy, the programme’s long-term goal is to foster and grow the nation’s pool of talented young conductors to reflect the diverse communities of Aotearoa New Zealand.

This year the eight students include newcomers Lior Balachness, Wayne Gao and Alex Eichelbaum who join with Anne Filimoehala, Samiu Uatahausi, Tavite Tonga and Robertanna Moa, and two interns, Jackson McCarthy from New Zealand School of Music and Pablo Ruiz Henao from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

In preparation for conducting the NZSO later this year, the students last week conducted pianists Gabriela Glapska and Rachel Thomson, two NZSO string quintets at Wellington venue St Andrew’s on the Terrace and the New Zealand School of Music orchestra.

The preparation sessions were a hit, boosting the confidence of each young conductor and impressing all the musicians involved.

The young conductors return for their second exciting session in June.

Donor’s generosity stuns Alex Lindsay Awards Trust 

The Alex Lindsay Awards Trust, which is administered by NZSO players, is delighted to learn that last month that they were the beneficiaries of a $57,000 bequest from Joyce Doreen Malt, a longtime South Island supporter of the NZSO and the Alex Lindsay Awards.

Bridget Douglas, Chairperson of the Alex Lindsay Awards Trust says: “Joyce was an incredibly generous donor and champion of music education and her bequest will significantly increase how much financial assistance we are able to offer the winners of the annual Alex Lindsay Memorial Awards.

“We are absolutely thrilled that this wonderful donor recognised the value of supporting the next generation of New Zealand’s orchestral musicians through the awards, enabling young musicians to pursue further studies that will set them on the pathway to becoming professional orchestral musicians.”

The Alex Lindsay Award is a registered charitable trust set up by NZSO players in 1975 to honour the legacy of violinist Alex Lindsay, a much-loved NZSO Concertmaster who died suddenly in 1974. Since its inception in 1975, the award has granted more than $300,000 to young Kiwi musicians.

The Alex Lindsay Awards Trust recognises its annual award recipients in a beautifully ornate hand-bound book with the winners’ names written in calligraphy. This book is displayed in a glass case in the Michael Fowler Centre foyer alongside a bronze bust of Alex Lindsay. Both the bust and memorial book were created by artist Alison Kissling. When Alison retired to Australia, Rebecca Struthers, NZSO First Violinist, took over the calligraphy duties and has recently organised the making of a new book by Wellington book binder, Frida Granwal.

The Trustees gratefully acknowledge the generous donation of Angela Lindsay (Alex’s widow), to cover the cost of the new book. Rebecca has faithfully replicated the illustrations into the new book as you can see from the photos below. Next time you are in the MFC foyer, take a moment to enjoy it.”