2024 Conductors
2024 Conductors: Samiu Uatahausi, Luka Venter, Langakali Halapua, Kira Oldfield, Reuben Brown,
Enyah Talamaivao, Ben Robertson, Anne Filimoehala, Virginie Pacheco, Tavite Tonga
Fellows
Ben Robertson
Born in Ashburton, Ben Robertson has had an interesting and varied musical life. He spent six years with the New Zealand Army Band, travelling overseas extensively, before moving to Wellington to study performance bass trombone with David Bremner. Following his Bachelor of Music and Postgraduate Diploma, Ben spent a year studying abroad in London at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire. As a performer, Ben has appeared on occasion with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as well as with NZ’s regional orchestras. His interest in conducting was sparked during undergraduate studies under Kenneth Young, and this year he is excited to be a conducting fellow with the NZSO. Ben works fulltime as the Bandmaster of the Royal NZ Air Force Band. He is married to Kirsten (also a musician) and when they aren’t involved in musical activities they are kept busy at home with their three young boys.
Kira Olfield
Born in South Africa and brought up in the Middle East before moving to New Zealand, Kira has been a musician for most of their life. Starting on the piano and later adding singing and violin to their repertoire, Kira has been performing contemporary, classical, and jazz music for over fifteen years.
Their interest in conducting was sparked by a performance of the Bahrain Defence Forces Music Band. In 2023, Kira began conducting in Bulgaria with the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra. The wonderful musicians and teachers there solidified their desire to be a conductor. Kira is particularly interested in learning about conducting opera and ballet, as they find the connection between music and other art forms particularly special.
Kira currently works as a senior policy advisor in Wellington. They live with their partner and two cats and spend their free time following ice-based sports, reading, and watching murder mysteries.
Luka Venter
Luka Venter is a composer and conductor from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, whose practice spans the creation of new works for orchestra, historical instruments, and voices. Their work as a conductor has seen them collaborate with Orchestra Wellington, the NZSO National Youth Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Zar, and others. Most recently Luka has enjoyed a deepening relationship with the Royal Opera House as both a conductor and composer.
2023 saw the Barbican Centre première of Lanternfish — one of three chamber operas commissioned by the Guildhall School in association with the Royal Opera House. Luka also joined Britten-Pears and the Royal Opera House as a Young Artist in 2023, before joining the music staff for the London première of George Benjamin’s Picture a day like this as Assistant and Cover Conductor.
Luka is a previous recipient of the NZSO Todd Young Composer Award, and the Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship.
Reuben Brown
Hailing from the depths of the Aotearoa New Zealand's South Island, Reuben Brown recently completed his honours degree at Te Kōkī – New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, where he pursued his passions for orchestral conducting and euphonium performance. He is now the Artistic Administrator at Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Reuben made his NZSO conductor debut in 2023 with Christmas Brass at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand. Other performances include touring NZSO Tamariki Time concerts, the Manawatū Sinfonia (2022, 2023), St Kilda Brass Band (2023), Virtuoso Strings Orchestra (2022), Te Kōkī ensembles, and numerous Wellington ensembles.
Since 2019, Reuben has a euphonium seat with NZ's premiere Wellington Brass Band. In 2021, he became the Assistant Musical Director (under David Bremner), and recently conducted the band to champion the 2023 Wellington District Contest.
He is a founder/conductor of Wellington’s Gallery Orchestra, performing in unique collaborations and locations. 2024 marks Reuben's third year as an NZSO Conducting Fellow.
Sam Uatahausi
Originally from the Kingdom of Tonga, Sam Uatahausi studied at the University of Auckland, where he completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance and an Honours degree in Conducting under Associate Professor Dr Karen Grylls in 2022. His deep passion for music and unwavering dedication to his craft continue to propel him to new heights in his career.
The year 2023 saw him as a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's historic Brass & Percussion tour to Tonga, a full-circle moment connecting his present achievements to his cultural roots. Sam has recently been a Brass Tutor for Sistema Aotearoa. Currently, Sam embarks on a new challenge as a first-year Music Teacher at Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School in Māngere, fresh from a transformative year earning his graduate diploma in Teaching (Secondary) in 2023. This year marks Sam's second year in the Conducting Fellowship as a Fellow.
Virginie Pacheco
Originally from France, Virginie earned music degrees in performance (recorder), music theory and musicology before moving to Montreal, Canada to complete a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting. She quickly gained recognition in Quebec, winning the Iwan Edwards Award in 2015 and participating in various festivals and conferences around the world. She's enriched her skills through lessons and masterclasses with esteemed conductors such as Iwan Edwards, Andrew MeGill and Joseph Flummerfelt.
In 2017, she spent a summer residency with the Ontario Youth Choir under the tutelage of Elise Bradley. Virginie has been a dedicated music educator since 2013 and is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Adleisia, a Montreal prize-winning choir. Now in Wellington to follow her Kiwi whānau, she co-directs Supertonic Choir and has a keen interest in orchestral conducting, aiming to offer a wider range of pieces for choirs and orchestras to her audience.
Associate Fellows
Anne Filimoehala
Anne Filimoehala was raised in a musical family where she learned how to play the tenor horn at the age of 6, joining the Auckland City Youth brass band along with her siblings and learning from Andrew Leech and the late Mike Ryan. She then played for Howick Brass under the baton of Graeme Brown and is currently the principal solo horn for the Waitakere Auckland Brass and Central Auckland Brass Band.
In 2021, Anne graduated from the University of Auckland with a BMus (Hons) under the tutelage of Mark Bennett, majoring in Classical Performance in violin. Anne is currently the Lead Tutor at Sistema Aotearoa, Violin Teacher and Music Director at Takapuna Grammar School, co-founder of WLCA concert series, and runs her own studio where she teaches privately.
Enyah Talamaivao
Enyah Talamaivao, 20, of Samoan descent, was born and raised in South Auckland.
She is currently in her second year of a conjoint degree: a Bachelor of Arts majoring in criminology and a Bachelor of Music majoring in opera at the University of Auckland.
Enyah first encountered classical music at age seven when she learnt to play violin. Continuing her music journey, she started classical voice and did opera singing while attending secondary school. She is now a member of the NZYC (NZ Youth Choir).
Joining the NZSO Conducting Fellowship in 2023 significantly expanded her experience in conducting. In fact, leading the NZSO on stage in 2023 was the first time she conducted a full-sized symphony orchestra. As a returning NZSO Conducting Fellow in 2024, Enyah continues to learn and grow her knowledge of conducting.
“One day I’ll be one of the first Polynesian conducting females, making my family and community proud.”
Langakali (Kali) Halapua
Starting out on the violin at an early age in Fiji, Kali completed a BMus in performance with Mary O'Brien, concurrent with a BA at the University of Auckland. She is a performing musician and teacher with extensive experience in bilingual and multicultural environments.
Inspired by key figures of her musical youth, Henry Miyamura and Stan Kim (Hawaii Youth Symphony Orchestra), she has a keen interest in community led music projects. Her conducting journey began with a string ensemble she created in Gaspe, Quebec, and has continued with Sistema inspired youth orchestras in Montreal and Tāmaki Makaurau.
Uncovering a deeper passion for conducting at a Bach Musica NZ Conducting Workshop, she then participated in Creative NZ’s inaugural Pasifika Conductors Masterclass resulting in becoming a participant in the 2023 NZSO Conducting Fellowship Programme. 2024 sees her continuing conducting community and youth string orchestras, playing, and teaching the violin in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Tavite Tonga
Tavite is in his final year of study at the University of Auckland majoring in Classical Performance and Criminology. As a trombonist, he has performed with National Youth Brass Band, National Youth Orchestra, Bach Musica, Auckland Choral, Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Hawkes Bay Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
He teaches and conducts at schools throughout Auckland including Baradene College, Pukekohe High School and Dilworth. He is grateful to be apart of the NZSO Fellowship Programme and looks forward to learning from world class musicians.
Interns
Anastasia Bell
New Zealand-born Anastasia Bell is a self-taught conductor and flautist committed to the Specialist Music Programme at Burnside High School.
She has experience conducting with the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, including her compositions, as well as working with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at Conducting Masterclasses each year.
In July, Anastasia received a scholarship to partake in a summer intensive at the Michigan University (School of Music, Theatre, and Dance) Flute Institute, under the tutelage of internationally renowned flautist, Professor Amy Porter, as well as other tutors from around America. In addition, Anastasia was the 2023 recipient of the Cecily Maccoll High Achiever Award as part of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Awards. As an emerging young artist of New Zealand, her ambition is to become a Professional Conductor, Flautist, and Composer, after furthering her music studies internationally at Tertiary Level.
Joanna Dann
Joanna grew up in the Manawatu, playing cello in the local youth orchestras and in a string quartet with high school friends. She pursued cello studies at the University of Waikato with James Tennant and the University of Otago with Heleen du Plessis, during which she performed with Opus Orchestra in Hamilton, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.
Since completing her cello studies in early 2022, Joanna has taken steps towards pursuing conducting, learning with Kenneth Young, Peter Adams and Martin Riseley. She is currently freelancing and teaching music in Wellington and Palmerston North and is the Assistant Conductor of the Manawatu Youth Orchestra for 2024.
Laura Barton
Laura Barton is a violinist and conductor currently based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, where she is a permanent member of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. She began studying conducting under Ken Young at the New Zealand School of Music and continued this at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in Melbourne. Laura holds a Master of Music (Research) through Griffith University with an equal focus on violin and conducting, for which she was mentored by Simone Young. She also worked with numerous international conductors in assisting the ANAM orchestra including Richard Tognetti, Jose Luis Gomez, and Nicholas Carter.
In 2017, Laura was the conductor in residence for the Six Piano Project and in 2018 participated in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s Louise Crossley conducting masterclass with Elena Schwartz. In 2020, she was appointed to the position of assistant conductor with both the River City Voices choir and The Metropolitan Orchestra in Sydney. Laura currently conducts masterclasses for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra as part of their Hiki Orotau “Tune Up” program and in 2023 was a Conducting Fellow with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra where she has also conducted concerts around the South Island as part of their Open Doors series.
Robertanna Moa
My name is Robertanna Moa and I am an Intern for the 2024 NZSO Conducting Fellowship. I hold a Bachelor of Music from the University of Auckland and currently studying towards my honours degree. My aspirations are deeply rooted in a desire to impart musical knowledge and inspiration at the secondary school level—a path illuminated by the indelible influence of my high school music teacher. Her mentorship not only shaped my musical acumen but instilled in me a passion to provide similar transformative opportunities for future students.
Reflecting on my teaching experiences at Lewis Eady and Sistema Aotearoa, I've come to appreciate the diversity in learning styles among students, compelling me to adopt versatile teaching approaches. The collaborative atmosphere in these institutions has afforded me the privilege of learning from exceptional peers, each contributing a unique perspective and enriching my understanding of music education. I look forward to how I progress throughout this fellowship.