New Zealand School of Music Orchestra to perform special one-off concert
The orchestra will perform its only concert for 2020 at St Andrews on the Terrace on 26 September.
In a major coup, the concert will be conducted by Hamish McKeich, Principal Conductor in Residence of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Martin Riseley, orchestra coordinator at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (NZSM) at Victoria University of Wellington, says this is a terrific opportunity for the students involved.
“We are very lucky to have Hamish McKeich working with our students given his busy schedule and tremendous expertise. He will conduct the winner of our Concerto Competition, Isabella Gregory, in her performance of the Reinecke Flute concerto, and we will benefit from his wide experience as Director of Stroma in working with our student composer Micah Thompson for his premiere, Song. Rounding out the concert will be a titan of the symphonic repertoire, Brahms’ Second Symphony.”
Isabella Gregory, who is studying towards a Bachelor of Music Honours in Classical Performance, says that it will be a terrific experience performing as a soloist with the orchestra.
“As a flute player, I’m most at home sitting in the middle of the orchestra, listening to and playing off all the other instruments’ sounds around me. It’s a wonderful and unusual opportunity to have the chance to play up the front as a soloist - I’m looking forward to the excitement as well as the challenges that will bring!”
Composer Micah Thompson has written a new work especially for the concert, titled Song. Micah is in his Honours year, studying composition, and says he has enjoyed writing for the orchestra.
"Working closely with the many gifted performer colleagues here at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music has been a continually rewarding experience and has led to the gestation of works such as this. This piece has been an important work for me in finding my own expressive language."
In a normal year the orchestra usually performs twice, but the first concert this year was cancelled due to lockdown. This concert will go ahead even if Wellington remains at Level 2, with physical distancing in place and limited numbers.
New Zealand School of Music Orchestra
7:30pm Saturday 26 September
St Andrews on the Terrace
Tickets available at Eventfinda