Leys Orchestra Heritage Festival Concert

Leys Orchestra proudly presents a free family concert celebrating Auckland's musical heritage and over a century of community music making.

Our Auckland Heritage Festival concert will illustrate the orchestra's role in Auckland's musical fabric over the past century, highlighting some of the personalities and stories from the orchestra's long history.

The programme also features 'Pohutukawa', a new work by David Hamilton (a former conductor of the orchestra) written specially for this concert and dedicated to Leys Orchestra.

Formed with the major benefactor Mr Thomson W Leys as its first chairman, the orchestra has served the community under the auspices of the Leys Institute in Ponsonby for over a century. However, following the sudden indefinite closure of the Leys Institute buildings by Auckland Council as an earthquake risk last Christmas, the orchestra is now without a home.

The orchestra is committed to supporting community and local body efforts to restore this valuable facility to public use.