St Paul's at One - DSO, Beethoven to Baby

Delight your little ones at this vibrant interactive concert featuring well-known music that has been specially arranged for six DSO musicians. Beethoven to Baby will entertain the young, the very young, and the young at heart. You’ll be introduced to the orchestral instruments, and even invited to sing along to a familiar nursery rhyme. Join us for an informal virtuosic performance of favourite tunes and fun to be enjoyed by the whole family!

On the curator:

One of New Zealand’s leading sopranos, Anna Leese, takes on a curatorial role with this series of afternoon concerts in the glorious surrounds and acoustics of St Paul’s Cathedral. Over five days, the concerts feature some of our most accomplished performers in song, piano, taonga pūoro and strings, as well as a special interactive event for the littlies in our lives.

After studying at University of Otago and winning the 2002 Mobil Song Quest, soprano Anna Leese was furthering her studies in London when she made her debut in 2005 at Royal Opera House Covent Garden (ROH) as Tamiri in Mozart’s Il re pastore. The ROH then invited her to understudy the Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème. She returned to the role, among several others, in her own right in 2008 on the main stage. Regarded as a rising star on the international opera stage, Anna has performed in numerous operatic roles throughout Europe, Canada, China and New Zealand. She has sung with performance greats including Andrea Bocelli, Jose Carreras and Dame Kiri te Kanawa.