NYO Victory: Khachaturian & Prokofiev

Jessie Leov Speculations on a Rainbow
Khachaturian Piano Concerto
Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100

Tianyi Lu is a Kiwi conductor on the rise. Her deep love for music is matched by her burgeoning career, from being a Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic to becoming the first Female Conductor-in-Residence for the Welsh National Opera. Lu will bring “her exquisite calligraphic musical pictorialism” (LA Times) to Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, Prokofiev’s “hymn to free and happy Man.”

We are pleased to introduce Shan Liu to more NZ audiences, following his success in the 2023 NZSO Young Artists’ Showcase. His already impressive resume belies his mere 13 years, having recently picked up first prizes in the Netherlands and Macao, and performing in Australia, Germany and the USA. He will perform Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, the work that first introduced Khachaturian to Western audiences. We are also excited to premiere a work from another homegrown talent, Jessie Leov, the 2024 NYO Composer-in-Residence.

This year, we also celebrate the 25th year of the visionary support of Verna and the late Denis Adam through the Adam Foundation. This association has allowed generations of young New Zealanders to work with the finest musicians from here and overseas in a full-size symphony orchestra.