NZSSSO Gala

A magnificent orchestral event, this concert showcases the amazing talent of our top New Zealand orchestral musicians from secondary schools all around the country.

An exciting program will be conducted by Vincent Hardaker, a highly regarded New Zealand conductor who has worked with all the major orchestras in New Zealand including the NZSO. Hardaker studied conducting in the soloist class of the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Giordano Bellincampi and Michael Schønwandt, and in 2014 he graduated from the New Zealand School of Music with a Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours) in conducting under Kenneth Young and viola under Gillian Ansell.

Hardaker and the students of the NZSSSO will present a wonderful programme that brings together two fine New Zealand compositions (Lilburn’s Aotearoa Overture and Christopher Marshall’s Hikorangi Sunrise) as well as a strong connection to our environment with Cantus Arcticus, an orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. It is one of his best-known works, subtitled Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, and incorporates tape recordings of birdsong recorded near the Arctic Circle, and on the bogs of Liminka, in northern Finland.
The second half of the programme is Alexander Borodin’s 2nd Symphony, which is a musical masterpiece of rich melodies and orchestral colour showcasing the orchestra in all its splendour.

The NZSSSO is presented by Forte Itinerant Teachers of Music, and this is a concert not to be missed. Please come and join us to celebrate this exciting showcase of talented young New Zealand musicians.