NZSO National Youth Orchestra 2004

12 August 2004

NZSO NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA 2004

The NZSO National Youth Orchestra announces its 2004 concerts with San Francisco-based conductor Alasdair Neale making his debut in New Zealand. During his 12-year tenure as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, Maestro Neale built an enviable reputation for the orchestra as one of the finest young ensembles in the world. His final concert with them in 2001 prompted Allan Ulrich of the San Francisco Chronicle to write, "Inspiring was the first description that came to mind. Profoundly musical was the second".

The NYO also welcomes new principal sponsors - the New Zealand Community Trust, whose generosity has enabled the NZSO National Youth Orchestra to perform an additional concert in Christchurch as well as Wellington and Auckland, this year.

The NZSO National Youth Orchestra is made up of the country's most promising young musicians from all over the country, who have been selected by live audition. Participants this year originate from Alexandra to Whangarei, and include brass players from Tauranga, Timaru, Invercargill and Wanganui.

This year's Concertmaster is Wellingtonian Julia McCarthy who has been part of the NYO five times and who is also Wellington Youth Orchestra Concertmaster as well as regularly playing with the NZSO as a contract player. Julia hopes to continue her violin studies overseas next year, possibly at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where she was recently offered a place and post-graduate scholarship.

The orchestra will meet in Wellington, commencing rehearsals on 25 August for a week of music making under fully professional conditions, which will culminate in a public concert on Tuesday 31 August at the Michael Fowler Centre, in Christchurch on Thursday 2 September and Auckland on Saturday 4 September.

The programme will comprise of richly orchestrated Late Romantic music with Elgar's popular Engima Variations portraying the eccentric characters of 14 of the composer's friends, followed by the main course of Brahms' grand Symphony No 1.

Established in 1959, the National Youth Orchestra occupies a unique place within New Zealand's music culture. It has served as a training ground for many New Zealand musicians who are now leaders in their chosen fields. Today's NZSO, along with many other world orchestras, numbers among its personnel many musicians who started their professional training in the NYO.

The NZSO NYO continues to strive for the highest level of artistic excellence and owes a considerable debt of gratitude to its conductors who succeed year after year in bringing together young players from diverse backgrounds and experience and, in the space of just ten days, shape them into a fine ensemble for the concert platform.

PROGRAMME

NZSO NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA 2004

NZSO NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA Tuesday 31 August, 7pm MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE WELLINGTON Thursday 2 September, 7pm TOWN HALL CHRISTCHURCH Saturday 4 September, 7pm TOWN HALL AUCKLAND

Always a great night out! New Zealand's National Youth Orchestra proves just what it can do in this enjoyable programme which showcases the orchestra and its individual talents.

Alasdair Neale conductor BERLIOZ Roman Carnival ELGAR Enigma Variations BRAHMS Symphony No 1

TICKETS $20, $6 Students Book at Ticketek Wgtn: 04 384 3840 Akl: 09 307 5000

ENDS

© Scoop Media