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A final reminder: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra holds summer’s most elegant picnic

Don your glad rags, slap on a sunhat and pack a hamper – the year’s most elegant picnic, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Summer Matinee, takes place in the gardens of Government House this weekend.

The APO Summer Matinee takes place at Government House, Mt Eden, Auckland on Saturday 12 February from 2pm.

Every year the Governor General opens the grounds of Government House for this annual event, which has become a highlight of the summer calendar. This year it is hosted by well-known New Zealand media personality Paul Holmes and features New Zealand tenor Ben Makisi.

Highlights of the programme, conducted by Brett Kelly, include Pachelbel’s Canon, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and selections from Handel's Water Music, plus popular tenor arias such as Verdi’s La donna è mobile, and Maria from West Side Story performed by Ben Makisi.

Ben began singing at an early age with the Tongan Wesley Methodist Church choir in Wellington, before studying overseas and at Victoria University. He has competed internationally, winning the prestigious Sydney McDonalds Eisstedfod Aria in 2002, and has performed alongside Anthony Warlow, Dame Malvina Major, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Donald McIntyre and the late Sir Howard Morrison. He was honoured to sing at Sir Edmund Hillary’s state funeral.

Later in the year Ben will be the tenor soloist in the APO’s production of Carmina Burana.

The APO Summer Matinee is on Saturday 12 February from 2pm at Government House, Mt Eden, Auckland. Bring a picnic basket to enjoy on the lawn, or pre-order a gourmet hamper from Dawson’s Catering together with a bottle of Villa Maria Estate wine. Tickets are limited and door sales will not be available.

ENDS

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