Unique Concert Experience Celebrates Birdsong & Baroque

A concert blending iconic Baroque masterpieces with contemporary New Zealand compositions inspired by birdsong promises to be a standout event in the upcoming Central Celebrates mini-festival at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts this month.

Taking place from 22–24 August, Central Celebrates is a weekend-long celebration of the joy of ensemble music-making, featuring four orchestras and an inspiring line-up of guest artists and speakers.

One of the festival’s highlights, Flights of Fancy: Taonga of the Sky, sees multidisciplinary scientist Dr Monica Peters join OCT Ensemble in a unique exploration of bird-inspired music and storytelling.

The programme includes beloved works such as Vivaldi’s Cuckoo, alongside pieces by New Zealand composers including Janet Jennings and Anthony Ritchie—whose solo flute work captures the vocal gymnastics of the native tūī. The concert also features the world première of Mārū, a new composition for strings and harpsichord by Bjorn Arntsen, winner of the 2024 Tertiary Composition Workshop Competition in collaboration with the University of Waikato.

More than just a concert, Flights of Fancy invites audiences into the world of birds, reimagined through the ears of composers past and present. Through music and storytelling, the performance explores the beauty, complexity, and significance of Aotearoa’s avian life.

Dr Peters will act as a science advisor and creative guide throughout the performance, drawing on her expertise in biodiversity restoration to offer insight into the birds that inspire the music.

Programme:

Vivaldi | Concerto for violin in A major RV 335 ‘Il Cucù’ / The Cuckoo

Anthony Ritchie | Tui for solo flute opus 109 (2004)

Janet Jennings | The Lost Birds of Aotearoa for string quartet (2023)

- Interval -

Bjorn Arntsen | Mārū for strings and harpsichord (world première)

Vivaldi | Concerto for flute in D major, Op. 10, No. 3 'Il gardellino' /Goldfinch Vivaldi | Concerto for Violin in A minor RV 356

Date & Time:

Saturday 23 August 2025, 7pm

Location:

Te Whare Tapere Iti

Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts University of Waikato 

Ticket link: https://www.orchestras.org.nz/flights-of-fancy/

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