Celebrating graduation with free chamber music

MEDIA RELEASE
14 SEPTEMBER 2006

University of Auckland celebrates graduation with free chamber music

Musicians from The University of Auckland's School of Music Chamber Orchestra will give a free concert at the Auckland Town Hall later this month, as part of the University's spring graduation festivities.

The Orchestra, comprising 40 undergraduate and postgraduate music students, will be directed from the violin by Goetz Richter, a German-born violinist currently based at the Sydney Conservatorium in Australia.

The concert will also feature award-winning, Chinese-born postgraduate Yu Gao (Kevin) on clarinet. Currently studying with Peter Scholes as an Honours student at the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries' School of Music, Kevin has won international clarinet competitions in China and the United States. He plans to complete a Masters and Doctorate in New Zealand as he moves toward a solo career.

"The Auckland Town Hall is without doubt a world-class acoustic space and it is particularly suited to performing sumptuous string music," says Professor Eric Hollis, head of the School of Music. "This concert will showcase some of New Zealand's most gifted young string musicians. Under the artistic leadership of distinguished violinist Goetz Richter, the concert promises to be an unforgettable experience."

The concert will last one hour and will include Barber's Adagio for Strings; Arvo Part's
In Memoriam Benjamin Britten; Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; and Gerald Finzi's Clarinet Concerto. Now in its 11th year, the graduation concert is an acknowledgement from the University of the support it receives from the community at large.

"The Spring Graduation Concert is our way of thanking Auckland for its support while also giving the city an opportunity to experience first hand the wealth of talent at the School of Music," says Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Raewyn Dalziel.

The University of Auckland Spring Graduation Concert will be held at 7:30pm on 28 September at the Auckland Town Hall. Entry is free and there are no reserved seats. Please arrive early to ensure admission. For information, call (09) 373 7599 ext. 87707 or email concerts[at]creative.auckland.ac.nz

ENDS

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