Past Concerts

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano
James Jin concertmaster
Sarah Watkins piano

Silvestre Revueltas Batik
Henry Cowell 26 Simultaneous Mosaics
Eve de Castro-Robinson Len Songs
John Rimmer Lunar Eclipse
Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 3

Here's out final concert for 2022. It's got song, chamber music and a symphony. We will be finishing with Symphony No. 3 by Sibelius - a beautiful work of majesty and exquiste melodies. The title of this concert is from "Len Songs" which is a setting of Len Lye's words by Eve de Castro-Robinson. She has written an opera on Len Lye's life and also a set of dances. 'Len Songs' sets his poems to music with intimate flair and colourful energy. After last concert's success with the music of Silvestre Revueltas we are playing another of his works - 'Batik' - it's fun! And then there's 'Lunar Eclipse' for four Wagner tubas. ACO concerts are full of variety and this one peaks in that regard!

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet

Silvestre Revueltas Eight on the Radio
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet
Chris Adams Postcards from Eden
Louise Webster Of the night
Silvestre Revueltas Homenaje a Federico García Lorca

This ACO concert is chamber music and music for large ensemble. Chris Adams takes us on a reflection of a 10 hour stint at LAX. Louise Webster explores night with inspiration from a poem by the 8th Century BC Spartan poet, Alkman. Mexican composer Sivestre Revueltas opens and closes the concert - expect fantastic rhythms and catchy trumpet tunes. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a late 19th-century British composer famous for his cantata "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast". His clarinet quintet is a masterful composition inspired by Dvorak. It's a colourful concert with flute, piccolo, clarinets, trumpet, bassoon, piano, percussion, violins, viola, cello, bass, trombone, tuba, and horn.

Michael Hurst narrator
Peter Scholes conductor
Miranda Adams Concertmaster

Leoš Janáček Idyll
Peter Scholes and Pico Iyer Thirteen Ways of Looking at Seven
Arnold Schoenberg Transfigured Night

We feature two glorious works for string orchestra. Firstly, the rarely played 'Idyll' by Janáček. The influence of Dvorak is strong in this work as are the folk music references - both melodic and rhythmic. Schoenberg's 'Transfigured Night' is an extraordinary work of intense emotion stretching romantic harmony to its limits.
Also in the prgramme is "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Seven" with words by Pico Iyer and music composed by our music director Peter Scholes. Michael Hurst is narrating. It begins "Out into the world, and everything starts again. Out into the self, and everything falls into place. A day dawns just as childhood dawns, no past, no future, now..."

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Miranda Adams Concertmaster

Nikos Skalkottas Five Greek Dances
Dorothy Freed Suite for String Orchestra
Franz Schubert Death and the Maiden for String Orchestra

Here's some good news from the ACO! We have an exciting programme of music for string orchestra coming up soon. Many thanks to our funders and also to the work of our board members which makes this possible. We played the Schubert's Death and the Maiden (string orchestra version) a few years back and music director Peter Scholes has been desperately keen to perform it again. The larger string group combined with the addition of double bass brings a new perspective to this much loved string quartet. Five Greek Dances by Nicos Skalkottas takes us on a whirlwind visit to Greece with fiery dances, toe-tapping rhythms and haunting melodies. Dorothy Freed was a New Zealand author, composer, and music historian. She wrote the Suite for String Orchestra in 1960.

Phyllis Tate Sonata for Clarinet and Cello
Johannes Brahms Quintet in b minor for Clarinet and String Quartet Op.115

Brahms' Clarinet Quintet is one of the greatest pieces in the chamber music repertoire. Brahms follows in the tradition of earlier works for this combination. Carl Stamitz was the first and then the mighty Mozart Clarinet Quintet. Weber's quintet is more of a mini-clarinet concerto. Brahms was familiar with Mozart's Quintet and like Mozart composed it for a colleague whom he admired. His love of the clarinet playing of Richard Mühlfeld inspired a number of works including the clarinet quintet. It takes the audience on a deeply moving journey of lyricism, virtuoso display and lavish autumnal tones. All five players are equal contributors in this finely woven masterpiece. Also in the programme is the Sonata for Clarinet and Cello by English composer Phyllis Tate which she wrote in 1949 for the legendary musicians Frederick Thurston (clarinet) and William Pleeth (cello). Tate worked in many genres, including orchestral music, chamber music, operas and operettas, sacred music, piano music, and vocal music.

Peter Scholes clarinet
Miranda Adams violin
Charmian Keay violin
Helen Lee viola
Callum Hall cello (Brahms only)
James Tennant cello (Tate only)

Douglas Lilburn Wind Quintet
Jacques Ibert Three Short Pieces
Luciano Berio Sequenza V for Trombone
Carl Nielsen Wind Quintet

We are excited to present an evening of music for the colourful combination of woodwinds and french horn. The wind quintet is for wind players what the string quartet is for string players. The unique timbres of each instrument give composers a rich and varied sonic palette with which to sculpt their composition. The programme has music from Denmark, Italy, France, and New Zealand. Also for your listening pleasure John Gluyas will perform Sequenza V by Berio. Sequenza V was composed as a tribute to Grock, called "the last of the great clowns" by Berio - a warning for anyone who suffers from coulrophobia :-)

Kathryn Moorhead flute
Martin Lee oboe
Peter Scholes clarinet
Ben Hoadley bassoon
Simon Williams horn
John Gluyas trombone

Ken Wilson Duet for Clarinet and Bassoon
Sarah Ballard felsic mafic
Jean Françaix Dixtour
Edgard Varèse Density 21.5 for solo flute
Arnold Schoenberg Chamber Symphony Op.9

The music of two NZ composers starts the programme followed by fun and games with French composer Jean Françaix. Density 21.5 celebrates the new platinum flute. We conclude with one of the 20th century's greatest works, the Chamber Symphony by Arnold Schoenberg.

Peter Scholes clarinet and conductor
Liu-Yi Retallick violin
Helen Bevin viola
Evgeny Lanchtikov bass
Luca Manghi flute
Noah Rudd oboe
Martin Lee cor anglais
Noah Rudd oboe
Andrew Uren clarinet and bass clarinet clarinet and bass clarinet
Donald Nicholls Eb clarinet
Elsa Lam clarinet
Ben Hoadley bassoon bassoon
David Kay horn
Simon Williams horn

Heinrich Bärmann Adagio from Clarinet Quintet Opus 23
Carl Maria von Weber Quintet in Bb, Opus 34
Jean Françaix Dixtour
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet in A major for Clarinet and String Quartet, K.581

We are excited to be performing a programme of delightful quintets for clarinet and string quartet by Mozart, Weber and Heinrich Bärmann.

Peter Scholes clarinet
James Jin violin
Liam Oborne violin
Nathan Pinkney viola
Callum Hall cello

Johannes Brahms Sonata in Eb for clarinet and piano
Elena Kats Chernin Nonchalance
Emmanuel Chabrier L'invitation au voyage
Ben Hoadley Transits
Ben Hoadley Lurch
Mikhail Glinka Trio Pathétique
Franz Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Shepherd on the Rock)

Finally we are back with a concert! And it is a gorgeous programme of chamber music with special guest Morag Atchison to sing Chabrier and Schubert. Reserve your seats quickly - but please let us know if your plans change. There is sure to be a waiting list for this programme and we need advance notice if you can't come.

Morag Atchison soprano
Sarah Watkins piano
Peter Scholes clarinet
Ben Hoadley bassoon

Eve de Castro Robinson Peal
Eve de Castro Robinson Chaos of Delight IV
Eve de Castro Robinson Stumbling Trains
Eve de Castro Robinson hau
Eve de Castro Robinson Clarion

The Auckland Chamber Orchestra features in a very special performance for the Auckland Arts Festival, performing the New Zealand premiere of Eve de Castro-Robinson’s new concerto Clarion. This performance follows the world premiere at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in February. Eve says Clarion is a clarion call to arms across oceans: an alarm clock to wake us up to climate change and rising sea levels. “Our planet is calling to us – it’s burning, flooding, melting, freezing, losing insects and animal species in a mass extinction and much more – we must respond. “I have been contemplating the importance of listening to, and learning from, indigenous peoples and their knowledge when thinking about overcoming the climate crisis. It’s western processes of capitalism, colonisation and industrialisation that have caused this catastrophe, while destroying indigenous cultures. “As a composer, my hope is that the urgency of my new work Clarion, and the intense calling, ringing voices of the other works, will resonate with listeners as a call to arms.”

Peter Scholes conductor
Bede Williams trumpet, pūtātara
Mere Boynton voice
Eric Renick percussion
Luca Manghi flute and piccolo
Ben Hoadley bassoon
Ashley Brown cello
Ben Hoadley bassoon
Auckland Chamber Orchestra

Franz Schubert String Quartet: Death and The Maiden (1st movement)
Paul Hindemith Viola Sonata, Op.25 No.1
Chris O'Conner Solo for Percussion
Ernő Dohnanyi Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op. 10
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola in G major, K423
Chris O'Conner Can Man
Peter Schickele Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano

ACO celebrates 21 years with special guests Te Ahi Kaa Quartet
In what's believed to be a first, a Maori quartet took out the 2018 prestigious secondary school chamber music contest, and the four Whangārei teens are still buzzing.
The Te Ahi Kaa Quartet is a group of four highly talented teenagers, all based in Whangarei. Three of the group are siblings: Maia-Dean and Atawhai Martin play violin and Purotu Martin plays cello. The fourth member, Isaiah Kaiawe, plays viola. Last year, while all four were still at secondary school, the quartet won the National Finals of the NZCT Chamber Music Competition, competing against many other supremely young players from throughout New Zealand. Since then, Maia-Dean has been accepted into the music performance course at Waikato University, where she is studying for a Bachelor of Music. This year, Atawhai and Purotu played in a piano trio which also reached the NZCT Chamber Music Competition finals, and took out the prize for the best performance of a New Zealand composition.

Peter Scholes conductor
Robert Ashworth viola
Chris O'Conner percussion

Juliet Palmer American Woman
Juliet Palmer bone-flower
Juliet Palmer Bout
Juliet Palmer drift, drop
Juliet Palmer Foundry
Juliet Palmer Cutwork

Welcome to the music of JULIET PALMER
COMPOSER, SOUND ARTIST AND PERFORMER
New Zealand-Canadian composer Juliet Palmer is known as a “post-modernist with a conscience” (The Listener) whose work “crosses so many genres as to be in a category of its own” (Toronto Star). Juliet is the artistic director of Urbanvessel, a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration. Recent works: Oil & Water, Detroit Symphony Orchestra (June 2019); rivers, solo CD release (Barnyard Records, 2018); Inside Us, audio-video installation and performance (Western Front, Vancouver); burl for pianist Stephen De Pledge (NZ Festival); The Man Who Married Himself, librettist Anna Chatterton & choreographer Hari Krishnan (Toronto Masque Theatre); Vermillion Songs, tenor Simon O’Neill & NZTrio; and Sweat, a cappella opera, writer Anna Chatterton (CalArts, Los Angeles; Bicycle Opera tour; National Sawdust, New York). Her 2010 boxing opera Voice-Box was acclaimed as a “performance piece that smashes the boundaries between disciplines and leaves them sprawled out on the mat, down for the count” (Musicworks).
"‘drift, drop offered another kind of memory device, poring over elements of a folk melody that appeared in the opening minutes as an imperfect but meaningful recollection. The anxious music that followed, in bursts of percussion and scale-wise canons of instruments crawling chromatically over each other’s backs, seemed to me an interrogation of what exactly was being remembered. Was it a tune merely, or the vanished cultural assumptions that had produced it? Trills of ambiguous function hung from the melodic line, like vestigial organs. The scampering of instruments (piano, flute and two ensembles) sometimes suggested a frantic, coital attempt to reach the unreachable.’— Robert Everett-Green The Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada, 2006."
Juliet was the 2011/12 Creative New Zealand/Jack C. Richards composer-in-residence at the New Zealand School of Music and the 2012 composer-in-residence of Orchestra Wellington. She was an Artist-in-Residence at Sunnybrook Research Institute in 2018 funded by the Ontario Arts Council. She is the winner of the Detroit Symphony’s Elaine Lebenbom Award and the recipient of a Chalmers Arts Fellowship 2018-19.
Juliet holds a PhD in composition from Princeton University and an M.Mus in performance, composition and time-based art from Auckland University.

Peter Scholes conductor
Barbara Paterson soprano

Peter Scholes Shifting Sands
Xu Tang Zhong (中)
Francis Poulenc Sinfonietta

We are giving the world premiere of the cello concerto by Xu Tang.
Matthias Balzat is a New Zealand born cellist and is currently 19 years old. He began playing the cello at the age of 3, and has completed his Bachelor of Music with Honours at the University of Waikato studying under James Tennant. He is currently doing his masters degree at the Robert Schumann Hochschule für Musik in Düsseldorf, Germany under Professor Pieter Wispelweij.
"Not Western, not Eastern, then, what is it? It is me, who was born and raised in China and have been living in New Zealand for the last ten years. Zhong (中), means literally centre, middle. We are living in a world where the 'convergent' and 'divergent' coexist. Different cultural traditions and ideas have been exchanged and integrated through processes of "convergence" and then made pluralistic through processes of "divergence". Every culture has its own idiosyncrasies, which makes the world rich and colourful." Xu Tang
This work was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and soloist Matthias Balzat.
Xu Tang, composer, born in Beijing China, where he received his early education. He moved to New Zealand in 2009. As a composer, he has received commissions from leading musicians and foundation. His works have been presented by a wide range of artists in UK, USA, China, New Zealand, Japan, Belgium. Xu is a prize winner in numerous composition competitions in Russia, UK, USA, New Zealand, Belgium. His work for solo piano is featured in a new CD, produced and released worldwide through RMN Music Record Label of London.
Poulenc is the master of the intriguing juxtapostion of jolity and melancholy. At times he is jazzy and playful and almost cartoonish with cheeky phrases and ctachy rhythms. Then the lyricism takes centre stage with gorgeous melodies and harmonic subtleties. Ravel is said to have admitted to Poulenc that he envied his ability to “write his own folksongs. If you were at the Town Hall last night when the APO played his Organ Concerto you will certainly want to hear his "Sinfonietta".
The ACO has performed much of his chamber music and also staged his opera, "La voix humaine" opera.
The concert begins with "Shifting Sands", a composition by the ACO's musical director Peter Scholes. His principal instrument is the clarinet and this piece features the clarinet in an improvisatory role with string orchestra.

Peter Scholes conductor/clarinet
Matthias Balzat cello

Annea Lockwood Immersion
Annea Lockwood I Give You Back
Annea Lockwood Bayou-borne
Annea Lockwood In Our Name
Annea Lockwood Luminescence

Born in New Zealand in 1939, Annea Lockwood moved to England in 1961, studying composition at the Royal College of Music, London, attending summer courses at Darmstadt and completing her studies in Cologne and Holland, taking courses in electronic music with Gottfried Michael Koenig. In 1973 feeling a strong connection to such American composers as Pauline Oliveros, John Cage, the Sonic Arts Union (Ashley, Behrman, Mumma, Lucier), and invited by composer Ruth Anderson to teach at Hunter College, CUNY, she moved again to the US and settled in Crompond, NY. She is an Emerita Professor at Vassar College.
During the 1960s she collaborated with sound poets, choreographers and visual artists, and also created a number of works such as the Glass Concerts which initiated her lifelong fascination with timbre and new sound sources. In synchronous homage to Christian Barnard’s pioneering heart transplants, Lockwood began a series of Piano Transplants (1969-82) in which defunct pianos were burned, drowned, beached, and planted in an English garden.
Since the early 1990s, she has written for a number of ensembles and solo performers, often incorporating electronics and visual elements. Thousand Year Dreaming is scored for four didgeridus, conch shell trumpets and other instruments and incorporates slides of the cave paintings at Lascaux. Duende, a collaboration with baritone Thomas Buckner, carries the singer into a heightened state, similar to a shamanic journey, through the medium of his own voice. Ceci n’est pas un piano for piano, video and electronics merges images from the Piano Transplants with Jennifer Hymer’s musings on her hands and pianos she has owned, her voice being sent through, and colored by the piano strings.
Other recent work includes Vortex commissioned by Bang on a Can for the All-Stars; a surround-sound installation, A Sound Map of the Danube; Luminescence, settings of texts by Etel Adnan for Thomas Buckner and the SEM Ensemble; Gone! in which a little piano-shaped music box, attached to 20 helium balloons, is released from a concert grand and floats off over the audience playing, in one case, Memories. Jitterbug, commissioned by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for the dance eyeSpace, incorporates Lockwood’s recordings of aquatic insects, and two improvising musicians working from photographs of rock surfaces. Poems by three of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are the focus of In Our Name, a collaboration with Thomas Buckner for baritone voice, cello and ‘tape’.
Much of her music has been recorded, on the Lovely, XI, Mutable, Pogus, EM Records (Japan), Rattle Records, Soundz Fine (NZ), Harmonia Mundi and Ambitus labels. She is a recipient of the 2007 Henry Cowell Award.

Peter Scholes conductor
Te Oti Rakena baritone
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano
Luca Manghi flute flute
Josh Rogan trumpet trumpet
Tatiana Lanchtchikova piano
Rebecca Celebuski percussion
Mary Wilson viola viola
Katherine Uren cello cello

David Hamilton Nix Olympica
David Hamilton A Small Garden of Songs (1 and 5)
David Hamilton Canticle
David Hamilton Hurdy Gurdy
David Hamilton Concertino for Oboe and Strings
David Hamilton The Ghosts of Wreck Bay
David Hamilton Hineraukatauri
David Hamilton Kingston Flier

Welcome to the music of David Hamilton. He's one of New Zealand's musical treasures with music which inspires with its imagination and clarity.
This is a concert of chamber music, songs and orchestral music by Auckland composer David Hamilton.
The ACO composer portrait concerts are a precious beacon of activity in the New Zealand music environment. The concerts are an exploration of the variety of exprression that each composer has achieved in their work.
"Auckland Chamber Orchestra's Composer Portraits have always been major testaments of cultural faith. National in significance, they present the men and women who catch the heart and spirit of our country in their music." William Dart. NZ Herald
“Hamilton piece a triumph of innovation and vibrancy… A more welcoming score you could not imagine…it was the sheer inventiveness of the composer that made the work so vibrant. This was a solid and exciting piece, written with a balance of expertise and sensitivity that should ensure it is picked up by other enterprising choral groups.” William Dart (reviewing the premiere of “Missa Pacifica” NZ Herald 9/11/05)
"...David Hamilton's newly commissioned "Karakia of the Stars". With a choral wash of sound that evoked an image of Ligeti on the marae, the composer combined (Horomona Horo's) eloquent koauau solo, the insistent tapping of small stones, small hand-held bells chimed by the singers and fervent vocal solos....It was an effective cultural synthesis..." William Dart reviewing the concert by Voices New Zealand (November 2011)

Peter Scholes conductor
Bede Hanley oboe
Jenni Mori flute
Helen Acheson soprano
Sarah Watkins piano

Tansy Davies Dune of Footprints
Alberto Ginastera Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 (Italian)

This is a concert of orchestral music spanning 3 centuries.
The ACO performs three works: from the 19thC is Mendelssohn's "Italian Symphony", from the 20thC is Ginastera's "Variaciones Concertantes" and from the 21stC is "Dune of Footprints" by Tansy Davies.
"Tansy Davies writes music that is sleek, hot, earthy, physical. Her instruments glint and sigh and thrust. Her textures are lean and gleaming. Her rhythms are all punch and sinew. As a composer she is immensely herself: a woman of fearsome drive and rigour and self-knowledge, a woman who connects with body, spirituality and political convictions – and who conveys all that without without filter or apology. That’s what makes her music so immediately and intoxicatingly her own. To hear it is beguiling, bracing, provocative, a rush of blood to the head, a soft breath to the skin, a reboot to the system." Kate Molleson 2018
Beguiling and richly sonorous, "Dune of Footprints" is inspired by the ancient underground river beds that cave-dwellers used as pathways. The work unfolds meditatively with quivering tremolos and darkly lustrous harmonies.
Ginastera says of his work, "These variations have a subjective Argentine character. Instead of using folkloristic material, I try to achieve an Argentine atmosphere through the employment of my own thematic and rhythmic elements. The work begins with an original theme followed by eleven variations, each one reflecting the distinctive character of the instrument featured. All the instruments of the orchestra are treated soloistically. Some variations belong to the decorative, ornamental or elaborative type, others are written in the contemporary manner of metamorphosis, which consists of taking elements of the main theme and evolving from it new material."
Mendelssohn composed five symphonies. He said of his 4th, known as "Italian", "... it is becoming the merriest piece I have yet composed."

Peter Scholes conductor

Rashid Kalimullin Symphony No. 4
Rashid Kalimullin Cities of the World
Elena Anisimova Spring Dance
Elmir Nizamov At the Wailing Wall
Andrián Pertout Navigating the Labyrinth
Anatoly Luppov Two Preludes
Leonid Lyubovsky Litany
Michael Kieran Harvey Module Fugue
Julia Beck Continuum
Ilgam Baytiryak Ethnic Diptych
Natalya Vagner Curlews in the Night

A Concert of Orchestral New Music from Russia and Tatarstan.
The ‘Pearls of Russian and Tatar Music’ concert event will feature music for piano and strings by Rashid Kalimullin, Elena Anisimova, Elmir Nizamov, Anatoly Luppov, Leonid Lyubovsky, Julia Beck, and Ilgam Baytiryak. It will also include Australian works by Andrián Pertout, Michael Kieran Harvey, and Natalya Vagner. The New Zealand edition of ‘Pearls of Russian and Tatar Music’ is curated by Andrián Pertout, and sponsored and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, and Union of Composers of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia).

Peter Scholes conductor
Michael Kieran Harvey piano

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Miranda Adams concertmaster

Gabrielle Blazer Waitakere Suite
Gabrielle Blazer Troika

Gabrielle was born in Invercargill. She learned both violin and cello. She played in the Symphonia but her great love was solo playing, Gypsy style at some of Auckland's top restaurants.
Gabrielle formed the Auckland Concert Orchestra in the early '80s and in doing so united passionate musicians from around New Zealand giving lively and unique concert experiences to appreciative audiences.
Later in life Gabrielle suffered from personal disappointment and multiple medical ailments, sadly passing away in 2017. Her output of compositions and arrangements was prolific.

Ben Hoadley Turakirae
Alex Taylor Flute Concerto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Here's the last ACO concert for the year. Please join us for an evening of world premieres and an all-time favourite. Ben Hoadley's "Turakirae" is an evocative and sometimes nostalgic impression of the dramatic landscape and surroundings at Turakirae. Alex Taylor's Flute Concerto is a spectacular display of dazzling flute colours and orchestra with exotic percussion, harp and piano elegantly mixed into string and woodwind textures. And to conclude we perform Mozart's enchanting Symphony No. 40. If only he had lived as long as Haydn - imagine what Mozart's Symphony No. 101 would have been like!
Flautist Abigail Sperling (DMA) is a performing artist, pedagogue, and clinician based in Oregon, USA. She received her doctorate in 2016 from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, studying with Professor Uwe Grodd. and is currently a well-known as a performer of contemporary music – particularly that by New Zealand composers. Abigail teaches flute at Linfield College and Chemeketa Community College and features regularly as a recitalist in Oregon.
This concerto was made possible thanks to generous funding from Creative New Zealand (2016).

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Abigail Sperling flute

Antonin Dvořák Serenade Op.44
Gioachino Rossini Duet for Cello and Bass
Alban Berg Chamber Concerto op.8

This is a concert of spectacular music with compositions from three contrasting composers. The Dvořák Serenade is excitingly virtuostic and full of sublime melancholy. The Rossini Duet crams an opera worth of tunes into a tiny piece as well as showcasing the soloists with string gymnastics. A cello and bass duet is a rare thing and it's wonderful that Rossini made this charming piece for us to enjoy. The major work in the programme is the mighty Chamber Concerto by Alban Berg. It features two soloists: piano and violin. The work has a clean architecture with each soloist working alone with the orchestra, and together as a duo.

Peter Scholes conductor
Justine Cormack violin
Sarah Watkins piano piano
James Tennant cello
Evgeny Lanchtikov bass

John Elmsly Passacaglia (1984)
John Elmsly Dream Fragments (1980)
John Elmsly Ascend (2008)
John Elmsly Three Songs (2016)
John Elmsly Microtungwhorl (2015)
John Elmsly Lullaby

Auckland born John Elmsly, known for music of delicacy, sensitivity, richness...his output has spanned orchestral, solo, chamber, choral, vocal and electroacoustic media, with notable works in many of these.
A childhood which included a dozen or so primary schools in Auckland, Melbourne, Blenheim, and the Hutt Valley managed to include music study on the piano, but his serious composing began at secondary school, with much encouragement from Laughton Pattrick (then HOD Music at Upper Hutt College). The major part of this was five years of participation in the creation of school musicals and other works for school orchestras and choirs. Later theatrical work included incidental music for a production of ‘The Royal Pardon’ performed by the Heretaunga Players and later Unity Theatre in Wellington.
At Victoria University study in science (with a major in mathematics) was gradually replaced by music study, including piano performance study with Barry Margan who was then touring the country with Music Players 70 and similar groups, and composition study with David Farquhar. Significant performances took place at the summer schools of Cambridge and Kerikeri. First work with electronic music was undertaken with Douglas Lilburn in 1975. The same year he took up a Belgian postgraduate scholarship and began study at the Muziekconservatorium van Brussel, taking a First Prize in Composition in 1977, and undertaking further study with Frederic Rzewski, Henri Pousseur and Philippe Boesmans in Liège. Throughout the period in Belgium he was also carrying out electroacoustic composition at the studios of IPEM in Ghent, under the mentorship of Lucien Goethals.
Part-time teaching and composing in London was to follow, including classroom teaching in various inner city schools and a year running the music department at Queens College. In 1981 he was Mozart Fellow at the University of Otago, in 1983 undertook a film music summer course with Richard Rodney Bennett, and in 1984 returned to NZ to take up a teaching position at the University of Auckland.
Thus began a long association with Auckland based performers, who commissioned the Dialogue series of five works (Uwe Grodd, Peter Scholes and David Guerin, David Jenkins and Christine Cuming, Nicola Averill and Jonathan Baker, Miranda Adams and Ingrid Wahlberg). The Auckland Philharmonia publicly performed or recorded on CD Neither From Nor Towards, ‘Cello Symphony (Ribbonwood CD), Pacific Hockets (ODE CD), Intoit, Resound (Atoll CD), Metamorphoses and White Feathers, as well as workshop readings of Sinfonietta, and Champs de Cloches. Bridget Douglas of the NZSO premiered Response for flute and orchestra, and in 2017 Gisborne competition winner Singaporean violinist Jun Hong Loh premiered the Concerto for violin and orchestra with Orchestra Wellington.

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Claire Scholes mezzo-soprano
Sarah Watkins piano
Eddie Giffney accordion accordion
Miranda Adams violin
James Yoo cello
Andrew Uren bass clarinet
Donald Nicholls clarinet
Kevin Kim recorder
Jenni Mori flute

Helen Bowater The Ghost of Oedipus (2011) for solo piano
Helen Bowater Cottleston Pie (2009) for solo piano
Helen Bowater The Frivolous Cake (1990) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble
Helen Bowater Violin Concerto for Ten Players (1996 ed. 2018)
Helen Bowater Declination 0 (2005) for chamber ensemble
Helen Bowater beneath the crumpled stars (2014) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble
Helen Bowater White Kingdom for brass trio (2016)
Helen Bowater When I fell… (2015) for mezzo-soprano, flute and bassoon

Here's a concert with a difference - come and immerse yourself in the soundworld of Helen Bowater. She's a free spirit with bucketloads of imagination and musical finesse. The music sparkles with originality and mixes humour, simplicity and complexity with poignant tone colours.
Here's what the reviews say:
Declination 0 retained a certain mystery, with Bowater proving herself a veritable sculptor in sound. Her implacable rising and falling wave/phrases were moulded to the last rivulet,…(NZ Herald, 2005)
Bowater made it clear that there was something dark and mysterious in this undergrowth…So vivid was the orchestration, so brilliant the playing, sounds almost became tangible, from mournful brass chords to the ever-present birdlife.(NZ Herald, 2003)
… joyous sonic toss-and-tumble (NZ Herald, 2010)
…charismatic in all its colours… (NZ Herald, 1994)
…shivered , shrieked and sang with the sweetest of strings. (NZ Herald, 2003)
Her Lautari was dashed off with Romany flair by violinist Miranda Adams. (NZ Herald, 2015)
Rangitoto is a piano piece of Lisztian bravura…gnarly textures and avalanches of octaves as well as illuminating moments of reflection. (NZ Herald, 2013)

Peter Scholes conductor
Blas Gonzalez piano
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano
Miranda Adams violin
Huw Dann trumpet
John Gluyas trombone
Emma Eden horn

Edvard Grieg Elegiac Melodies
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 in B♭ major, K. 595
Lyell Cresswell Of Smoke and Bickering Flame

2017 was a very successful year for the ACO - full (nearly) houses and some great performances by players and soloists.
We were thrilled to be in Metro's "2017 Best of Auckland" for music two times! The first was for our involvement with "Passio" in the Auckland Festival and the second was our Gillian Whitehead concert in July.
Grieg's "Elegische Melodien" were originally written for piano and voice. This is an arrangement for string orchestra made later by Grieg of the two songs "The Wounded Heart" and "The Last Spring".
Mozart had great success with his piano concertos. We play No. 27 which was first performed in 1791 - the year of Mozart's death.
In 2017 we played Lyell Cresswell's "I paesaggi dell’anima (Landscapes of the Soul)". This was a terrific piece and we were keen to play more of his music. "Of Smoke and Bickering Flame" is a concerto for orchestra with virtuoso playing for all the musicians.

Peter Scholes conductor
Bede Hanley oboe
Jenni Mori flute
Helen Acheson soprano
Sarah Watkins piano

Jacques Ibert Capriccio
Sofia Gubaidulina Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings
Claude Debussy Syrinx
Malcolm Arnold Divertimento
Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro

We were thrilled to be in Metro's "2017 Best of Auckland" for music two times!
The first was for our involvement with "Passio" in the Auckland Festival and the second was our Gillian Whitehead concert in July.

Peter Scholes conductor
Ben Hoadley bassoon
Ning Chiang harp
Luca Manghi flute

Benjamin Britten Metamorphoses
Richard Strauss Metamorphosen
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8

In the Britten piece for solo oboe each of the six sections is based on a character from Roman mythology as follows:
1. Pan, "who played upon the reed pipe which was Syrinx, his beloved."
2. Phaeton, "who rode upon the chariot of the sun for one day and was hurled into the river Padus by a thunderbolt."
3. Niobe, "who, lamenting the death of her fourteen children, was turned into a mountain."
4. Bacchus, "at whose feasts is heard the noise of gaggling women's tattling tongues and shouting out of boys."
5. Narcissus, "who fell in love with his own image and became a flower."
6.Arethusa, "who, flying from the love of Alpheus the river god, was turned into a fountain."

Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss had this poem by Goethe written out in the work's sketches.

"No one can really know himself,
detach himself from his inner being
Yet, each day he must put to the test,
What is in the end, clear.
What he is and what he was,
what he can be and what he might be.
But, what goes on in the world,
No one really understands it rightly,
and also up to the present day,
no one desires to understand it.
Conduct yourself with discernment.
Just as the day offers itself;
Think always: it's gone well up to now,
so might it go until the end".

The piece depicts mental transformation rather than musical transfomation.
We conclude the concert with Beethoven's 8th Symphony. In this piece it's as if Beethoven is pondering his next 'massive' work. It's lighter and shorter than both the 7th and the 9th.

Peter Scholes conductor
Dimitri Atanassov concertmaster
Bede Hanley oboe

Einojuhani Rautavaara Divertimento
Béla Bartók Divertimento
Franz Schubert Death and the Maiden D810 (arr. for string orchestra)

For our fouth 2017 concert we feature music for string orchestra. The works by Rautavaara and Bartok are both inspired by folk music. In Rautavaara's piece it is the rhythms and melodies of Finnish folk music. In the Bartók Divertimento the folk music of the Magyar traditions pervades the composition with exciting rhythms and rich sonorous string scoring.
The Schubert is of course originally a string quartet. We are performing it in a version for string orchestra. It is a drammatic work which works well for the larger group of players.

Peter Scholes conductor

Frederick Delius Two Aquarelles
Frederick Delius Air and Dance
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sinfonia Concertante K.364
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 45 "Farewell"

For our third 2017 concert we bring a collection of gorgeous works by Delius. These are lyrical pieces for string orchestra. The Aquarelles are taken from unaccompanied part songs “to be sung on a summer's night on the water.”
The soloists in this performance of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante are the husband and wife duo Miranda Adams and Robert Ashworth. Miranda is a regular concertmaster of the ACO and is assistant concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Robert often plays with the ACO and is principal viola in the APO.
They also play together in the Jade String Quartet.
Symphony No. 45 by Haydn has a surprise ending. No spoilers here though! Haydn's symphonies are perfect repertoire for both the ACO and its audience. They are energetic, melodious, full of invention and beautifully crafted.

Peter Scholes conductor
Miranda Adams violin
Robert Ashworth viola

Gillian Whitehead Matariki
Gillian Whitehead Quintet
Gillian Whitehead Mata-au
Gillian Whitehead At Night the Garden was Full of Voices
Gillian Whitehead Nga Ha o Nehera
Gillian Whitehead Manutaki

Gillian Whitehead was born in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1941, and is of Ngāi Te Rangi descent. She studied at the University of Auckland from 1959-62, and Victoria University of Wellington in 1963, graduating BMus Hons in 1964. She then studied composition at the University of Sydney with Peter Sculthorpe from 1964-65, graduating MMus in 1966. That same year she attended a composition course given by Peter Maxwell Davies in Adelaide and in 1967 travelled to England to continue studying with him. She worked in London composing and copying music for two years and then with the assistance of a New Zealand Arts Council grant worked in Portugal and Italy from 1969-70.
For the next seven years she continued freelance composing, principally based in the UK. From 1978-80 she was Composer in Residence for Northern Arts attached to Newcastle University. In 1981 she returned to Australasia to join the staff of the Composition School at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was Head of Composition for four years before taking early retirement in 1996. She now divides her time as a free-lance composer between the Otago peninsula in the south and Ruakaka in Northland.
She has held several residencies - the Mozart Fellowship in 1992, the Auckland Philharmonia in 2000-2001, the Jack Richards/CNZ/VUW in 2007, the Henderson Trust in 2010 and the Wallace Trust/Pah Homestead in 2014. She has been winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary award three times: for the opera Outrageous Fortune in 1999, the orchestral work the improbable ordered dance in 2001 and Alice for mezzo soprano and orchestra in 2003. She became one of the inaugural Artist Laureates of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2000. From 1998-2003 Gillian was President of the Composers’ Association of New Zealand, in 2003 she was given an honorary DMus from Victoria University of Wellington, and in 2007 the KBB/CANZ Citation for outstanding services to New Zealand music. She was honoured in 1999 with the MNZM, and in 2008 the DCNZM, becoming a Dame the following year.
Gillian Whitehead has written a wide range of music including works for solo, chamber, choral, orchestral and operatic forces. A number of works involve taonga puoro and/or collaboration. A number of her works have been recorded for commercial release, including a CD of her chamber works by Wai-te-ata Press, Puhake ki te rangi (chamber music with taonga puoro), Alice (orchestral music played by NZSO), and Arapātiki (chamber music featuring bassoon) - the last three released by Atoll. Shadows Crossing Water, with chamber music played by Prague musicians, will shortly be released by Atoll. Her scores are available from the Australian and New Zealand Music Centres. Website: www.gillianwhitehead.co.nz

Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Ben Hoadley bassoon and recorder
Andrew Uren clarinet and recorder
Anna Cooper flute
Sung-Soo Hong horn
Alison Jepson oboe
Emma Sayers piano
Kevin Kim recorder
Paul Mitchell cello
Greg McGarity viola
Peau Halapua violin

Steve Reich New York Counterpoint
Philip Glass Symphony No. 3
Lyell Cresswell I paesaggi dell’anima (Landscapes of the Soul)
John Adams Shaker Loops

Welcome to the Auckland Chamber Orchestra 2017 season! We are delighted to bring you another year of thought-provoking music from a range of engaging composers and Auckland’s most audacious classical musicians.
Our first concert on Sunday May 28 features the work of three Americans and one kiwi. Tireless musical director Peter Scholes is the clarinet soloist in Steve Reich’s mercilessly energetic New York Counterpoint, accompanied by 10 pre-recorded Peter Scholeses.
Superstar composer John Adams’ breakneck Shaker Loops will be performed by the ACO strings. The Raye Freedman Arts Centre provides the clarity of acoustic to hear the scrupulous detail and shifting patterns of this nimble 1978 piece.
Baltimore composer Philip Glass has found a fan base amongst non-classical listeners as a composer of what he calls ‘music with repetitive structures’, with film scores that include The Hours, Notes on a Scandal and No Reservations. The ACO present’s Glass’s elegant Symphony no.3, originally conducted by Dennis Russell Davies who famously told Glass that he wouldn’t allow him to be ‘one of those opera composers who never writes a symphony’.
Dauntless composer Lyell Cresswell is one of New Zealand’s most successful composers beyond these shores. The Edinburgh-based composer’s I paesaggi dell’anima (Landscapes of the Soul) is a more recent work, written for a virtuosic NZSO string section in 2008. In a 2014 interview for Radio NZ Concert, Creswell said:
“I’ve been living in Scotland for a long time but I don’t see myself as a Scot. I am a New Zealander living in Scotland… I don’t think my music sounds like British music generally speaking… The orchestration has a clarity which is something to do with being in New Zealand, being quieter. You’re nearer to nature in New Zealand than you can be in Europe.”

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Miranda Adams concertmaster

Passio
Music by Richard Davy, David Farquhar, Jack Body, Michael Norris, Gillian Whitehead, Lissa Meridan, Ross Harris

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Voices New Zealand
Karen Grylls conductor

Little is known for certain of the Tudor composer, organist, choirmaster and priest Richard Davy, born over half a millennium ago around 1465, beyond his association with Magdalen College in Oxford around 1483. Amongst his compositions found in the Eton choir book, one of the few surviving collections of pre-Reformation choral music, is his Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christe, a setting of the passion according to St Matthew traditionally associated with Palm Sunday.
Davy's Passio, the first setting of a passion by a named composer, was written well over 200 years before the form of the Passion reached its zenith in Bach's setting of the Passion according to St Matthew. The latter was composed in 1727 for four soloists, double choir and double orchestra, with a libretto involving chorales and meditations and commentaries in the form of arias as well as the biblical text which is set as recitative. Davy's Passio is a much simpler elaboration of the gospel text, which is chanted simply by two voices - the evangelist (tenor) and Christ (bass) with the choir taking the various voices of the crowd and apostles. Although the first few choral utterances are missing, and have been reconstructed by musicologists, there is no doubting the strength and drama of Davy's choral music, mostly homophonic with some imitation, and occasionally melismatic and florid, with perhaps some word illustration - the setting of the word 'liberare' (free) and the phrase 'Vere Filius Dei erat iste' (Truly this was the son of God) seem particularly melismatic, while the word 'crucifigatur' (crucify) sets the five syllables simply on just one chord.
Jack Body, who died in 2015, was an extraordinary man and musician; a ground-breaking composer, inspirational teacher, internationally-respected ethnomusicologist and entrepreneur. One passion of his was exploring the music of other countries - mainly Asian, and in particular Chinese and Indonesian - and basing many of his compositions on aspects of those musics. Another passion was for collaborations; bringing together musicians from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and, with a gift for friendship, building extensive international networks which he generously shared with his students and colleagues.
In 1980 he was appointed to the staff at Victoria University of Wellington (later the New Zealand School of Music). A facet of his prolific output is his initiation, over thirty plus years,of more than 40 CD projects (ranging from field recordings through music by a wide range of New Zealand composers to his own electro-acoustic works) and the setting up and funding around 52 composer or performer residencies, mainly from Asia, but also America, New Zealand (mostly expatriates) and Europe.
Throughout his life he was drawn to the drama of men or nations in religious or political extremis, from his early Carol to Saint Stephen through works like Sarajevo or 14 Stations for amplified pianist to My name is Mok Bhon and O Cambodia, which both draw on the Pol Pot persecutions.
When Jack was drawn to Davy's Passio, which charts the drama of Christ from his betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane to his death following crucifixion, he realised both the quality of the choral writing, and that there was rather too much chanted material for the original Passio to appeal to a modern audience; however, adding 'commentaries' composed for voices, brass, woodwind and percussion could produce a powerful and dramatic experience. Collaboration was a very important process for Jack; in this instance he brought together the skills and talents of six composers associated with the New Zealand School of Music - the four staff composers Ross Harris, Lissa Meridan, Michael Norris and Jack himself, Emeritus Professor David Farquhar, and myself as the current CNZ/NZSM composer-in-residence.
One evening we all went to look at the potential of the Great Hall in Massey University's Museum Building which has an astonishing reverberation period, then sat round and together devised the plan for the performance; the main group of performers would be centrally placed, there would be three additional groups spaced far apart surrounding the performance area and the audience would be free to walk around during the performance to experience the sound from different angles. Jack had divided the score into six tranches and we each chose one, and were free to complete the orchestration however we wished - there were no guidelines, except the request that the transition from one section to another should be discussed by the two composers involved. We also decided that, in the spirit of collaboration, the composers' contributions should not be identified, as the passion should be organic and seemingly through composed, rather than six disparate attributable compositions.
The one performance took place on June 2nd, 2006, with Alistair Carey singing the role of the Evangelist and directing the Tudor Consort, and Owen Clarke conducting the Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It was an intensely moving experience for everyone involved, with its combination of Renaissance polyphony and twenty-first century orchestral colour, the audience mostly standing or moving quietly in the half-light.
This version is slightly different in that it is performed by Voices New Zealand - a choir rather than an ensemble, and an augmented Auckland Chamber Orchestra rather than a wind band, which sets up slightly different problems in the interaction of the two conductors. And it is performed in the Auckland Town Hall, which, although a resonant space, lacks the eight second delay of the Great Hall; this however gives scope for a greater dramatic impact from the choir. (Notes by Gillian Whitehead)

John Elmsly Calls from the Ark (2008)
John Elmsly Cello Symphony (1986)
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no.3, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’ (1804)

John Elmsly is described by the New Zealand Herald as a composer of ‘lean and immaculately crafted music’. We play a short colourful duo for two bass clarinets followed by Elmsly’s major work "Cello Symphony" with its original soloist Paul Mitchell.
We look back to when classical music’s Romantic period was launched with the vast emotional range of Beethoven’s Symphony no.3. Fourteen years and seven subsequent symphonies later, Beethoven still claimed that Eroica was his favourite.
John Elmsly is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington and the Conservatories of Brussels and Liège in Belgium. In 1981 he was Mozart Fellow at the University of Otago, and from 1984 taught at the University of Auckland, where he reJred as head of ComposiJon in 2014. His composiJons range from orchestral music through various chamber, solo, vocal and choral works to electroacousJc music. He was the 2015/2016 CreaJve New Zealand / Jack Richards Composer-in-Residence at the New Zealand School of Music.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Paul Mitchell violoncello

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Matthew Marshall guitar

Igor Stravinsky Octet (1923)
Christopher Marshall Guitar Concerto 'Soul Journeys' (world premiere)
Astor Piazzolla Sinfonietta (1953)
Ottorino Respighi Trittico Botticelliano (1927)

Leading New Zealand classical guitarist Matthew Marshall joins the ACO to perform Florida-based composer Christopher Marshall’s new Guitar Concerto. Come to your own conclusions about Stravinsky’s Octet for wind instruments - a work that was dismissed as a joke in Paris, but lauded in Salzburg as ‘the seventh Brandenburg Concerto”. Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla’s Sinfonietta is an irresistible fusion of tango and classical, and Respighi’s gorgeously resplendent Botticelli Triptych reveals the composer of gigantic tone poems on a smaller scale without sacrificing any of his trademark glittering instrumental colour palette.
Matthew Marshall is described as “...a guitarist of superb technical accomplishment and a musician of perception and style” (Dominion Post), Matthew Marshall is one of New Zealand’s leading classical guitarists. He was a prize-winner in the TVNZ Young Musicians Competition and a recipient of an AGC Young Achievers Award. He has also won prizes in the Royal Overseas League Competition London, two Australia/New Zealand Foundation Awards, a Goethe Institute Award, two US Department of State Cultural Awards, and a New Zealand-France Friendship Award for outstanding contribution to international cultural understanding.
In a performing career spanning more than 30 years, Matthew has brought his unique interpretations and original musical personality to over 2000 performances on four continents and even from Iceland to Siberia and on to Easter Island! His critically acclaimed solo recital in the Royal Festival Hall London in 2005 was described as “...extraordinarily successful” (Musical Opinion, UK).
He has also given over 100 concerto performances with orchestras in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Russia and Germany including appearances with the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra Mexico, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Kemerovo Philharmonic in Russia. Included in this are over 40 performances of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.
Matthew is passionate about contemporary music, especially by New Zealand composers, and has commissioned or premiered more than 50 solo, chamber and orchestral works for guitar. Christopher Marshall’s new Guitar Concerto is the eighth concerto he has commissioned from New Zealand composers since 1992.
As a recording artist, Matthew features on eleven CDs for solo guitar, with chamber groups and with orchestra (alongside the Kronos Quartet, the NZ String Quartet, NZ Symphony and others). His third solo album, Rhapsody on a Riff, featuring the music of New Zealand composer Michael Calvert was released worldwide by Ravello Records USA in June 2015. “Rhapsody on a Riff gives you some brilliant contemporary music for guitar as played by a true artist.” (Gapplegate, USA)
Sought ager as an educator, Matthew has held teaching positions at Universities and Colleges in Australia, New Zealand and England, and given masterclasses on four continents, including at the Conservatorio Nacional de Mexico, the Gnessin Academy Moscow, the Mannes College New York and at Festivals in Europe, Asia, USA and Australasia. He was Artistic Director of the NZ International Guitar Festival 1992-2005, Director of the Southern Cross Arts Festival Australia 2014-2016 and has been a juror on international music competitions in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Matthew has also held senior academic leadership positions including Dean of Arts at Southern Cross University Australia, Dean of Creative Arts at Central Queensland University, Director of Music at Dartington College of Arts UK, Co-Director of the New Zealand School of Music and Head of the Conservatorium of Music, Massey University. He is currently Professor of Music at Southern Cross University Australia. Matthew studied guitar in New Zealand with John Mills and William Bower, in England with Gordon Crosskey, and in New York with David Leisner.
Matthew Marshall plays Litchfield Guitars and uses Savarez strings exclusively.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Adrianna Lis flute

Arvo Pärt Wenn Bach Benen Gezuchlet Hatte (If Bach Kept Bees)(1976, revised 2001)
Andrew Perkins Concerto Grosso for Flute and Strings (world premiere)
Witold Lutoslawski Chain 1 (1983)
Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 84 (1786)

Passionate flautist Adrianna Lis gives the premiere performance of Concerto Grosso by composer of the exotic and colourful, Andrew Perkins. Discover what the musical result might have been if Bach had taken up beekeeping, according to well-loved Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Lutoslawski’s Chain I is a masterclass in overlapping textures; and Haydn’s Symphony no.84 is exemplary of the composer’s joyful, elegant symphonic voice.
Adrianna Lis, Polish born flautist, studied in Poland first with the renowned professor Jerzy Mrozik at the Wroclaw Music Academy, then during 1995, with Jean Claude Gerard at the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stungart. A year later during 1996, she was selected to be a member of the prestigious Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra performing in many prestigious venues in Germany, Switzerland and Netherlands. In 1998 Adrianna received a post-graduate scholarship to study with the previous principal flautist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, James Walker, at the University of Southern California (USC). She has received numerous awards, honours, and prizes internationally in solo and chamber competitions such as Wroclaw, Szczecinek, Olsztyn, Enschede, Los Angeles Carmel and Chicago.
She has collaborated with numerous symphonic ensembles including the Malaysian Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, Auckland Chamber Orchestra, Bach Musica NZ, Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra "Leopoldium", Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, Junge Internationale Orchestra Akademie, Verbier Festival Orchestra, Idyllwild Arts Summer Festival Orchestra, Aberdeen Festival Orchestra, American Youth Symphony and Spoleto Festival Orchestra. She works closely with Atoll Label and producer Wayne Laird recording new flute works. Her debut album ”Rozmowa-Dialogue” features works by Polish, New Zealand and Australian composers, “Of Wine and Roses” a delightful CD of works by Keith Statham and his “Flute Suite” for Flute and Strings recorded with Puertas Quartet, and “Juniper Passion” an opera by Michael Williams. Adrianna is also an active teacher.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Henry Wong Doe piano

Leonie Holmes Aquae Sulis (2013)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.20, K.466
Witold Lutoslawski Preludes and Fugue

ACO welcomes the return of charismatic pianist Henry Wong Doe to perform Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto no.20. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear the Preludes and Fugue by Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, a major force in 20th century music; while Leonie Holmes’ deftly orchestrated Aquae Sulis creates a subterranean atmosphere rich with images of steaming pools and dripping water.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Henry Wong Doe began his studies at the age of five, and was the recipient of numerous national awards before embarking on further study in the United States. Following a Masters degree from Indiana University Bloomington, Henry graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York. His dissertation “Musician or Machine: The Player piano and composers of the Twentieth Century” examined the influence of the player piano on the works of Stravinsky, Hindemith, Nancarrow and Ligeti. His teachers have included Susan Smith-Gaddis, Bryan Sayer, Evelyne Brancart, Leonard Hokanson and Joseph Kalichstein, and he has participated in masterclasses given by Menahem Pressler, Paul Badura-Skoda and Leon Fleisher. A passionate educator as well as performer, Henry Wong Doe also serves on the music faculty as Associate Professor of Piano and Keyboard Area Chair at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Donald Nicholls clarinet
Huw Dann trumpet
John Gluyas trombone
Emma Eden horn
Francis Poulenc Sonata for 2 Clarinets
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A Major K.581
Francis Poulenc Trio for Horn Trumpet and Trombone
Paul Hindemith Der Damon

The Auckland Chamber Orchestra begins the 2016 season in a blaze of brass and woodwind, with Hindemith’s expressionistic post-war ballet-pantomime The Demon. Come and hear the dynamic trio ACE Brass perform Poulenc’s buoyant and witty dances for horn, trumpet and trombone.
Hear the orchestra's musical director Peter Scholes perform Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with string quartet led by Miranda Adams. This is one of the most well-known and loved of Mozart's works.
As a curtain raiser to this concert, clarinettist Peter Scholes is joined by Donald Nicholls to perform Poulenc’s Sonata for Two Clarinets, originally commissioned by Benny Goodman.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Eliah Sakakushev-von Bismarck violoncello

Gustav Holst St Pauls Suite
Max Bruch Adagio on Celtic Melodies
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile
Antonín Dvořák Silent Woods
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Stylish and dynamic, cellist Eliah Sakakushev–von Bismarck has a reputation as a magnetic performer. Hear him perform a selection of gorgeously lyrical works for cello and orchestra. The ACO presents St Paul's Suite, written by Holst for his beloved St Paul's School; and in Beethoven's 5th symphony we bring the 2015 season to a triumphant close with one of the most famous classical works in music history.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano

Tracey Collins cake maker
Chantelle Gerrard dress maker
Marianne Schultz choreographer

Douglas Lilburn Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano
Robert Zavier Rodriguez Les Niais Amoureux (Innocents in Love)
Peter Maxwell Davies Miss Donnithorne's Maggot

The ACO has presented many operas over the past decade. This time we perform "Miss Donnithorne's Maggot" by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Also in the programme is chamber music by Douglas Lilburn and Robert Zavier Rodriguez.
Miss Donnithorne was the real life inspiration for Dickens' Miss Havisham. Jilted at the altar, she spent the rest of her life inside, in her wedding dress, with the wedding cake.
Wife and husband team Claire and Peter Scholes feature in this programme. One of Claire's specialties is contemporary vocal works. She has sung Cathy Berberian's Stripsody, Eve de Castro-Robinsons Chaos of Delight and others, all of which require exciting vocal styles.
Mezzo soprano Claire Scholes presents the infamous Miss Donnithorne's Maggot, a work which delivers the ravings of a reclusive woman and pushes the boundaries of vocal possibility. A piano quartet with clarinet dives into American composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez's not-so-innocent Innocents in Love; and Lilburn's Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano is performed by Peter Scholes, former student of influential teacher George Hopkins for whom the piece was written.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Bede Hanley oboe

Einojuhani Rautavaara Into the Heart of Light (2011)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Oboe Concerto K.314
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 29, K.201, A major

First up is "Into the Heart of Light" by Einojuhani Rautavaara. Rautavaara is Finland’s most recent superstar composer since Sibelius. He writes music across a wide span of forms and styles, from his eight symphonies to his biographical operas including Vincent (1986/87) based on the life of Vincent van Gogh.
Rautavaara’s compositional style is considered tonally romantic and his later works often have a mystical element, such as several titles referring to angels. Of the compositional process when writing Into the Heart of Light, Rautavaara says: “As a natural scientist would say: an emergence takes place. And something began to brighten up gradually, a certain kind of light towards which this music was moving.”
"Into the heart of light is almost surprisingly melodic with beautiful string lines that form a pleasing symmetry. Under the compact surface it bubbles with life and energy." Österbottens Tidning
“Rautavaara’s music is easy to like and Into the heart of light is no exception. The harmonies and chords are fascinating, the music flows, undulates and strives purposefully towards the light. The music creates the illusion of being underwater in the darkness, looking upwards towards a distantly shining light... The strings sound magnificent... Impressive!"

Born in Saskatoon, Canada, Bede Hanley began learning the oboe at ten, eventually going on to earn his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.Following several seasons with Spain’s Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, Mr Hanley, admired for his “gorgeous tone and buoyant phrasing”, first joined the Auckland Philharmonia as Principal Oboe for the 2008 and 2009 Seasons. He was then appointed Principal Oboe of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Canada, a position he held for four years, before rejoining the APO in 2013 as Section Principal Oboe.
A frequent soloist, Mr Hanley has an extensive concerto repertoire. His performance of Christopher Rouse’s oboe concerto, a premier outside the US, was praised by the composer for its “beauty and aplomb”. In October, 2020, Mr. Hanley performed the world premiere of Gary Kulesha’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra with Giordano Bellincampi and his colleagues in the Auckland Philharmonia. John Daly-Peoples of the New Zealand Arts Review wrote “Bede Hanley gave a thrilling performance. In his long faultless solo he managed to span the full range of the instrument, both musically and emotionally.” This tour-de-force concerto was written for Mr. Hanley.
Mr Hanley has performed with many symphony and opera orchestras internationally. He is a busy soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher, and a Yamaha Artist.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Indra Hughes harpsichord

Osvaldo Golijov Last Round
J.S. Bach Concerto BWV 1052
Franz Josef Haydn Symphony no. 43 in Eb (Mercury)

ACO is thrilled to be working with harpsichordist Indra Hughes. It's not often that harpsichord concertos get played and Bach's concerto BWV1052 is fantastic. The ACO last played Bach in 2014 and the clear acoustic in the Raye Freedman Centre really suits Bach's composition style. You can hear the individual parts and experience the detail of Bach's artistry.
Experience the thrill of harpsichord pyrotechnics from one of New Zealand's foremost authorities on baroque keyboard performance, Dr. Indra Hughes. The ACO brings plenty of swagger to the irrepressible Haydn's Mercury symphony; and Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov's Last Round finds its inspiration in the red-hot tango music of Piazzolla.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Henry Wong Doe piano piano

Anna Clyne Within Her Arms
Paul Hindemith Kammermusik No. 2, op. 36 no. 1 (1924)
Unsuk Chin Graffiti

The ACO brings the music of international phenomenon Unsuk Chin to Auckland audiences with her imaginative and consistently surprising Graffiti. Charismatic pianist Henry Wong Doe returns to perform Hindemith's Kammermusik No.2; and Anna Clyne's beautiful Within Her Arms is a moving tribute to the composer's mother.
Experience the thrill of harpsichord pyrotechnics from one of New Zealand's foremost authorities on baroque keyboard performance, Dr. Indra Hughes. The ACO brings plenty of swagger to the irrepressible Haydn's Mercury symphony; and Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov's Last Round finds its inspiration in the red-hot tango music of Piazzolla.
"…the most affecting moments came when the ensemble reduced down to a small string orchestra to perform Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms … this work exerted an emotional pull from its opening gestures that steadily intensified through an exquisite performance … this writing felt vital and new, both mournful and filled with life. As an elegiac work for strings, Within Her Arms brought to mind Barber’s Adagio at times, and it shares with that piece a perfectly sculpted tension, a somber beauty, and an inner radiance." — Benjamin Frandzel, San Francisco Classical Voice
"Unsuk Chin’s multi-layered Graffiti celebrated the idea of street art, from primitive to refined, labyrinthine to stark. Dense, skittering strings in the first movement, cascades of tubular bells and gongs in the second and urgent brass chords in the final "passacaglia" created a work of singularity and authority. Hers is a rare voice which commands your attention." The Observer
"…Chin’s piece begins with unpredictable busy, flickering inner activity… [she] also considers the political implications of graffiti, which can be both liberating and threatening. The slow movement, Notturno Urbano, is darkly mysterious, while the final section, said to be a passacaglia, seemed to bring a new strange instrumental sound around every startling corner." Los Angeles Times
Both works are very recent compositions. The Clyne was composed in 2008/9 and the Chin in 2012. The ACO is dedicated to bringing recent work from the international stage to NZ. The Clyne was commissioned by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Chin by Gustavo Dudamel.
We hope you can come and hear these works live played by our wonderful players.
We are thrilled to be collaborating with Henry Wong Doe again. Two years ago he played Stravinsky with us and now we play the virtuoso Hindemith. Henry is also playing the piano in Unsuk Chin's "Graffiti".

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Raymond Hawthorne narrator

Hinewehi Mohi voice
Tama Waipara voice
Maisey Rika voice
Larry Pruden Dances of Brittany
Douglas Lilburn Landfall in Unknown Seas

Hinewehi Mohi Matariki
Hinewehi Mohi Ruaumoko
Hinewehi Mohi Pukaea
Tama Waipara East Coast Moon
Tangihia Tweedie Waititi
Tama Waipara Cruise
Tama Waipara Graffiti
Maisey Rika Sink or Swim
Maisey Rika Te Ruateka-ma-waru
Maisey Rika Tangaroa Whakamautai

The ACO 2015 season opens with two New Zealand classics alongside superb contemporary songs by three exceptional songwriters. Conductor and arranger Peter Scholes brings his experience of working with crossover projects at Abbey Road Studios to this concert. This is an opportunity to hear live performances of tracks recorded by the ACO and Hinewehi Mohi on her album Hineraukatauri. Legend of Auckland theatre Raymond Hawthorne brings Allen Curnow's poems to life in Douglas Lilburn's haunting Landfall in Unknown Seas; and the ACO strings rejoice in Larry Pruden's jauntily playful Dances of Brittany.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Ben Hoadley bassoon

Gustav Holst Brook Green Suite
Dmitri Shostakovich Chamber Symphony Op.110a
Alex Taylor Bassoon Concerto (world Premiere)
Bela Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste

Our final concert for 2014 is happening this Sunday (Nov 23 @ 5pm). Please join me and the orchestra for this performance. The music is delightful, energetic and exhilarating. It ranges from the charming sounds of Holst's Brook Green Suite through to one of the 20th century's most influential works (Bartok's Music for Strings Percussion and Celeste).
I'm thrilled to be presenting the world premiere of Alex Taylor's Concerto for bassoon written for Ben Hoadley. Alex is a multi-talented performer, poet, violinist and composer. You can hear Ben talking about his work in Europe and Australia on Radio New Zealand Concert this week.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)
Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor (1835)

Peter Scholes conductor
Raymond Hawthorne Director
Robert Wiremu Chorus Director
Tracy Grant Lord Production Design

Marlena Devoe Lucia
Maia Vegar Alisa
David Woodward Edgardo
Phillip Rhodes Enrico
Kalauni Pouvalu Normano
James Ioelu Raimondo
Filipe Manu Arturo

Success! Marlena Devoe (Lucia) – winner of 2014 Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award James Ioelu (Raimondo) – winner of 2014 Richard Bonynge Award and Tait Memorial Trust Award.
Auckland Opera Studio has teamed up with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra to bring some of New Zealand’s most outstanding operatic talent to the stage in their 2014 production of Lucia Di Lammermoor at the Mercury Theatre for two nights only, Friday 10th October and Sunday 12th October 2014.
Auckland Opera Studio has an impressive reputation of developing young singers as well as bringing top professionals into highly charged and effective productions.From the portentous first notes of the overture, through to Lucia's dramatic and touching "mad scene", to the resolving despair and grief of Edguardo's anguish, "Lucia di Lammermoor" stands as one of the most popular in the operatic repertoire. The powerful dramatic drive of Donizetti's score, coupled with Salvatore Cammarano's beautifully structured libretto assures an audience of a compelling night at the opera. A drama tragic. A tragic masterpiece. Not to be missed.
Raymond Hawthorne

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Jade String Quartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quartet No. 23 in F major, K.590
Leoš Janáček Mládí (Youth)
Silvestre Reveultas Sensemayá
John Adams Son of Chamber Symphony

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Jade String Quartet

Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 (Trout)
Peter Scholes A Midsummer Night's Dream

On Sunday we play one of the most loved pieces of chamber music ever written. Schubert's beautiful Quintet - "The Trout". Pianist david Guerin is joined by Miranda Adams, Robert Ashworth, David Garner and Bella Zilber for this performance.
Also in the concert is music by ACO Music Director Peter Scholes. In 1995 he was commissioned by the RNZ Ballet to write a new score to "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Peter has made a collection pieces from this to perform on Sunday. There's the mischievous Puck, a drammatic Oberon and lyrical Titania. Quarreling lovers and scary nights in the forest also feature. The end is a crazy set of variations on some familiar wedding music.
It's scored for an unusual combination of string quartet, saxophone quartet, percussion and piano.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
John Chen piano

Peteris Vasks Viatore
Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 1
Aaron Copland Quiet City
Benjamin Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge

The ACO is gearing up for a performance of Shostakovich's 1st Piano Concerto this Sunday. We are thrilled to be working with John Chen. The Shostakovich Piano Concerto also features the fine trumpet playing of Huw Dann. It's an unusual scoring with strings and trumpet pitted against the piano.
Our last Shostakovich was with cellist Santiago Canon Valencia. Shostakovich's music works well in the intimacy of the Raye Freedman Centre where everthing is clear and the energy from the stage is terrific.
Pēteris Vasks "Viatore" opens the programme. It's a beautifully serene piece.
"Viatore" tells the story of a wanderer who arrives in this world, grows up in it, develops, falls in love, fills himself up and then departs. The journey is illuminated by the endless and starry universe. This composition is in one movement but is made up of two sound images. The theme of the traveler is subject to growth and development. The theme of eternity, however, does not change and it played pianissimo. Viatore is dedicated to Arvo Pärt, who has been my guiding light for many decades. - Pēteris Vasks"
Copland's Quiet City opens the second half - solo cor anglais (Alison Jepson) and trumpet against an urban string soundscape.
Benjamin Britten's "Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge" concludes the concert. This is a beautifully unified set of variations.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Hinewehi Mohi voice
Maisey Rika voice
Don McGlashan voice

J.S. Bach Brandenburg 3
Philip Glass Concerto Grosso
Hinewehi Mohi Hawaiki
Hinewehi Mohi Mana
Don McGlashan Queen's English
Don McGlashan Anchor Me
Maisey Rika Ruaimoko
Maisey Rika Take it All
Don McGlashan Toy factory Fire
Don McGlashan Dominion Road
Maisey Rika Musical Pillow
Maisey Rika Tangaroa Whakamautai

The Auckland Chamber Orchestra launches its 2014 season in collaboration with inspiring and creative singer/song-writers Hinewehi Mohi, Maisey Rika and Don McGlashan.
The performance of Bach's third Brandenburg Concerto alongside Philip Glass' Concerto Grosso sees a baroque classic paired with a 20th century great, where each has vital rhythmic energy and a unique harmonic language despite being centuries apart.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Adrianna Lis flute

Olivier Messiaen Le Merle Noir
George Crumb Vox Balanae
Michel van der Aa Mask
John Adams Fearful Symmetries

Ornithologist and composer Olivier Messiaen transcribed birdsong from all over the world. Flautist Adrianna Lis brings her characteristic warmth and lustrous tone to Messiaen's La Merle Noir, a work based entirely on blackbird song. Don't miss this opportunity to hear George Crumb's intensely moving, breathtakingly beautiful Vox Balaenae ('the voice of the whale'), performed by three masked musicians complete with 'seagulling' cello.
Michel van der Aa's Mask is a work rich with musical layers which are habitually revealed and submerged. Listen out for gaffer tape and metronome cameo appearances.
ACO concludes the 2013 season with the infectiously toe-tapping pulse of Fearful Symmetries by the undisputed powerhouse of 21st century composition, John Adams. Hot on the heels of Nixon in China, Adams describes this work as being "closely allied to pop and minimalist rock... the sound has a distinctly urban feel."

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Christie Cooke mezzo soprano
David Guerin piano


György Ligeti Bagatelles (1953)
Francis Poulenc Le bal masqué, cantate profane sur des poèmes de Max Jacob (1932)
Leoš Janáček Concertino (1925)
Richard Wagner Siegfried Idyll (1869)

It is with joy and much relish that ACO brings you this concert of intriguing contrasts. Concertino is Janacek's dark, stark, nocturnal mini piano concerto riddled with animal references. David Guerin is soloist in this performance.
Censored by the Soviets for being too 'dangerous' are Transylvanian composer Georgy Ligeti's Bagatelles, all reminiscent of Bela Bartok's folkloric works.
Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué is an outrageous 'profane cantata' of dadaist hedonism, performed in the composer's 'cafe instrumentation' and sung by mezzo soprano Christie Cook.
The concert concludes with the serenely beautiful “Siegfried Idyll” by Wagner – a birthday gift to his wife Cosima.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Christie Cooke mezzo soprano
David Guerin piano


George Crumb 11 echoes of autumn
George Antheil A Jazz Symphony
Bohuslav Martinu La Revue de Cuisine
Franx Berwald Grand Septet in B-flat major

The concert is named after the eccentric music of George Antheil and we are delighted to feature the talented Liam Wooding as piano soloist in this work. We also play the delightful Septet by romantic Swedish composer Franz Berwald.
Eleven Echoes of Autumn confirms George Crumb's reputation as a composer of hauntingly beautiful music, inspired by a line from Federico Garcia Lorca, "... and the broken arches where time suffers". George Antheil's Jazz Symphony is a sassy, virtuosic romp full of surprises that was deemed too radical to be included in Paul Whiteman's Experiment in Modern Music, for which it was commissioned. Keeping with the wild and witty is Martinu's jazz ballet La Revue de Cuisine, in which the marriage of Pot and Lid is in danger of being broken up by Twirling Stick, with supporting performances by Broom and Dishcloth. Largely dismissed in his own lifetime, Franz Berwald is now considered one of the great Swedish composers. His Septet is a fine example of his original, inventive musical voice.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes clarinets, saxophones and recorders
Indra Hughes harpsichord
Miranda Adams concertmaster

Felix Mendelsshohn Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20
Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (arr. Peter Scholes)

Hear Vivaldi's iconic Four Seasons performed in their entirety by multi-woodwind virtuoso Peter Scholes and the ACO strings. This is an opportunity to hear these universally loved concertos presented with the different colours of clarinets, saxophones and recorders. In the same programme is Mendelssohn's magnificent Octet, widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces of 19th Century chamber music.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Henry Wong Doe piano
Miranda Adams concertmaster

George Antheil Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
Brett Dean Recollections
Lyell Creswell Con fuoco
Igor Stravinsky Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments

ACO welcomes international piano sensation Henry Wong Doe to perform Stravinsky's darkly dramatic Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments.
Lyell Cresswell, one of New Zealand's most established composers, creates a dazzling display of limitless imagination in his wildly energetic Con Fuoco.
How reliable is your memory? Brett Dean's intriguing Recollections explores "the somewhat misleading and fickle nature of memory... making things worse or better, rosier or bleaker than they in fact were..." Concerto for Chamber Orchestra comes from the eccentric world of George Antheil: inventor, pianist, author and avant garde composer with a taste for the mechanical. Fasten your seatbelts!
I would like to invite you to experience the next concert. We perform a programme of beautiful music from the new to the not so new. It will be thrilling to hear Henry Wong Doe in the intimacy and clarity of the Raye Freedman Arts Centre. The Stravinsky is music of intense rhythmic vitalty and this acoustic is perfect!
Brett Dean's piece "Recollections" has evocative movement titles. Essence. Don't Wake Mother. Dead of Night. Relic. Incident. Locket. The last one quotes music by Clara Schumann.
Lyell is a NZ composer now based in Edinborough. The title "Con Fuoco" is very true to the piece.
We also play music by the intriguing early 20th composer George Anthiel.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Miranda Adams concertmaster

Jean Francaix Dixtour
Lei Liang Bamboo Lights
Iannis Xenakis Anaktoria
Darius Milhaud La Création du monde, Op. 81a (Creation of the World)

There are two NZ premieres - music by Xenakis and Lei Liang as well as suave music by Françaix and Milhaud.
The Xenakis has some unusual features: First violinist Miranda Adams says "This top e (10 leger lines) is the highest note I have ever played". Eliah on cello has the lowest he has played (F# below the low c). Evgeny on bass is constructing a special extension to make the detuning to low G possible. Xenakis is a demanding composer! This is a unique opportunity to hear this extraordinary work by one of the greatest musical minds of 20thC.
Lei Liang "Bamboo Lights" - "One of the most exciting voices in New Music... Liang is an important musical philosopher, coming into mature expression". - Brian Morton, The Wire (UK)
ACO starts its season with characteristic verve and nerve, in this diversely powerful programme.
Jean Françaix's Dixtuor spins melancholic melodies with an easy charm before launching into bubbling musical somersaults.
Lei Liang's recently premiered Bamboo Lights creates vivid images of war in the forests of Southern China: "howling winds, flickering lights, eyes, shining, gazing, peering through the leaves..."
Experience the primeval intensity of phenomenal Greek composer Iannis Xenakis' Anaktoria, a work "dedicated to love in all its forms: carnal, spiritual , logical."
Darius Milhaud transports us to Paris of the 20s, complete with Le Jazz Hot and a fascination for African and Afro-American fashion. A trip to Harlem provided inspiration for Milhaud's jazz-infused Creation of the World, based on African folk mythology.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Hinewehi Mohi voice
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Hinewehi Mohi Hineraukatauri
Hinewehi Mohi Matariki
Hinewehi Mohi Pūkāea
Hinewehi Mohi Toitū te Whenua
Hinewehi Mohi Hawaiki
Hinewehi Mohi Rūaumoko
Hinewehi Mohi Kia Ū
Hinewehi Mohi Mana
Hinewehi Mohi Kotahitanga

'Raukatauri-Te Puhi o te Tangi', Hinewehi Mohi's new album has been recorded to celebrate the artist's 20 year musical journey - from school concert party to celebrated Maori songstress.
A quiet, courageous and generous soul, Hinewehi has been the driving force behind the establishment of New Zealand's first independent music therapy centre. She has had a long career in television production and has raised a severely disabled daughter.
On their return to New Zealand, Hinewehi and her husband George resolved to find a way to make music therapy available to Hineraukatauri and other children with disabilities. With the support of friends, the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre was established in 2004 and now provides services for 200 children and adults with special needs.
Hinewehi has continued to write and record music for various projects, including more recent collaborations with musician Joel Haines. She continues to perform her music at special events around the world. Her latest album is a celebration of 20 years of Hinewehi's music making under the guidance of many mentors and is a tribute to Raukatauri - Te Puhi o te Tangi (the personification of music). She says she was particularly keen to do the album to pay tribute to two of her mentors who have since passed away: Drs Hirini Melbourne and Hone Kaa.
It is a measure of the woman's generosity of both spirit and means that all profit from her new album are being donated to the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)

Peter Scholes conductor
Patrice Wilson Director
Patrick Steel Costumes
Stephen Fitzgerald Set Design
Sam Mence Lighting Design

Madeleine Pierard Fiordiligi
Anna Pierard Dorabella
Kawiti Waetford Guglielmo
Tom Atkins Ferrando
Barbara Graham Despina
Joel Amosa Don Alfonso

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cosi fan tutte

Auckland Chamber Orchestra combines with Auckland Opera Studio to present one of Mozart’s most loved operas, Così fan Tutte. This opera raises eyebrows with its political incorrectness. The librettist wanted to call it “The School for Lovers” which sheds light on the direction the plot takes. The work combines both comic and serious opera to make a multi-layed depiction of chaotic interpersonal relationships. It juxtaposes notions of true love and fidelity, betrayal and manipulation, farce and genuine human emotion in a mosaic woven together by the most glorious music.
The venue is the Mercury Theatre; a perfect venue for opera and once home to Auckland’s opera world.
ACO and AOS have successfully collaborated on four opera projects in the past. Mozart’s Idomeneo featured Simon O’Neill and Anna Leese. The others were Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins, Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine. The ACO also produced Gluck’s Orfeo and Euridice.

The Auckland Chamber Orchestra is pleased to help with the promotion of this important concert.

Wilma Smith violin
Bryan Sayer piano
Peter Scholes clarinet
Katherine Austin piano
Christine Cuming piano
David Griffiths voice
Christine Griffiths piano
David Guerin piano
Lucy Zeng piano

Janetta McStay was one of New Zealand’s most outstanding pianists. Her amazing life and career will be commemorated on October 22nd in the Auckland Concert Chamber in what will be an excellent concert featuring a number of her past pupils, colleagues and friends.
Janetta loved chamber music above all else, and her playing is intrinsically linked to some of the great string players of the mid-late 20th century. She toured with Henryk Szeryng, Ruggiero Ricci, the Borodin Quartet, Guy Fallot and Symon Goldberg, to name but a few.
The concert will start at 7.30pm, and because there is no admission charge, there are no seat reservations. As this event also serves as a memorial, there will be a reading and a eulogy in the first half. The performers are Wilma Smith and Bryan Sayer, Peter Scholes and Katherine Austin, Christine Cuming, David and Christine Griffiths, David Guerin and Lucy Zeng, performing works by Schubert, Brahms, Albeniz, Debussy and Liszt.
Thirty years have passed since the establishment of the Janetta McStay Piano Scholarship at Auckland University, and we wish to support this memorial to Janetta through further donations. Donation slips will be available on the evening or by request.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
guest artists - New Zealand String Quartet

Peter Scholes clarinet
Helene Pohl violin
Douglas Beilman violin
Gillian Ansell viola
Rolf Gjelsten cello

Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in C major, Op.20, No.2
Carl Maria von Weber Clarinet Quintet, Op.34
Osvaldo Golijov The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind

The New Zealand String Quartet join musical director/clarinettist Peter Scholes in a performance of The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind by Osvaldo Golijov. Golijov grew up in Argentina surrounded by classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, and the new tango of Astor Piazzolla. The Weber quintet is fun and games and balances well the emotional intensity of the Golijov work.
The Golijov calls for 4 different types of clarinet - bass clarinet, A clarinet , Bb clarinet and C clarinet. The C clarinet is rare in chamber music. Says Scholes "I purchased a C clarinet specifically to get the right sound for this piece. It has a more fragile quality and delivers the klezmer sound really well".
Golijov received two Grammys in the Grammy Awards of 2007—the Best Opera Recording for Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears and Best Classical Contemporary Composition for the same opera. Golijov also received a Grammy nomination in 2002 for Yiddishbbuk.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Nicola Baker horn

Sergei Prokofiev Classical Symphony, op.25
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4, K.495, E flat major
Richard Strauss Serenade Op.7, E-flat major
Elliott Carter Symphony No.1

The orchestra is gearing up for a night of symphonic excitement. Two energetic neoclassical symphonies frame this programme and we are thrilled to welcome Nicola Baker (APO principal harn) as guest soloist in Mozart's multi-coloured Concerto No.4 K.495.
Two highly charged symphonies frame this concert. This is Prokofiev in a lighter mood looking to the classical past, matching it with finesse and some enticing twists. The Richard Strauss is a serenade made in heaven. Elliott Carter celebrates his 104th birthday and is still receiving commissions. In tribute we perform his 1st Symphony.
Orchestra review (deadline for submissions extended to August 26):
As policy makers gather together the responses to the orchestra review document please consider the smaller orchestras in the country. The ACO is one of a number of groups filling a niche in the music world but which exist outside the policy guidelines and funding priorities of the government. We are hoping that any restructuring does not impact adversely on this activity. All the arts (including sports) need many layers and strands of activity supporting and interacting with each other so that creativity and excellence can flourish.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes musical director

Sergei Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes
Ludwig van Beethoven Octet in E-flat major Op.103
Ferdinand Ries Grand Septet Op.25

Haunting Hebrew melodies dominate the Prokofiev Overture. The powerful combination of strings and piano dominate this piece with the clarinet adding a touch of the exotic. Master and student follow with works by Ries and Beethoven. Ries worked closely with Beethoven as his secretary and copyist. It is delightful music with hunting horns and a scintillating piano part.
In this concert we present music for large chamber music groups. The ACO delights in music for orchestra and chamber music. Typically an ACO season comprises concerts which explore the many possibilities of both these genres.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Martin Riseley violin
Jackie Clarke voice

Douglas Lilburn Allegro for Strings
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Concerto No.3, K.216, G major
Kurt Weill Three Songs
Kurt Weill Weill Symphony No. 2

Violin Martin Riseley
“Shunning the portentous, plodding style of 'old school Bach', but not explicitly espousing any of the 'authentic' creeds, Martin was a veritable fountain of agility and expressiveness, putting the 'bass notes' of Bach’s astonishing polyphony firmly in their proper place.” Seen and Heard International, Paul Serotsky.
Vocalist Jackie Clarke
"Who can turn the world on with a smile? Clarke can; she’s a revelation. Clarke is a joy to watch as she belts out such classics…with an exuberance that's awe-inspiring. And she sure can strut her stuff." Natasha Hay Sweet Charity Review NZ Listener
Auckland Chamber Orchestra and Musical Director Peter Scholes in concert with brilliant violinist Martin Riseley perform the popular Mozart G major violin concerto. Riseley has an impressive international career and is Head of Strings at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington. He gave the New Zealand premiere of the Red Violin Chaconne of Corigliano, and has given solo recitals around New Zealand of the Paganini Caprices.
Douglas Lilburn was one of New Zealand’s first symphonic composers and paved the way for future generations of composers. His Allegro for Strings is an energetic and sunny piece.
Kurt Weill, most famous for his satire, cabaret and jazzy style also wrote two symphonies. Fans of Threepenny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny will love this work. As a prelude to the symphony, Jackie Clarke sings three songs by Kurt Weill.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Santiago Cañón Valencia cello

Peter Scholes Relic
Friedrich Gulda Cello Concerto
Richard Strauss Le bourgeois gentilhomme

Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia is a prolific soloist, composer, commissioner, recording artist, painter and photographer described as "technically flawless… totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms" (The Strad). A 2022 BBC New Generation Artist, Cañón-Valencia was born in Bogotá in 1995 and made his orchestral debut as a soloist when he was six years old with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, blossoming into an accomplished musician praised as “an artist from whom sound and texture flow with ease and authenticity” (The Whole Note) and “one of the most promising young cellists” (Forbes Colombia).

Peter Scholes clarinet
Sarah Watkins piano

Carl Maria von Weber Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48
Robert Schumann Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Francis Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Peter Scholes in concert with charismatic and inspirational pianist Sarah Watkins. Poulenc's quirky and expressionistic Sonata precedes a dark and autumnal Brahms at his most romantic. The clarinet becomes a human voice in the melodically ravishing Schumann Fantasy Pieces, while Weber's Grande Duo Concertante exhibits both soloists in a dazzling virtuosic display.

Peter Scholes conductor
Huw Dann Trumpet

Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No.8, G major "Le soir"
Franz Joseph Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E flat major
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Experience Haydn's Concerto played with clarity, grace and beauty by renowned soloist Huw Dann. The tempestuous, operatically inspired 8th Symphony 'Le soir' marks Haydn's stormy transition from Baroque to Classical style, and Schoenberg's epic Verklärte Nacht delivers a message of passion and compassion against a gleaming, moonlit landscape.

Peter Scholes conductor
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano

Richard Strauss arr. Hasenöhrl, Til Eulenspiegel einmal anders!
Luciano Berio Folk Songs
Jacques Ibert Divertissement
Arnold Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No.1, op.9

Awaken your mind from its midwinter hibernation in this concert of works to stir the imagination. The vividly programmatic Till Eulenspiegel explosively portrays the story of trickster Merry Andrew, followed by Berio's beautiful and sensitively coloured arrangements of folk songs from North America to Armenia. Ibert's Divertissement is an effervescent ensemble showpiece, and the ACO embraces Schoenberg's full-throttle Chamber Symphony No. 1.

Peter Scholes conductor

Dr Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal Matariki
Hinewehi Mohi Hineraukatauri
Tama Waipara Golden Bullet
Tama  Waipara  Cruise
Maisey Rika  Musical Pillow
Maisey Rika  Take it All
Adeaze  A Life With You
Adeaze  Getting Stronger
Ardijah Watchin' U
Ardijah Do to you
Stan Walker Hallelujah
Stan Walker Choose You
Pokarekare Ana

The appearance of Matariki in the depths of the New Zealand winter reminds us of new beginnings.
It marks the beginning of the warming up of the earth
And it reminds us of the natural time of the living universe
Matariki, the Seven Sisters, Subaru, Pleiades
It marks the conclusion of the old year and the beginning of the new year.
We honour and celebrate those who have past in this previous year and look forward to new beginnings and new possibilities.
For some years now, the appearance of Matariki has been celebrated annually, right throughout Aotearoa and Te Wai Pounamu.
And this celebration is a vehicle for our culture, for the language, for our indigenous worldview.
For it reminds us of what it means to be tangata whenua.
The names of Matariki are:

Ururangi
Waipunarangi
Waitī
Waitā
Tupuanuku
Tupuarangi
Te Kāhui o Matariki

Tirohia atu nei e ahau
Ka whetūrangitia matariki
Te whetū o te tau e
Whakamoe mai rā
E homai ana ō rongo
Hinewehi Mohi (2011)

Peter Scholes conductor

Henryk Mikolaj Górecki Three Pieces in Olden Style
Alberto Ginastera Concerto for Strings op.33
Nikos Skalkottas Five Greek Dances
Karl Jenkins Palladio
Dag Wirén Serenade, op.11

This is a concert of string orchestra music from five different countries. From Poland we have a work by Górecki who had an extraordinary success with his Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Ginastera was an Argentine composer who studied with Copland and who taught the famous composer of tangos, Ástor Piazzola. Skalkottas come from Greece and these dance movements are inspired by Greek folk music. The Welsh Karl Jenkins is famous for his “Armed Man – A Mass for Peace”. Palladio was inspired by the sixteenth-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. The final nationality represented in this concert is Sweden. Wirén’s Serenade is a lyrical and beautiful work.

Peter Scholes conductor
Pene Pati tenor
Emma Richards horn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony, K.196 "La finta giardiniera", K.196/121, D major
Benjamin Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, op.31
Michael Tippett Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6, D major "Le matin"

Two charming early works by Mozart and Haydn contrast with two English 20th century works. The Serenade by Benjamin Britten was written for the horn player Dennis Brain with the legendary tenor Peter Pears. It sets poetry on the subject of night by Tennyson, Blake, Keats and others. The Fantasia Concertante is one of Tippet’s most popular and frequently performed works.

Peter Scholes conductor
Santiago Cañón Valencia cello

Nino Rota Concerto for Strings
Dmitri Shostakovich Cello Concerto, No1, op.107, E-flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No.39, K.543, E-flat major

This year we are having our season in the Raye Freedman Centre. We hope this will work to the satisfaction of all and that the music will continue. In these trying times we need more music as music represents balance and harmony. Delighting and inspiring fellow men and women without discrimination is in the nature of good orchestral music. Through ACO and its talented music director Peter Scholes and the many able musicians that make up the orchestra we hope to make the world a better place, if only in a small way. Frank Olsson Chairman

Our first concert for the year features the brilliant cellist Santiago Cañón Valencia who in 2010 won the top prize in the International Beijing Cello Competition. He will play the exciting and dramatic first concerto by Shostakovich. Nino Rota is well known for his film music (the Godfather and films by Felini) but also wrote music for the concert hall.. Mozart’s 39th symphony is one of his most well known with its majestic introduction and interplay between the winds and strings.

Ben Hoadley bassoon
Sarah Watkins piano
Peter Scholes clarinet

Gioachino Rossini Cavatina from La Gazza Ladra (arr. Frederic Berr)
Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata in G, Opus 168
Ben Hoadley Sonata for bassoon and piano: Mai it te whenua marama
Mikhail Glinka Trio Pathetique
Maurice Ravel Piece en forme d’Habanera
Carl Maria von Weber Andante e Rondo Ongarese

Today’s recital may also be subtitled “The Romantic Bassoon”, Most of the pieces you will hear were either written in the first half of the19th century, or (as in the case of the Saint-Saens Sonata and to some extent my own piece) are somewhat 19th century in harmonic language. These works show a wonderful range of diversity and affirm that this era, while not necessarily as noted for its solo bassoon music if one compares to say, the baroque or contemporary , produced a remarkable range of very appealing repertoire.
In the 19th century, composers pushed the technical and expressive boundaries of the instruments demanding a greater and more secure chromatic and dynamic range. As a result, the bassoon developed markedly, from the 7 keyed classical instrument of Mozart’s time into a larger, more powerful instrument with many more keys. The virtuoso element in Romantic repertoire goes without saying – this century of Paganini and Liszt prized instrumental technical and expressive ability and flamboyance, and this is shown in the writing of the time. Much of the bassoon’s most effective capabilities for virtuosity lie in its unique lyricism and ability to emulate the voice, rather than just fast finger technique. It would be impossible not to mention the influence of the voice in the repertoire you will hear today, from the obvious vocalism of the Rossini/Berr and the Ravel (both transcribed from songs) to the Glinka, which was written while the composer was immersed in Italian Opera (indeed, he went on to become one of Russia’s most celebrated composers of Opera) and the Saint-Saens, which requires a cantabile that can only be achieved by imagining a vocal line. A busy performer throughout Australasia, Auckland born Ben Hoadley is a currently an Artist Tutor at the University of Auckland and the New Zealand School of Music. He has worked with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, NZSO, Stroma, the Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmanian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Previously based in the USA, Ben studied on a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Tanglewood Music Center, while serving as principal bassoonist of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut and as a guest player in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. He then spent a season as acting co- principal of the Trondheim Symphony in Norway, also performing in the Halle Orchestra (UK) and the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra in Spain.
Ben’s interest in performing NZ music has lead composers such as Gillian Whitehead, Eve de Castro-Robinson, John Elmsly, Edwin Carr, Ross Carey and Dylan Lardelli to write for him. In 2008 he established the “New Zealand Music for Woodwind” series in Wellington and Auckland which has introduced many new works by NZ composers. He has recorded recitals for Radio New Zealand and the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In the USA he was regularly featured in recital on WGBH ‘FM (Boston) Noontime Live Performances and performed several recital tours for the Piatigorsky Foundation, as a recipient of their Young Artist Award. Also an accomplished baroque bassoonist and dulcianist, Ben recently toured Switzerland, Croatia and Slovenia as a member of the Basel Renaissance Winds.

Lara Hall violin
James Tennant cello
Katherine Austin piano
Peter Scholes clarinet
Martin Lodge speaker

Martin Lodge Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time: facts and fictions
Olivier Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time

Messiaen's masterpiece of chamber music, “The Quartet for the End of Time” is performed with an introduction by Martin Lodge. His extensive research and audio visual presentation brings the background of the music to life.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor

Christopher Blake Christ at Whangape
Christopher Blake Angel at Ahipara
Christopher Blake Anthem on the Kaipara
Christopher Blake Night Journey to Pawarenga

The connection between art and music is made in this concert of works by Chris Blake. We perform four pieces for string orchestra and each is inspired by iconic photographs by Robin Morrison. The concert is called “Angel at Ahipara”. It is powerfully evocative music and captures the spirituality and humanity of the photos from Morrison's book “A Journey”.
Northland Panels is a set of four works for string orchestra based on photographs from the 1994 photographic essay A Journey, by the New Zealand photographer the late Robin Morrison. The pieces are Angel at Ahipara (2000), Night Journey to Pawarenga (2003), Anthem on the Kaipara (2007) and Christ at Whangape (2008).
The title of the series comes from the iconic painting, Northland Panels (1958) by New Zealand painter Colin McCahon. Painted in 1958, the work comprises a set of eight large panels. The imagery is based on landscape but rendered in improvised abstract forms with words scrawled across some of them – ‘A landscape with too few lovers’ and ‘Oh yes, it can be dark here and manuka in bloom may breed despair.’ Robin Morrison’s photographs are about the spiritual domain and depict its human manifestation in images of Northland’s churches and their interiors and surroundings. These images complement the bare beauty of McCahon’s Northland images by adding these touches of humanity. The music of Northland Panels is conceived to capture this interplay of spirit, the land and its people, in sound.
Each of the four works in Northland Panels has seven sections. Each work is performed as a continuous whole with the sections flowing and developing seamlessly from one to the other. They can be performed in any order, at the discretion of the performers.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)
Raymond Hawthorne director
Peter Scholes conductor
Camille Zamora soprano

Francis Poulenc Sonata for Two Clarinets
Francis Poulenc Sonata for trumpet, horn and bassoon
Francis Poulenc Sonata for clarinet and bassoon
Francis Poulenc La Voix Humaine

Jean Cocteau created works in almost every medium. His plays are brilliant theatre exploring the human condition. French composer Poulenc used the text of his play “The Human Voice” to write this opera for a single female singer. It is her last phone call to her lover who has just left her. Poulenc’s score is powerful and sumptuous and will be sung by New York based Camille Zamora.
New York based soprano Camille Zamora is guest artist with Peter Scholes and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra in a performance of the French opera "La Voix Humaine" by Francis Poulenc.
A woman receives a phone call from her lover of five years and slowly the state of their relationship is revealed. The libretto is by Jean Cocteau from his play by the same name. In this setting by Poulenc the lyric tragedy of passion unfolds with a sensuous orchestral accompaniment.
Raymond Hawthorne directs this unique opera which is sung in French with surtitles. The first half will be delightful chamber music by Poulenc.
"A singer blessed with intense communicative ability who blazes with passion" (Opera Magazine UK)

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)
Raymond Hawthorne director
Peter Scholes conductor

Kristen Darragh Sesto
Andrew Glover Tito
Madeleine Pierard Vitellia
Marlena Devoe Servilia
Amelia Berry Annio
James Ioelu Publio

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621

Following on from the successes of our two previous collaborations (Mozart’s Idomeneo and The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill) we are presenting Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito. With a fabulous cast of singers and with Raymond Hawthorne narrating and directing, it will be a rare chance to experience the glorious music of this opera. The production has been tailored especially for the intimacy of the Concert Chamber, with singers, orchestra and lighting integrated to enhance the drama.
The opera includes the famous aria “Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio” sung by Sesto as he leaves to assassinate the emperor Tito. This aria was sung in the original production in 1791 by Domenico Bedini, a castrato, and over the centuries the role has become part of the repertoire of “trouser roles” traditionally sung by mezzo sopranos.
Our production featuring mezzosoprano Kristen Darragh as Sesto showcases one of New Zealand’s most exciting upcoming operatic talents. Kristen completed The NBR New Zealand Opera as an Emerging Artist, making her debut as Fyodor in Boris Godunov and has since performed the roles of Giovanna in Rigoletto, Siebel in Faust and most recently the title role of Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri. Her 2009-2010 season also included the role of Olga for The NBR New Zealand Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin. In the upcoming 2010-11 season she will perform the role of Azucena in Il trovatore with Den Nye Opera.
As Vitellia we have Madeleine Pierard, whose exciting news is that in September, she will be taking up a coveted position as a Jette Parker Young Artist, full-time for two years with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Singing the tenor role of Tito is Andrew Glover who has worked with opera companies, choral societies, orchestras, in musical theatre, on radio, television, film and at private engagements around the world. Grounded in New Zealand, refined in Australia, Andrew is now based in London. He holds a Bachelors degree in Performing Arts and is an Honours Graduate of the prestigious Australian Opera Studio where he also received the Dux Award for Excellence.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Alexa Still flute

Anthony Ritchie Rites of Passage
Anthony Ritchie Octopus
Anthony Ritchie Whakatipua
Anthony Ritchie Underwater Music
Anthony Ritchie Flute Concerto

Our guest soloist is Alexa Still who is flying over from Sydney to join us for this concert. She has a stunning international career both as a soloist, recitalist and as a recording artist. She currently is in much demand as a teacher and is head of flute at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Here is some of her press……
"This is a superb recording. Still plays with flawless technique. In three demanding works, she never loses the clarity and beauty of her tone. She maintains astonishing control, from moments of screaming brilliance to compelling pianissimos." [American Record Guide]
"Anyone who doubts Still's dumbfounding technical ability or complete tonal control should hear these…. Still creates a rainbow of colors within the range we might call "beautiful". You just won't hear better-sustained flute playing on disc than this, or more subtle, characterful phrasing: real, warm, communicative musicality." [Fanfare Magazine]
"...a showcase for the protean talents of Alexa Still, who runs Emanuel Pahud a neck-and-neck race in the new century's flute sweepstakes…With all due respect to Galway, and appreciation for his commission, Ms. Still out-flutes him..." [Archive review].
Anthony Ritchie completed a Ph.D. on the music of Bartok in 1987, studying at the Bartok Archives in Budapest. He also studied composition with Attila Bozay at the Liszt Academy, and completed his Mus.B (Honours) at the University of Canterbury. During this time his Concertino for Piano and Strings was recorded onto LP by Kiwi Pacific.
In 1987 he was Composer-in-Schools in Christchurch, before moving to Dunedin as Mozart Fellow (1988-9) at the University of Otago. Anthony was Composer-in-Residence with the Dunedin Sinfonia in 1993-94, completing his Symphony No. 1 "Boum. He freelanced from 1995-2002, writing commissioned works for performers as diverse as the NZSO, Class Act Opera, and Footnote Dance Company. In 2000 his Symphony No.2 was premiered by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at the International Festival of the Arts, and was followed up by the comic opera Quartet at the 2004 Festival. Anthony has composed film music in collaboration with Natural History NZ, including Southern Journeys (2000) and Timeless Land (2003). In 2004 his opera, The God Boy, was a critically acclaimed success at the Otago Arts Festival, and in 2005 his 24 Piano Preludes were released on CD by Atoll, also to good reviews. In 2006 a CD of Ritchie’s chamber music was released by Kiwi Pacific Records, and his symphonies were released in 2007 on that label.
Anthony now holds a position as senior lecturer in composition at University of Otago, as well as free-lance composing. His works are regularly performed in New Zealand, and increasingly overseas as well, most notably the Flute Concerto.

Peter Scholes clarinet
Sarah Watkins piano
Robert Ashworth viola
Dianna Cochrane violin
David Garner cello
Martin Lee oboe
Ben Hoadley bassoon
Carl Wells horn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds, K.452
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Kegelstatt Trio, K.498
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet, K.581

This is a fabulous programme of chamber music by Mozart and features the sublime Quintet for Clarinet and Strings. It is one of my favourite works and is a joy to play. Mozart was hugely inspired by his clarinet friend Anton Stadler to write this piece and this music shows this affection.
The other works in the programme are the Quintet for piano and winds with the amazing Sarah Watkins of NZ Trio fame on piano. We also play the Kegelstatt Trio for viola, clarinet and piano.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Catherine Bowie flute
Helen Webby harp

Elena Kats-Chernin Zoom and Zip
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp, K.299
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade, op.48, C major

Born in Takapuna, Auckland, Catherine Bowie first became known when she played the Ibert Flute Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in the Young Musicians’ Competition at the age of 15.
Nevertheless New Zealand couldn’t keep her – she moved to Paris and lived there from 1987 to 2002. During that time she earned the Kranichsteiner Musik Preis from Germany in 1992 and four years later won the Rotterdamer Gaudeamus Competition. From 1987 – 1991 she was able continue her studies in France on a French Government Grant.
Catherine performed widely with orchestras throughout France, namely the Paris based 'Ensemble Court- Circuit', for which she was Principal Flute. The award-winning ensemble toured extensively and was invited to several international Festivals all over Europe.
During her time in France, Catherine returned regularly to New Zealand to perform concertos (with the APO in 2000) and play as a touring chamber musician. Catherine enjoys teaching and is the flute tutor at Auckland University and principal flute in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
Born in Whangarei, Helen Webby began playing the harp at the age of twelve, and studied with Dorothea Franchi (Auckland), Rebecca Harris (Auckland), Edward Witsenburg (Holland) and Maria Graf (Germany).
Helen graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from the University of Auckland, undertook postgraduate studies in The Netherlands and then in 1996 completed a Masters degree in Harp and Music Teaching from the Hochschule for Music in Hamburg. Her postgraduate studies were made possible by winning scholarships from The Netherlands Government (NUFFIC), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council New Zealand.
While based in Germany Helen led a busy career as a chamber and orchestral musician, and recorded her first CD with her German chamber group Ensemble Obligat. In 1996 Helen appeared as Acting Principal Harp with the NZSO, and in 2000 returned to New Zealand as Principal Harp with the Christchurch Symphony. Her subsequent concerto appearances, solo recitals and chamber recitals have been warmly acclaimed by critics. This year Helen is on secondment again to the NZSO as Acting Principal Harp.
Along the way Helen has maintained a great interest in the celtic harp, winning a prize at the 1990 International Carolan Harp Competition (Ireland), and recently collaborating with Scottish guitarist Davy Stuart to record the CD The Peacock’s Dance: celtic music for harp and guitar. 2004 took Helen to Australia to perform as a main international guest at the National Folk Festival in Canberra.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Emma Sloman Soprano
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano

Johann Strauss II Pizzicato Polka
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Porgi Amor from The Marriage of Figaro
George Gershwin Summertime
Peter Scholes Garage Sale
CD Launch Anthony Ritchie talks about his music.
Anthony Ritchie Whakatipua
Caesar,Casucci,Brammer (arr. Dodd) I'm Just a Gigolo with special guest Frank Olsson
Michael Daugherty What’s that Spell?
Claire Scholes Knees Up Mambo
Peter Heidrich Happy Birthday Variations

Welcome to "ACO's last concert for 2009 - "Birthday Bash". Tonight we celebrate a decade of music making by presenting items which cover all the aspects of the ACO's artistic mission. We release our first CD "Remember Parihaka" and to mark the occasion we will play "Whakatipua" by Anthony Ritchie. Opera and song are here as well as massive amounts of musical imagination. Leaning a little more in the entertainment direction, there is some serious fun, satire and parody.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Read Gainsford piano
Sarah Watkins piano piano

Igor Stravinsky Ebony Concerto
Leonard Bernstein Prelude Fugue and Riffs
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
John Adams Grand Pianola Music

The ACO, disguised as a jazz band delivers some of the hottest jazz inspired music including the amazing Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin in its original form as played by the Paul Whiteman Big Band.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Helen Medlyn* mezzo soprano
Claire Scholes** mezzo soprano
Adrianna Lis*** flute

Eve de Castro-Robinson ***Knife Apple Sheer Brush
Eve de Castro-Robinson **Chaos of Delight II
Eve de Castro-Robinson Commemoration
Eve de Castro-Robinson These boots (are made for dancing)
Eve de Castro-Robinson A Resonance of Emerald Interval
Eve de Castro-Robinson *Len Songs
Eve de Castro-Robinson Noah’s Ark

Eve de Castro-Robinson is one of NZ’s leading composers. Her works have been performed throughout NZ and internationally. Her Triple Clarinet Concerto was the 1992 NZ entry in the International Rostrum of Composers, Paris; she is twice winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award (1998 and 2007) and a finalist in 2006, and twice winner of the Philip Neill Memorial Prize in Music. She was awarded the CANZ Trust Fund Award in 2000.Dr de Castro-Robinson is Senior Lecturer in Composition at the University of Auckland
Solo CDs on the Atoll label of her chamber music, Chaos of Delight and orchestral works Other echoes have received critical acclaim, and she has single works on many other CDs. Athird solo CD of recent orchestral works performed by the NZSO will be launched in October 2009.
In 2003 she received a major grant from Creative New Zealand to completed her opera on Len Lye, and in 2004 a 'de Castro-Robinson Portrait' concert showcased her chamber music at the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington. In 2006 the Karlheinz Company presented a concert to celebrate her 50th birthday.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Alexa Still flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Flute Concerto No. 1, K.313, G major
David Hamilton Hine Raukatauri
Claire Scholes 4 Seasons in 4 Minutes
Franz Schubert Death and the Maiden

Alexa Still has a hugely successful career as a soloist and recording artist. “Still’s skillful artistry is nothing but natural, pure and honest.” Sabine Kortals, Daily Camera This concert is a must see and hear for flute fans. Schubert’s great Death and the Maiden quartet is a string quartet of symphonic proportions and is here presented in its arrangemnt for string orchestra.

Patricia Wright soprano
Peter Scholes clarinet
David Guerin piano
Dianna Cochrane violin
Rachel Guan bassoon
Carl Wells horn
William Hanfling violin
Owen Gordon viola
David Garner cello
Evgeny Lanchtchikov bass

Franz Schubert Octet, Op.166
Franz Schubert Ave Maria (arr. Claire Scholes)
Franz Schubert Der Hirt auf dem Felsen Op.129 (The Shepherd on the Rock)

Welcome to this concert of glorious chamber music by Schubert. He is featured in many of our concerts this year.
He wrote some 600 lieder, nine symphonies as well as liturgical music, operas and a large body of chamber and solo piano music.
Apart from support from a close group of friends he was never able to secure adequate permanent employment and died at the age of 31. Interest in his music increased drammatically in the decades following his death with composers like Liszt, Schumann and Mendelssohn who collected and championed his works.
He is now widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition.
We hope you enjoy this music as much as we enjoy playing it!

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Ben Hoadley bassoon

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade, K.525)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Bassoon Concerto K.191, B flat major
Claude Debussy Clair de Lune (arr. Claire Scholes)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Bassoon Concerto K.191, B flat major
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Here is a rare opportunity to hear the bassoon featured as a solo instrument. The Mozart concerto exploits the lyricism and vocal qualities of the instrument. In Transfigured Night, Schoenberg creates a tapestry of string sonority which represents the culmination of romanticsm. It is a work of transcendental beauty.

Samuel Barber Summer Music
Francis Poulenc Sextet for Piano and Winds
Louis Spohr Nonet
P D Q Bach Schleptet in E-Flat Major

Dianna Cochrane violin
Martin Lee oboe
Peter Scholes clarinet
Ben Hoadley bassoon
David Kay horn
Sarah Watkins piano
Owen Gordon viola
John Harrison bass

To start the 2009 season the Auckland Chamber Orchestra led by director Peter Scholes and concertmaster Dianna Cochrane present a concert of glorious chamber music. The virtuoso Summer Music by American composer Samuel Barber opens the programme. This jazzy piece for wind quintet was written by the composer of the famous Adagio for Strings and is full of nostalgic and passionate writing. The Sextet by Poulenc juxtaposes French lyricism with comic twists and is musical entertainment at its best. The main work of the concert is the Spohr Nonet. The nine instruments blend together to create beautiful harmonies which accompany the romantic melodies by this popular composer. The concert ends end with one of the great musical dilemmas - the mysterious talent of P D Q Bach.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Michael Houstoun piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro, K.492: Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 19, Bb major
Arvo Pärt Fratres for wind octet and percussion
Franz Josef Haydn Symphony No. 104, D major "London"

Welcome to the final concert for the year by the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. 2008 has been a busy year and it has been a joy sharing our music making with you. As musical director of the orchestra I love the variety of programming that is possible with a flexible group such as this. My programming philosophy is to present great works from the past that have stood the test of time and are just as relevant today as they were on their first performance. We also present music from our time by composers who have found a unique voice which inspires us a musicians - and then it is our task to excite you with performances of these works. We aim to entertain, provoke and inspire. Enjoy the music and have a great summer. Peter Scholes, Musical Director

Ludwig van Beethoven Sextet, Opus 71
Ludwig van Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Winds, Opus 16
Ludwig van Beethoven Septet, Opus 20

Dianna Cochrane violin
Owen Gordon viola
David Garner cello
Daniel Stabler bass
Martin Lee oboe
Peter Scholes and Andrew Uren clarinets
Ben Hoadley and Kate Goldstone bassoons
Carl Wells horn
Carl Wells and David Kay horns
Sarah Watkins piano

Join us for an evening of fine chamber music by Beethoven.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Read Gainsford piano

John Psathas Fragment
John Psathas Ancient Greek Songs
John Psathas Island Songs
John Psathas Abhisheka
John Psathas Piano Concerto

Tonight we present a concert of the music of John Psathas. His talent, skill and creativity have earned him remarkable international success with soloists and orchestras performing his work to critical acclaim. This concert continues the composer portrait series which champions new music with a special emphasis on New Zealand music. For an insight into the rich and varied world of NZ music please visit the Centre for New Zealand Music.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Diedre Irons piano
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Ludwig van Beethoven Coriolan Overture, op. 62
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 15, C major
Arvo Pärt Summa
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 1, op. 21, C major

Tonight we present an (almost) all Beethoven programme. Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of Western classical music. He is a pivotal figure in the transition from 18th century musical classicism to 19th century romanticism, and his influence on subsequent generations of composers is profound. Earlier in the year we performed his "Grosse Fugue" which showed the extreme side of Beethoven as he stretched and broke free from the formal contstraints of his predessessors. The same genius and processes took place in his piano music and also in his string quartets.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Indra Hughes harpsichord
Yid-Ee Goh concertmaster
Adrianna Lis flute

J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto no.5
Benjamin Britten Simple Symphony
Arvo Pärt Fratres for strings and percussion
Antonin Dvorák Serenade for Strings

Welcome to tonight's concert which is named "Serenade" after the main work on the programme. In it's oldest form a serenade is a composition performed for a lover or friend (often below a window). By the 19th century the serenade was a concert work although usually of a lighter character than the symphony with emphasis on melody rather than dramatic intensity. Tonight we hope to communicate our passion for performing to you as our loyal and dedicated audience.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

John Rimmer Octet
John Rimmer De Aestibus Rerum
John Rimmer Emergence
John Rimmer Gossamer
John Rimmer Murmures
John Rimmer The Ring of Fire

Welcome to "The Ring of Fire". Tonight we present a retrospective concert of music by John Rimmer. I had the fortune to attend John's lectures in 1978-79 and he opened up to me a world of creativity which I did not know existed. Since then I have performed, recorded and conducted many of his compositions. His sound world is unique, full of colour and imagination and always interesting to play.
John Rimmer was born in Auckland studied with Ronald Tremain at the University of Auckland. In 1967 he was awarded a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and studied at the University of Toronto with John Weinzweig and Gustav Ciamaga. He returned to New Zealand in 1969 and taught at the North Shore Teachers College before being appointed in 1974 to the staff of the School of Music at the University of Auckland. In 1972 he was the Mozart Fellow (Composer-in-Residence) at the University of Otago.
John Rimmer’s compositions use a wide variety of musical forces; instrumental, orchestral and choral. About a quarter of his works employ electroacoustic resources and many works are published and recorded. He has received honourable mentions for his works in competitions at the prestigious electroacoustic music festival held in Bourges, France and also at the Newcomp competition in Massachusetts. In 1986 his computer generated work ‘Fleeting Images’ received the International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music prize at Bourges. Earlier, in 1983, his ‘De Aestibus Rerum’ (‘on the ebb and flow of things’) received first prize in the International Horn Competition held in the United States. In 1989 on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday his ‘Symphony: The Feeling of Sound’ was commissioned and performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and subsequently recorded in the orchestra’s CD series of New Zealand composers.
John Rimmer plays the horn and is the founder of the Karlheinz Company, an ensemble for new music at the University of Auckland. In 1971 he won the Philip Neill prize awarded by the University of Otago for his ‘Composition 2 for Wind Quintet and Electronic Sounds’ and again in 2003 for his string quartet ‘Bowed Insights.’ In 1977 he was awarded an APRA Silver Scroll for ‘The Ring of Fire.’ This work was one of the first commissions given by the Music Federation of New Zealand and was composed for the London Sinfonietta’s visit to New Zealand in 1976. In 1994 John Rimmer received the KBB citation of the Composers Association of New Zealand for services to New Zealand music. In 1995 he was awarded a personal professorial chair at the University of Auckland and in 1997 a Lilburn Trust award also for services to New Zealand music.
John Rimmer retired from his position at the University of Auckland in February 1999 in order to devote his full attention to composing. In 2002 and 2003 he was Composer in Residence with the Auckland Philharmonia, and in 2004 was Composer in Residence with the Dalewool Auckland Brass Band, and in 2005 and 2006 with the Manukau City Symphony. He lives with his wife Helen at Tapu Bay, Nelson.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Patricia Wright soprano
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Anthony Young Variation: Sumer is icumen in
Gustav Holst St Paul's Suite
Ludwig van Beethoven Große Fuge, op. 133
Arvo Pärt Silouan's Song
Edward Elgar Serenade for Strings
Benjamin Britten Les Illuminations

Welcome to 2008 with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra.
This the ACO's tenth season and so represents a decade of orchestral and chamber music concerts, children's concerts, opera, outdoor performances as well as recordings and commissioning new work.
Auckland's musical community has never been busier. The ACO is proud to be part of it and to present concerts of exciting repertoire. Our mission is to inspire and entertain our audience. The ACO helps make a professional career in music more viable. The pursuit of excellence is a life long quest and I am thrilled to work with fine musicians who live and breathe music and who want to share their music with you the audience.
Patricia Wright is one of New Zealand's finest singers and we are thrilled to be collaborating with her in "Les Illuminations".
“Patricia Wright is an extraordinarily fine Donna Anna, her superb voice and capable acting capturing the high moral tone that colours her role.” Sunday Star Times July 2005
“...for sheer beauty of line, her performance could not have been bettered, and impish humour was delivered where required. Wright’s ability to catch different vocal timbres and moods, marks her as the most versatile soprano working in the country today.” New Zealand Herald February 2005
Auckland-born soprano, Patricia Wright trained as a singer in New Zealand with Sister Mary Leo and in Australia with Dame Joan Hammond. Success at an early age in her home country resulted in recitals and concerts, television performances and many recitals for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. At the age of twenty-one, Patricia Wright was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant to travel to Australia to further her studies. After graduating from the Victoria College of the Arts in Melbourne, she received a scholarship to enable her to study in Europe. Soon after her arrival in London, Patricia was awarded second prize in the prestigious Benson and Hedges Gold Award for Singers and she also represented New Zealand in the renowned Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
Roles in the United Kingdom and Ireland included Norina, Micaela, Mimi, Pamina, Nanetta, Gilda and Dido and critically acclaimed performances in lieder and oratorio led her to every major concert hall in Britain. During this period she returned to New Zealand several times and sang Mimi in Canterbury Opera's La bohème, Despina for Wellington City Opera's Cosi fan tutte, Micaela in Auckland Opera's Carmen and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors at the State Opera House.
Since returning to live in New Zealand, Patricia has accepted engagements from the major orchestras, opera companies, festivals and choral societies. Her operatic roles have been Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera and Micaela in Carmen for Wellington City Opera; First Lady in The Australian Opera's Magic Flute; Magda in a concert performance of La Rondine for Academy Opera; The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro for Canterbury Opera; Liù in Turandot, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Clorinda in Cenerentola, Nedda in I Pagliacci and Madama Butterfly for Opera New Zealand; Alice Ford in Falstaff, the role of Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for NBR New Zealand Opera.
Concert engagements include Carmina Burana, Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Verdi Requiem and Child of Our Time for Orpheus Choir, St. John's Passion and Wedding Cantata for New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, Messiah, Solemn Vespers, Nelson Mass and Handel’s Solomon with Auckland Choral Society, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Mahler Symphony No. 4 and a Richard Strauss programme with Auckland Philharmonia, The Verdi Requiem with Hamilton Civic Choir, Liverpool Oratorio with Napier Civic Choir, the Pergolesi Stabat Mater and Mozart Exsultate Jubilate with the touring Capella Istropolitana Orchestra and a concert entitled Early Voices for Canberra Symphony Orchestra; on the festival circuit she has sung at the Rotorua Chamber Music Festival, the Christchurch Arts Festival and the International Festival of Arts.
Patricia has recorded the Verdi Requiem with Opera New Zealand and Auckland Philharmonia; Serenata, songs by Italian composers, with David Vine, pianist, (Atoll); Frank Bridge Songs (Pearl); Jane Austen Songs (Pearl); Rebecca Clarke (Gamut); Arnold Bax (Continuum); Kenneth Young NZSO (Trust Atoll) and Hummel’s Missa Solemnis for Naxos.
Recent concerts include Vaughan William’s A Sea Symphony, Verdi Requiem and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis for Auckland Choral Society, Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Golijov’s Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra, a Puccini and a Verdi Concert, Songs of the Auvergne and Mozart Requiem for Auckland Philharmonia, Bach arias with the NZ String Quartet at Nelson Chamber Music Festival and a concert including Golijov Songs as well as Four Last Songs with Christchurch Symphony.
In 2007 Patricia Wright sang Mahler Symphony No. 2 for NZSO, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 for Vector Wellington Orchestra, a lieder recital with Diedre Irons for Auckland Philharmonia, a country wide Chamber Music New Zealand lieder recital with Michael Houstoun and Beethoven Mass in C Major and concert aria Ah Perfido for Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Society.
2008 engagements include an outdoor concert at Government House in Wellington, a concert with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. Patricia will also feature in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville and perform Leonora in Il Trovatore with Southern Opera.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Yidee Goh violin
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Vivaldi Summer
Bach Air on a G String
Mascagni Intermezzo
Massenet Meditation from Thais
Rimsky Korsakov Fight of the Bumble Bee
Gershwin Variations on Summertime
Corelli Xmas Concerto
Pachelbel Canon

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Don McGlashan composer
Jonathan Besser composer
Ivan Zagni composer
Peter Scholes composer

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Dimitri Atanassov violin

Antonio Vivaldi Spring
Respighi Trittico Botticelliano
Peter Scholes Requiem Concerto for Violin and Chamber Orchestra
Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Zan McKendree-Wright mezzo soprano
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Gillian Whitehead Manutaki
Gillian Whitehead Kirohirohi
Gillian Whitehead Hoata
Gillian Whitehead Hotspur

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Claire Nash mezzo soprano
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Douglas Lilburn Wind Quintet
Ross Harris Wind Quintet
Ross Harris Te Moanupouri
Ross Harris To a Child
Ross Harris Music for Jonny
Ross Harris To the Memory of I.S. Totzka

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
David Guerin piano
Lara Hall violin
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Vivaldi Winter
J. S. Bach Concerto for keyboard
Mozart Symphony No.29

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Raymond Hawthorne narrator
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Lilburn Landfall in Unknown Seas
Linda Olsson "Breaking the silence"
Pico Iyer/Peter Scholes 13 Ways of Looking at Seven

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Gareth Farr Cadenza
Gareth Farr Time and Tide
Gareth Farr Kembang Suling
Gareth Farr Waipoua
Gareth Farr Nagababa

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Tamas Vesmas piano
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Vivaldi Autumn
Mozart Piano Concerto in A major K.414
Barber Adagio for Strings
Haydn Symphony No. 8 (Le Soir)

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Max Cryer announcer
Robert Wiremu producer
V8 Vocal Ensemble
Paloma Bruce soprano
Mere Boynton soprano
Timua Brennan soprano
April Marie Neho mezzo soprano
Benjamin Makisi tenor
Bonnie Allan-Moetaua tenor
Phillip Rhodes baritone
James Ioelu baritone

Handel The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel Questo il cielo de’ contenti (Alcina)
Handel Piangeró la sorte mia (Giulio Cesare)
Handel Total eclipse (Samson)
Handel Ombra mai fu (Xerxes)
Handel Let the bright seraphim
Mozart Deh vieni alla finestra (Don Giovanni)
Gluck Che faró senza Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice)
Mozart Porgi amor (Le nozze di Figaro)
Mozart Non piu andrai (Le nozze di Figaro)
Mozart Sull’aria (Le nozze di Figaro)
Édouard Lalo Vainement, ma bien aimée (Le roi d'Ys)
Rossini Ecco ridente (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
Donizetti Per te d’immenso giubilo (Lucia di Lammermoor)
INTERVAL
Percy French, arr. Langford, Crouch Phil, the fluter’s Ball
Mozart arr. Rathbone Un aura amorosa (Cosi fan tutte)
Hammond and Hazelwood, arr. Knight I’m a train
Donizetti Il segreto (Lucrezia Borgia)
Donizetti Quel guardo il cavaliere (Don Pasquale)
Donizetti Bella siccome un angelo (Don Pasquale)
Donizetti Cheti, cheti immantinente (Don Pasquale)
Donizetti Com’e gentil (Don Pasquale)
Donizetti Tornami a dir (Don Pasquale)
Leoncavallo O Colombina (I Pagliacci)
Waikohu Booth Rere atu, rere mai
Offenbach Belle nuit, o nuit d’amour (Les contes d'Hoffmann)
Offenbach Gendarmes Duet (Geneviève de Brabant)
Verdi Bella figlia dell’amore (Rigoletto)
Trad. Funiculí Funiculá

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
*Carmel Carroll mezzo soprano
Chris O'Connor percussion

Don McGlashan composer
Jonathan Besser composer
Ivan Zagni composer
Peter Scholes composer

Improvisations
Jonathan Besser Xmas Blues 1,2,3
Peter Scholes Blue Rock
Don McGlashan Toy Factory Fire
Ivan Zagni *Going Forward in Reverse
Improvisations
Don McGlashan Music from the film "No. 2"
Jonathan Besser Ponsonby Rd 2
Don McGlashan Game
Don McGlashan Not Ready
McGlashan/Besser/Zagni/Scholes mbzs@aco.co.nz mbzs@aco.co.nz

“Simply by sailing in a new direction you could enlarge the world.” Allen Curnow
In Gone to the Beach there are no boats to sail but I sought to expand the musical horizon, just a tiny bit, by cooking a dinner for a group of composer colleagues, giving them an orchestra for a week and a date at the Concert Chamber to perform.
Concept: form a composer group and collectively devise a programme for chamber orchestra.
It is a programme of new work with some adaption of previous material. Composers are given the brief to write new work or adapt or reconfigure pre existing works from their opus.
The collaborative process is an integral part of this project. The composers met and agreed on the general format and content. There was a thought to give it a Christmas theme but ironically the only composer who took this idea further was the the Jewsish member of the group! Thanks Jonathan! Many themes have come out of the process of putting this all together. “The other side of Xmas” is one of my favourites.
Early in my career as an orchestral player I was struck by then complete reliance on works by composers of the past centuries or to put it more succinctly dead composers. I love tradition and a great work is a joy to study, play and to hear. However in bedrooms, studios, in the mountains and on the beach, people, composers, are dreaming new music. Today all the music of the past is totally accessible. Entire collections of record labels are only a subscription and a mouse click away. It would take many lifetimes to hear it all - so why write more music? Market forces indicate that audiences crave the familiar. This concert is for listeners who enjoy the unexpected and the new.
I seek inspiration from many sources and in Gone to the Beach I seek it from my colleagues. Thanks Don, Jonathan and Ivan for immersing your total selves in this project and thanks to the ACO for your fine spirit, great playing and willingness to give it 110% Gone to the Beach is risky, it’s exciting, and it’s about new work and collaboration. It is a deadly serious process, impulsive and considered with a large sprinkling of insanity.
The movie world presents the director's cut - where the original creator presents his/her version of the work. Here we present to you, first up, the composers’ cut.
Peter Scholes 2006

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane violin
Martin Lee oboe
Paloma Bruce soprano

J.S. Bach Brandenburg concerto no. 3, BWV 1048, G major
J.S. Bach Double Concerto for oboe and violin, BWV 1060
Arvo Pärt Collage sur Bach
Heitor Villa Lobos Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 for Soprano and Cello Ensemble
J.S. Bach Suite No. 1, BWV 1066, C major

This concert is a tribute to the great Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach is the most universal composer and he laid a foundation of music which has inspired composers, performers, teachers and listeners for centuries. His abilities as an improviser are legendary.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Katherine Austin piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Idomeneo Overture
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto no.17 in G major, K453
Béla Bartók Divertimento for strings
Sergei Prokofiev Classical Symphony

The supreme master of the Classical period was Mozart and in this concert we also feature three greats of 20th century music who celebrate this golden age. Stravinsky, Bartok and Prokofiev exploit the colours of the chamber orchestra in unique ways and the rhythmic vitality and exuberant energy in all these works guarantees this concert to be an evening to be a fitting tribute to Mozart.
New Zealand pianist, Katherine Austin, performs regularly around New Zealand as concerto soloist, chamber musician, and solo recitalist. She tours frequently for Chamber Music New Zealand, and is a National Recording Artist, broadcasting regularly for Concert FM. Performances in many of the country’s main festivals include the International Festival of Arts in Wellington, the Nelson International Chamber Music Festival, and the yearly Rotorua Millenium Chamber Music Festival, of which she is a co-founder. Katherine Austin is a founding member of the Tennant-Austin Duo who have performed in Europe and the USA, and the Ogen Trio, with whom she performs standard repertoire and new contemporary works throughout New Zealand.
Katherine holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Auckland University, where her teachers were Janetta McStay and Bryan Sayer. She was winner of the 1982 New Zealand Young Musician of the Year and the NZ National Piano Award in the same year. Seven years of study and performance in London and Europe included a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music London studying with top Russian pianist and teacher Irina Zaritskaya, as well as postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Katherine won Top Duo Prize in the 1987 Stresa International Chamber Music Competition in Italy, performing with cellist Vincenzo Giuliani. She returned to New Zealand in 1991.
Katherine Austin tours throughout New Zealand frequently for Chamber Music New Zealand, most recently in 2005 with the Ogen Trio, and in 2003 with duo partner cellist James Tennant in the Tennant-Austin Duo. The Tennant-Austin Duo toured in the UK and USA in 2004, receiving accolades and standing ovations in each centre they performed including London and Michigan, with return invitations which they will take up at the end of 2006. In 2005 the Tennant-Austin Duo performed the entire Sonatas of Beethoven for Cello and Piano in one concert, which extraordinary concert they will tour nationally in 2006 and 2007. In 2004 and 2005, with the Ogen Trio and clarinetist Peter Scholes, Katherine Austin has given a number of performances of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which has received outstanding reviews for every performance. Critic Ian Dando, interviewed by Concert Fm said of their Christchurch performance “better than any performance I have ever heard, live or recorded”. Katherine Austin also performs regularly as concerto soloist with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and the Opus Chamber, specialising in the concertos of Mozart and Beethoven.

ACO strings and guests led by Dianna Cochrane
Peter Scholes clarinet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major K.581
Felix Mendelssohn Octet in E flat major, Op.20

Mozart was born 300 years ago and throughout the world concerts are happening to celebrate this. The Mozart Clarinet Quintet is an all time favourite and equally alluring is the Mendelssohn Octet. Join us for this night of beautiful chamber music.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Emma Sloman soprano
Claire Nash mezzo soprano

Igor Stravinsky Concerto in Eb (Dumbarton Oaks)
Russ Garcia Sketches for Clarinet
Anthony Young Three Songs on Poems by Jean Toomer (World premiere)
Aaron Copland Nonet for Strings
Michael Daugherty What's That Spell?

The Concerto by Stravinsky was inspired by Bach's Brandenburg concertos and was commissioned for performance at Dumbarton Oaks, a mansion in Washington. D.C. Russ Garcia is a Hollywood composer and arranger who now lives in the Bay of Islands. New Zealand composer Anthony Young has set poems by American poet Jean Toomer. Copland is one of America’s greatest 20th century composers and Daugherty presents an exposé on the private lives of Barbie and Ken.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
New Zealand String Quartet
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Richard Wagner Siegfried Idyll
Louis Spohr Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 5

Siegfried Idyll is a work of delicacy and beautiful simplicity. The Spohr Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra is one of the very few works for this combination and it will be a pleasure to hear our resident quartet, the New Zealand String Quartet as guest soloists in this performance. Schubert’s fifth symphony blends classical precision and perfection with the melodic line of the Romantic style.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)

Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Patrice Wilson director
Andrea Creighton soprano
Jennifer Aylmer soprano
Michael Parmenter dancer

Kurt Weill The Seven Deadly Sins
Arnold Schoenberg String Quartet Op. 10 no.2

In a collaboration of unique talent, opera returns for a brief season to its original home in Auckland, the Mercury Theatre.
Auckland Opera Studio is pairing a talented group of New Zealand singers with respected choreographer and dancer Michael Parmenter and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra to present a dynamic evening of opera and dance featuring Kurt Weill's “The Seven Deadly Sins”, a dark and sensuous setting of lyrics by Brecht.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane violin
Martin Lee oboe
Alexa Still flute

Edvard Greig Holberg Suite
Lille Bror Söderlundh Concertino for Oboe and Strings
Jean Sibelius Rakastava
Carl Nielsen Flute Concerto

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane violin
Claire Scholes mezzo soprano

Improvisations
Ivan Zagni Pakiri Beach
Jonathan Besser Hudson River 2,4,5
Ivan Zagni Encyclomix
Don McGlashan Queen's English
Don McGlashan Dinner with Strange Exotic Birds
Don McGlashan Ghost Train
Jonathan Besser New York Tone Rows
Peter Scholes Garage Sale
Peter Scholes Shifting Sand
Peter Scholes Qhid Pro Quo Clarice
Ivan Zagni Orgone
Improvisation Hooked on Classics (or Raising the Dead)

New work, collaborations and improvisations with guest composers/performers.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane violin
Zan McKendree-Wright soprano
Daniel Keeling bass

Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no. 14

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Catherine Bowie flute
Martin Lee oboe
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
*Donald Nicholls clarinet
Rachel Guan bassoon
John Ure horn

Jacques Ibert Three Pieces
Anton Reicha Quintet in Eb
Arnold Schoenberg *Wind Quintet

The quintet is Schoenberg's first twelve tone composition and is a masterwork combing the power of logical thought and classical structure to porduce a challenging and expressive music.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

John Adams Shaker Loops
Franz Josef Haydn The Seven Last Words of Christ

Haydn composed nine poignant movements to reflect on and depict the seven last words of Christ on the cross. It is intensely beautiful music. This concert presents Haydn's originla conception of this music as a purely orchestral work.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Marc Taddei *conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster

Frederick Delius On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Frederick Delius Summer Night on the River
Olivier Messiaen Oiseaux Exotiques
Ivan Zagni *The Koekoea

Birdsong has inspired composers and performers since antiquity not only with its beauty and freedom but also with its mystery and the secrets of its structure. In Ivan Zagni's work, the music's structure mirrors the migration of the New Zealand long tailed cuckoo, the koekoea.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Alexa Still flute

Igor Stravinsky Dances Concertantes
Lucas Foss Renaissance Concerto
Franz Josef Haydn Symphony no.83, G minor (La Poule)

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Dimitri Atanassov violin
Robert Ashworth viola

Franz Josef Haydn Symphony no. 22 in Eb major “The Philosopher”
Ivan Zagni The Cospatrick Tragedy
Charles Ives The Unanswered Questio
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sinfonia concertante, K.364, Eb major

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane violin
Jackie Clarke Narrator

Peter Scholes The Golden Harp
Peter Scholes The Black Sail
Peter Scholes The Small Samurai
Peter Scholes The Tears of the Albatross

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
In collaboration with Auckland Opera Studio (Artistic Director Frances Wilson)

Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Patrice Wilson director
Indra Hughes chorus director
Musica Sacra chorus

Simon O’Neill Idomeneo
Georgia Hawes Idamante
Anna Leese Ilia
Sarah-Jane Rennie Elettra
Jack Bourke Gran Sacerdote di Nettuno
Shaun Dixon Arbace
Daniel Keeling La Voce Tremenda

Rising international opera star Simon O’Neill is coming to Auckland for two performances of a Mozart opera – because he loves his old singing teacher.
"He’s coming back because he loves me – and I asked him," says his former singing coach, Frances Wilson, of Herne Bay. Ms Wilson taught the New Zealand tenor in New York and he lived with Ms Wilson and her husband in their apartment for three years.
The 31-year-old tenor, a Fulbright Scholar whose face has appeared on a one-dollar New Zealand performing arts postage stamp, is in great demand overseas. He is covering for opera star Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera in New York this season and he has a contract with Covent Garden in London.
Mr O’Neill is returning to his homeland to sing in Idomeneo, a lesser known Mozart opera, put on collaboratively by the Auckland Opera Studio and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra.
Mr O’Neill sings the lead role of Idomeneo.
"He sings it really well – he has already sung it in New York twice," Ms Wilson says.
Mr O’Neill is not the only overseas talent coming to Auckland for two performances of the opera.
Anna Leese, winner of the Mobil Song Quest in 2002 and a student at the Royal College of Music in London, is returning to sing a major role in the opera. She will be joined by Australian singer Georgia Hawes.
More than 75 performers are involved in the production, which includes the 30-strong Auckland Chamber Orchestra conducted by Peter Scholes and Indra Hughes’ 35-voice choir, Musica Sacra..
Mr Scholes expects the Auckland Town Hall concert chamber’s small space to reverberate with " a thrilling sound".
"The human voice is the ultimate instrument," he says.
The production is on at the Auckland Town Hall concert chamber on Thursday, July 29, at 7pm, and on Friday, July 30, at 8pm.

Peter Scholes conductor
Katherine Austin piano
James Tennant cello
Dimitri Atanassov violin
Lara Hall violin
Robert Ashworth viola

Johannes Brahms Clarinet Sonata in Eb Major Op. 120 No. 2
Johannes Brahms Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Johannes Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op 115

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Alexa Still flute
Andrew Uren bass clarinet
Katherine Uren cello
Sam Hunt poet

Anthony Ritchie Double Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Cello
Anthony Ritchie Remember Parihaka
Anthony Ritchie Underwater Music
Anthony Ritchie Coming to it
Anthony Ritchie Flute Concerto

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet
Dianna Cochrane concertmaster
Sam Hunt poet

Corelli Christmas Concerto
Weber Clarinet Concerto no. 1, op.73, F minor
Ritchie Coming to it
Haydn Symphony no. 66, Bb major

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Miranda Adams violin
Andrew Uren bass clarinet
Katherine Uren cello

Edward Elgar Elegy
Anthopny Ritchie Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Cello
Peter Sculthorpe String Sonata No. 3
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no. 2

Katherine Austin piano
Peter Scholes clarinet
James Tennant cello
Dimitri Atanassov violin

Ludwig van Beethoven Trio Op.11, Bb major
John Psathas Three Island Dances
Olivier Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
-- storyteller
- Rosie
- clown

Margaret Mahy and Peter Scholes The Clown's Birthday

Following their sell out family performances of Peter and the Wolf in 2002 the Auckland Chamber Orchestra returns with The Clown’s Birthday an enchanting work that will capture the minds of children and their families. Devised by renowned children's author Margaret Mahy and set to original music by Peter Scholes The Clown’s Birthday tells the story of Rosie and her friend the Clown who journey through the forest to recover stolen birthday presents. Their quest takes them to the various kingdoms which make up the orchestra – strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion. Performed by the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and a cast of three, this is a rare treat not to be missed.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Katherine Austin piano
James Tennant cello
Dimitri Atanassov violin

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Serenade no. 10, K361 (Gran partita)
Ludwig van Beethoven Triple Concerto Op. 56, C major

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Serenade no. 10, K361 (Gran partita)

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Alexa Still flute

Anthony Ritchie Remember Parihaka
CPE Bach Flute Concerto
Anthony Ritchie Flute Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 1

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Stephen de Pledge piano

Edward Elgar Serenade, Op. 20, E minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto no. 17, G major K.453
Chris Marshall The Song of Gaia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony no. 29, K.201, A major

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Raymond Hawthorne director

Zan McKendree-Wright Orfeo
Katherine Wiles Euridice
Sarah-Jane Rennie Amor

Christoph Willibald Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Richard Mapp piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 in Bb K.595
Lissa Meridan tuning the head of a pin (World Premiere)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor K.550

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes clarinets, recorders

Music Through the Ages 13th-21st century items
Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons

David Guerin piano
Alison Jepson oboe
Peter Scholes clarinet
Terry Cammell bassoon
Jennifer Hsu horn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet for piano and winds
Douglas Lilburn Wind Quintet
Ludwig van Beethoven Quintet for piano and winds

"...a pianist so capable of enriching a day, perhaps a lifetime." Lindis Taylor, The Evening Post

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Jackie Clarke narrator
David Guerin piano
Ingrid Wahlberg piano

Sergei Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals
Ludwig van Beethoven 1st movement Symphony No. 5

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Katherine Austin piano

Pietro Mascagni Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488
Ralph Vaughan-Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 103, E-flat major "Drum roll"

"Her charismatic temperament underpinned by technical neatness gives her that x-factor of a true soloist". Ian Dando, Christchurch Star

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Raymond Hawthorne staging and narration
The Auckland Chamber Orchestra Chorus directed by John Rosser
Claire Caldwell repetiteur

Zan McKendree-Wright Sesto
Joanna Heslop Vitellia
Helen Medlyn Annio
Paul Chappory Tito
Anne Gerbic Servilia
Richard Green Publio

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621

A story of conspiracy, love and death (execution by wild beasts!) and finally the magnanimous Emperor Tito forgives them all.
La Clemenza di Tito was Mozart’s last opera and was premiered in Prague in 1791, just three months before the composer’s death.
It is set in Rome under the Emperor Tito, and follows an ever increasing web of intrigue, assassination plots and desperate games of love and hate.
This performance will be sung in Italian with an English narration between arias and ensembles.

“I want the wretch slain before sunset.
You know that he usurps a kingdom
given to me by the Gods” Vitellia

Peter Scholes clarinet
Dimitri Atanassov violin
Haihong Liu violin
Christine Bowie viola
James Tennant violoncello violoncello

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major, K 581
Brahms Clarinet Quintet

These two masterpieces of the chamber music world have so much in common and yet are world’s apart. The Mozart is classical perfection and elegance. The Brahms is romantic indulgence, like the best chocolate but with an awe-inspiring magnificence.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Katherine Austin piano
Simeon Broom violin
Monica Curro violin

Ross Harris Music for Jonny
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 18 in Bb Major K. 456
Alfred Schnittke Moz-Art à la Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 103, E-flat major "Drum roll"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 38 "Prague"

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Class Act Opera

Peter Scholes and Catharina van Bohemen The Tale of the Birdcatcher

Join Madame di Lammamour, the Impresario and his sidekick on their quest for exotic bird life - oh no! - watch out New Zealand!!! This dastardly trio from Transylvania is out to plunder our precious wildlife! Will they get through customs....what happens in the bush?.....will Madame realise who her true love is?
Kids can bring their parents to this R5 and a half rated production.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Marcus McLaren piano

John Elmsly Neither From nor Towards
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major K 467
Michael Daugherty Flamingo
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 38 "Haffner"

Mozart gave the world an exquisite collection of piano concertos and in the process turned the concerto into a form of operatic breadth. Two new works including duelling tambourines in "Flamingo" by American composer Michael Daugherty.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Lara Hall violin

Anthony Ritchie Remember Parihaka
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Concerto no. 5 in A major, K 219 (Turkish)
Maria Grenfell Serenades and Skirmishing
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony no. 100 "Military"

This programme features music with a military focus. Haydn’s “Military Symphony” uses percussion to bring the experience of the 18thC battlefield to the concert hall. Maria Grenfell creates a mini-battle within the orchestra in the delightful “Serenades and Skirmishes”.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Philip Sumner bassoon
Richard Mapp piano

Aaron Copland Music for Movies
Michael Daugherty Dead Elvis
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Aaron Copland Music for the Theatre
John Adams Chamber Symphony

We celbrate 100 years since Copland's birth. He was also a composer for film and theatre and these two collections will show an aspect of the composer's work not often heard. Is Elvis really dead? Come and hear "Dead Elvis" to find out!
"Rhapsody in Blue" is by one of the greatest melodists of all time, Gershwin, but this time it's the original version as performed by the Paul Whiteman big band in 1924.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
April-Marie Neho mezzo soprano (Mobil Song Quest finalist)
Black Grace dance company

J.S. Bach Brandenburg 3 (2nd movement only)
George Frederic Handel Water Music Suite No. 2
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 5
Georges Bizet Habanera from Carmen
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 5

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Richard Mapp piano

George Frederic Handel Water Music Suite No. 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto K 488
Maria Grenfell Clockwerk
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 5

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Douglas Beilman violin

Jean-Marie Leclair Violin Concerto Op.7, No. 4
Jacques Ibert Divertissement
Maurice Ravel Tzigane
David Hamilton One More Time Mr Couperin
Georges Bizet Symphony No. 1

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet

William Boyce Symphony No. 7
Malcolm Arnold Clarinet Concerto
Ralph Vaughan Williams Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 102

This programme features music with a military focus. Haydn’s “Military Symphony” uses percussion to bring the experience of the 18thC battlefield to the concert hall. Maria Grenfell creates a mini-battle within the orchestra in the delightful “Serenades and Skirmishes”.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Lara Hall violin
Jing Yi harp

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni Overture
Manuel de Falla Three Cornered Hat
Pablo Sarasate Zigeunerweisen
Joaquín Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez
Anthony Ritchie The Hanging Bulb
Carlos Surinach Ritmo Jondo

This programme features music with a military focus. Haydn’s “Military Symphony” uses percussion to bring the experience of the 18thC battlefield to the concert hall. Maria Grenfell creates a mini-battle within the orchestra in the delightful “Serenades and Skirmishes”.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Amanda Hollins flute

Ottorino Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances
Antonio Vivaldi Flute Concerto "Il cardellino"
Antonio Vivaldi Flute Concerto "La notte"
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 60 "Per la commedia intitolata il Distratto"

This programme features music with a military focus. Haydn’s “Military Symphony” uses percussion to bring the experience of the 18thC battlefield to the concert hall. Maria Grenfell creates a mini-battle within the orchestra in the delightful “Serenades and Skirmishes”.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Dame Malvina Major soprano
Russell Walder oboe
Anne Gerbic soprano

Arias and orchestral items

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Carmel Caroll mezzo sporano

Darius Milhaud La Creation du monde
Igor Stravinsky Pribaoutki
Maurice Ravel Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
John Rimmer The Ring of Fire
Antonín Leopold Dvořák Serenade Op 44, D minor

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor and clarinet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No 6, K.43, F major
Arvo Pärt Fratres
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto K.622, A major
Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Rolf Gjelsten cello

Igor Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks
Franz Joseph Haydn Cello concerto in C major Hob.VIIb
Sergei Rachmaninov Vocalise
Jenny McLeod Little Symphony
Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 60 "Per la commedia intitolata il Distratto"

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Matthew Marshall guitar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento No 11, K.251, D major
Benjamin Britten Sinfonietta
Joaquín Rodrigo Fantasía para un gentilhombre
Michael Tippet Divertimento (Sellinger's Round)

Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Peter Scholes conductor
Natalie Tantrum concertmaster

Erich von Stroheim The Wedding March
Carl Davis composer

First up our debut performance will see us accompanying the silent movie classic ‘The Wedding March’ one of the highlights of the Auckland International Film Festival. The magical score is by Carl Davis, based on themes of the Viennese Masters, 110 minutes of continuous music played by the orchestra in true silent movie tradition. ‘The Wedding March’ will screen Saturday July 10 at 7.30pm and we are anticipating a full house, so please book soon!
Excerpt from the 31st Auckland International programme. ‘The Wedding March’, (1928) written and directed by Erich von Stroheim is an ironic comedy of manners set in Vienna in the last years of the Hapsburg dynasty. Von Stroheim himself stars as Prince Nicki a dissolute young cavalry officer who falls in love with Mitzi an inn keeper’s daughter played by Fay Wray. “Peter Scholes has demonstrated an intense and lively affinity with the film medium in his work on several key New Zealand features and his performance of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘City Lights’ score at the 1998 Wellington Film Festival. He was our first and obvious choice of conductor for ‘The Wedding March’ and we’re delighted that he brings his new orchestra with him.” - Bill Gosden, Director of the 31st Auckland International Film Festival.