About Us
NZSO Foundation
The NZSO Foundation is a charitable trust, founded in 1996 to support the long term financial security, stability and development of the orchestra. The Foundation is a separate entity from the NZSO management and Board, but it is firmly committed to the long term objectives of the NZSO.
The NZSO Foundation Trustees are elected for a term of 3 years. The current members of the Board are Peter Rowe (Chair), Diana Fenwick QSO (Deputy Chair), Christopher Doig OBE, Christine Hainstock ONZM, Dame Catherine Tizard ONZ, GCMG, GCVO, DBE, QSO, Mark Barrow and Joan Caulfield. The Trustees serve in a voluntary capacity and do not receive remuneration.
To date the NZSO Foundation has funded masterclasses, purchased instruments, assisted in the further development of orchestra members, helped fund overseas touring and supported the National Youth Orchestra. We want to do more.
Your generosity means the NZSO Foundation can support key areas of the NZSO's work:
Tools of the trade
Purchase new instruments which are held by the NZSO Foundation on loan to musicians. These require upgrading periodically.
Player Excellence
Provide mid-career professional development opportunities for players through study awards and international music scholarships and exchanges.
Momentous Experiences
Attract outstanding international conductors and soloists, and to fund epic orchestral works.
International expeditions
Support international touring of the NZSO.
New Zealand Notations
Support the commissioning of new works.
The Next Generation
Assist young musicians with masterclasses, support the NZSO National Youth Orchestra, and the activities of the NZSO Education programme.
A word from the Chair
Peter Rowe, NZSO Foundation Chair
Peter Rowe became a Trustee of the Foundation in 1999 and was elected Chair in 2006. As he explains, Peter’s passion is music.
“I love orchestral concerts and have been going to NZSO concerts for over 40 years. Music is my main hobby and almost a religion so I was very pleased to be invited by Ian Fraser, then CEO of the NZSO, to become a trustee of the Foundation. It gives me a chance to help and be more involved with the Orchestra.
“I have very broad tastes in music and particularly like all forms of classical music. I enjoy CDs and DVDs but think live music is the ultimate experience. This is particularly true of the huge orchestral, choral and opera works which can only be fully appreciated in a live performance – Mahler, Shostakovich, Wagner and Brahms spring to mind.
“The NZSO does a brilliant job but I would like the Foundation to be in a position where it was able to provide real assistance in making the Orchestra more exciting for its players and audiences by getting those extra things which the basic funding does not fully provide.
This will assist in making the NZSO not just a great orchestra but a magnificent orchestra, appreciated as such by all New Zealanders and music lovers world-wide.”
