Hot on the heels of their breathtaking September residency and fundraising concert for Christchurch with world famous opera stars Placido Domingo and Katherine Jenkins, the NZSO National Youth Orchestra is gearing up for an exciting new summer tour.
The 2012 tour features a challenging and exciting programme, including Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. Romantic classics usually form the mainstay of the NYO’s output but this concert repertoire needs a smaller ‘classical’ orchestra, creating an opportunity to engage these talented young musicians in new musical and stylistic challenges which they can really sink their teeth into.
Sixteen-year-old virtuoso Columbian cellist Santiago Cañón Valencia will join the Orchestra, performing Shostakovich’s challenging Cello Concerto No. 1. Already known around the world for his extraordinary virtuosic talent, Santiago was hailed by the Gisborne Herald as “a legend at the age of 16” after his win in the 2011 Gisborne International Music Competition.
Born in Colombia in 1995, Santiago began studying the cello at the age of three, initially with his cellist mother, and then, for the next eight years, with the renowned Polish cellist/teacher Henryk Zarzychi. Following a worldwide search for his mother’s first teacher, James Tennant, Santiago moved to NZ to continue his studies privately with him. Since 2010, Santiago has been a full-time student at the University of Waikato, studying with James in an internationally unique programme, the Soloist Stream.
“I am incredibly grateful and excited to play as a soloist with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra. I have always been very impressed with their professional-like polish and the passion that they bring to their performances,” Santiago says.
“The Shostakovich concerto is very special to me. It has something quite indescribable that grabs my attention. From the opening notes in the solo cello part being a slightly mixed up version of the actual letters of his name, to his use of a famous Russian folk song called Suliko, this work contains many moments which allow for very special expressive touches.
“He writes from a deeply felt passion for the sadness and melancholy of the Russian ‘soul’. Ultimately, it is an exhilarating journey,” he says.
Taking them through their paces will be Kiwi conductor Tecwyn Evans, who has a long association with opera which began as Chorus Master at the famed Glyndebourne Festival Opera from 1999-2002 and continued with his appointment to the Graz Opera, one of Europe’s leading companies.
“It’s a real thrill to come home to work with the hugely talented players that form the National Youth Orchestra. We have the opportunity to play a concert of real contrasts – from the ground breaking Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture through to the extremely colourful story of the Pulcinella Suite by Stravinsky. This level of contrast will deliver a challenge for myself and the players and will provide a very interesting aural adventure for the audience.”
The orchestra will involve most of the same young musicians that have made up the orchestra membership since April 2011. A new round of auditions will take place after this concert in April 2012 to find the next NYO membership. The NYO is grateful for support from the Adam Foundation and Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts.