An Interview with NZSO Alumni Dean Major and Rosemary Brown

Q) Dean, I have you on record as serving from 1975 in the Trainees, (for how long?), and Second Violin from 1979 to 2021, is this correct?

A) Yes, NZSO Trainees/Schola Musica 1975-78 inclusive. NZSO 1979-2021.

Q) Dean, what were the highlights during your time in the NZSO?

A) 42 years of uninterrupted NZSO service meant that there were an astonishing number of highlights during my time with the orchestra. Not a year went by without something(s) quite wonderous happening. First special memory occurred as an NZSO Trainee, playing in the 1975 National Youth Orchestra. We began to rehearse Douglas Lilburn’s Aotearoa Overture, and I just sat there and thought, ‘What!’ I’ve never been quite the same and have loved Lilburn’s music ever since.

The next huge one arrived during a season of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, in the Wellington-based International Festival. I was lucky enough to play in every performance. Conducted by Heinz Wallberg, who knew the score backwards, Donald McIntyre as Hans Sachs carried the entire opera, from start to finish, for the entire season. Unbelievable!

Lastly, conductor, Franz-Paul Decker, deserves more than a mention. The relationship between the NZSO and Franz-Paul ran its course a time or two before it ended, but during its heyday an incredible number of earth-moving performances occurred. Dr. Decker was that rarest of beasts: in his repertoire he was a conductor capable of imparting a truly definitive interpretation of the music.

Q) Do you still do some playing?

A) Yes. I rarely play professionally, but the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra still invites me to join them from time to time. Otherwise, I helped tutor the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra until recently and played duos, trios and quartets at our local retirement homes and hospices. I also play at benefit concerts for causes I believe in.

Q) What have you been doing since you left?

A) As Rosemary still works a full week, I am the househusband, gardener, cook and bottlewasher. Keeping house, wrangling the garden, having coffee at my favourite café and doing a bit of violin practice pretty much fill the day, until it is Wine Time…

Q) Any plans for the future?

A) Nothing specific. I’m not in age-denial, so my More and Better mantra has been tempered by the realization that, not only can I not do quite as much as I used to, but I also simply do not want to…

Q. Dean (and Rosemary), you moved from Karori to Wairarapa, what’s life like there?

A) Yes, we moved to Greytown in 2021 and love living here. The climate is a little bit less severe than Karori and we spend much more time outdoors than we did in Wellington. The pace is slower and we have more time to relax. It is also close enough to Wellington not to feel isolated from our friends and family.

Q) Rosemary, what are your fondest memories of your time in NZSO administration? 1992 – 2015

A) My fondest memories as Sales and Client Services Manager, revolve around being part of an amazing team – too many names to mention here, but I need to mention my dearly departed friend and work colleague, Geoffrey Busch. Our NZSO marketing road trips were special. An often-hilarious mix of hard work and shopping. Being Front of House at concerts meant I didn’t always get to see the show, but I remember very special performances by Lynn Harrell, Pinchas Zukerman, and pianist and old school friend from Belfast NI, Barry Douglas.

Q) What have you been doing since you left?

A) Took a while to establish the kind of contacts that lead to employment but have since enjoyed a variety of rolls in retail, cycle tour group organizing, cellar door and events management at Gladstone Vineyard, and I am currently doing part-time at both the Martinborough i-Site and local boutique, Jen de la Haye. In 2024, I joined the Trust Board of the Martinborough Music Festival and have since been appointed their first paid administrator. I absolutely love working back in classical music.

Q) Any plans for the future?

A) Sometime in the near future I plan to return to the Northern Hemisphere to catch up with family and friends, including former NZSO Publicist, Hannah Evans, now working for Oxford University.