eNotes November 2026

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‍NZSO 2026 Annual Appeal: closes 30 November

In 2027, we welcome our new Music Director André de Ridder, return to Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall and celebrate our 80th birthday. From iconic masterworks to bold contemporary voices, the season will explore music in all its forms.

Your gift will help us deliver this milestone season throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and expand our engagement through new initiatives, including secondary school concerts and a week-long National Youth Music Festival.

Last year, donations from generous individuals and community trusts funded a vital 27% of our concerts and touring and 76% of our education and community programmes.

This year, the NZSO Learn & Engage team have already reached over 50,000 New Zealanders, and we’re committed to exceeding this number in 2027. Help us share the power of live music with even more people across the country — make your gift before the Annual Appeal closes on 30 November 2026.

Contact the NZSO Development team at philanthropy@nzso.co.nz or 0800 479 674 ext. 2.

Sir Stephen Hough and Gemma New return for Enigma

A decade after his last acclaimed performances with us, Sir Stephen Hough returns to the NZSO this week!

Join us in Wellington on 13 November or Auckland on 14 November for Enigma: a programme of mystery, virtuosity and a world premiere.

The British pianist, composer and writer — named by The Economist as one of the world’s 20 living polymaths — will perform Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5. Known as the Egyptian Concerto, it draws on sounds and musical influences from the composer’s travels.

“I think this piece is all about the ‘exotic,’ especially in the 2nd movement with its Eastern sounds—both Middle and Far East,” Sir Stephen has said.

For Sir Stephen, the concerto also reveals Saint-Saëns’ understanding of the piano: “Although it is highly virtuosic, everything lies under the hand—everything works on the instrument.”

Those who heard Sir Stephen with us in 2016 may remember the combination of technical brilliance and thoughtful interpretation that drew praise from reviewers. As the New Zealand Herald put it: “Hough is a singular pianist, who can move from cool to fiery within a beat.”

Sir Stephen recently talked to the New Zealand Listener about his return to performing with the NZSO, which you can read here.  

At Enigma, NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New brings together Sir Stephen’s artistry, Elgar’s much-loved Enigma Variations and a new work by New Zealand composer Ross Harris.

Elgar’s 14 variations offer both an intriguing musical puzzle and a deeply moving listening experience. The unheard theme behind the work has inspired years of speculation, but its emotional appeal is no mystery.

You’ll also be among the first to hear Harris’ Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by the NZSO. The world premiere puts the full orchestra centre stage, showcasing the bold vision of the four-time SOUNZ Contemporary Award winner.

For aspiring musicians, there’s another opportunity to learn from Sir Stephen: the NZSO Foundation presents a Masterclass in Auckland on 15 November.

‍The music of Split Enz with the NZSO Tickets on public sale now!

We’re turning 80, and we’ll be celebrating with a sound like no other. Gemma New leads the NZSO in ENZSO Celebrates—Presented in Association with Sharesies, giving the Split Enz songs you love a whole new orchestral life.

Booking is now open to everyone—grab your seats and come celebrate with us.

With the iconic songbook of Split Enz arranged by the band’s legendary keyboardist Eddie Rayner, the NZSO will be joined by Reb Fountain, Lawrence Arabia, Tiny Ruins’ Hollie Fullbrook, Wellington Youth Choir and more. Look forward to favourites including Message to My Girl, Six Months in a Leaky Boat and I See Red.

The newly reopened Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall is the setting for our birthday celebration. Bring your love of Kiwi music—we’ll bring the orchestra.

Wellington is sold out – catch Beethoven 9 in Dunedin!

The NZSO’s Beethoven 9 performance on 19 November in Wellington is sold out – but tickets are still available for our equally anticipated performance in Dunedin on 21 November.  

Don’t miss your chance to hear the NZSO bring Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony to life, crowned by the spine-tingling Ode to Joy.

NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New leads the 75-strong Orchestra in its first performances of this much-loved masterpiece in seven years. With its bold musical vision and powerful message of shared humanity, the Ninth is an unforgettable live experience.

In Dunedin, City Choir Dunedin joins the Orchestra and a stellar quartet of soloists: soprano Michaela Cadwgan, alto Sian Sharp, tenor Jonathan Abernethy and bass James Clayton.

The programme opens with Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead’s evocative Hoata, setting the scene for a stirring close to the NZSO’s 2026 mainstage season.

Make 21 November a night to remember with the NZSO at Dunedin Town Hall.

Soprano star Anna Leese joins NZSO for summer Baroque tour

The NZSO will bring the elegance, drama and splendour of the Baroque era to audiences from Nelson to Hamilton this summer with a six-date chamber music tour.

Baroque Delights: NZSO Summer Tour features NZSO Concertmaster and violin virtuoso Vesa-Matti Leppänen and internationally acclaimed New Zealand soprano Anna Leese.

The tour opens at Te Raukura ki Kāpiti in Paraparaumu on 4 December, before travelling to Nelson (5 December), Whanganui (8 December), Taupō (9 December), Rotorua (10 December) and Hamilton (11 December).

Generously supported by Ainsley Walter, Baroque Delights presents an irresistible programme of French and Italian Baroque favourites, centred on the remarkable music of Giovanni Pergolesi, one of the most influential composers of the 18th century.

Pergolesi’s legacy is even more extraordinary given that he died of tuberculosis at just 26 years of age. Like Mozart after him, his untimely death became the stuff of legend, inspiring countless stories and helping cement his reputation as one of the great musical prodigies. Despite his short life, Pergolesi’s music had an enduring impact on European opera and remains celebrated for its vitality, elegance and emotional richness.

Led by Leppänen, the NZSO chamber ensemble will perform highlights from four of Pergolesi’s most celebrated operas: La serva padrona, Adriano in Siria, L’Olimpiade and Il prigionier superbo.  

Leese, one of New Zealand’s most distinguished operatic voices, brings brilliance and expressive power to music awash with the colour, beauty and drama of the Italian Baroque.

The programme also ventures into France with a sparkling suite from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s comic masterpiece Platée. Renowned for its wit, imagination and dazzling orchestral writing, Rameau’s music provides a fittingly magnificent conclusion to an evening of Baroque treasures.

Your name. A seat. A future for New Zealand music.

As Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall prepares to reopen in February 2027, you can help shape its next chapter by becoming a Chairholder in the Adam Auditorium.

Together with Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, we’re inviting New Zealanders to play a lasting role in the National Music Centre by naming a seat in the Town Hall’s beautifully restored Adam Auditorium. Your gift will be recognised with a dedicated plaque on your chosen chair for the life of the chair, placing your support at the heart of a world-class venue for music, civic celebrations, and inspiring educational experiences.

The Chairholder campaign supports the National Music Centre, an ambitious collaboration between Wellington City Council, the NZSO, and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī. Your gift will help equip a shared home for music education, research, performance, and community participation.

Through music, performance, and education, we are revitalising Te Ngākau Civic Square and strengthening Wellington’s identity as a city of creativity, talent, and artistic ambition. The National Music Centre will open new opportunities for the NZSO to share music, expand pathways for students to learn and create, and foster deeper collaboration between the orchestra and the School of Music.  

At its heart stands Wellington’s iconic Town Hall. Restoration and earthquake-strengthening of the heritage building are now complete, with the venue set to reopen in February 2027 as a renewed, welcoming home for unforgettable experiences.

By naming a seat, you’ll join a community of supporters who understand the vital role the arts play in enriching lives, strengthening Wellington, and shaping the cultural identity of Aotearoa New Zealand.  

With reopening on the horizon, now is a meaningful time to become a Chairholder and help bring the National Music Centre’s next chapter to life.

Make a gift to the National Music Centre today and name a seat in the Adam Auditorium. As a Chairholder, you’ll leave a visible tribute to your belief in music, education, and community—and help shape the future of New Zealand music.