Experience a Christmas tradition with Handel’s inspirational Messiah  

Hallelujah! In just a week renowned British conductor Thomas Blunt leads the NZSO for the first time for one of the most beloved works in the classical repertoire: Handel’s Messiah.

“The magic of Messiah is that it is a moveable feast – no matter what forces you have at your disposal the performance is always valid… it will always inspire,” says Maestro Blunt.

“Over the years I have come to appreciate more and more the work's emotional depth – it covers a vast range of human emotion, and with each performance I find different aspects that move me. I am absolutely thrilled to be performing it in Wellington. The NZSO's excellent reputation precedes it, and I'm very much looking forward to collaborating with them, as well as The Tudor Consort choir and the soloists.”

Joining the conductor are four exceptional singers, all finalists or winners of the prestigious Lexus Song Quest, who are making significant strides in their international careers: soprano Madison Nonoa, mezzo-soprano Anna Pierard, tenor Filipe Manu and baritone Benson Wilson.

Nonoa debuted at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2019. She has performed internationally, won multiple competitions, and is a Britten-Pears Young Artist and OAE Rising Star. Recent roles include Dido and Maria in West Side Story.

Pierard, a versatile and internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano and soprano, co-founded in Hawke’s Bay the Festival Opera and the Prima Volta Charitable Trust, promoting music and wellbeing. Notable roles include works by Puccini, Strauss, and Wagner.

Manu is a graduate of the Jette Parker Young Artist programme and a winner of Australia’s IFAC Handa Singing Competition and the Lexus Song Quest. In the past two years he’s debuted at Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne, Vienna State Opera and Opera Australia.

Wilson, a winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Awards and Lexus Song Quest, has performed with the English National Opera and various international companies with roles, including productions of Akhnaten, La bohème, and Rigoletto. Messiah is his NZSO debut.

Maestro Blunt, a specialist in conducting and directing opera, began his career as chorus master at the prestigious Glyndebourne opera house in Britain and has since made notable debuts with Welsh National Opera, Switzerland’s Konzert Theater Bern and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Tudor Consort specialises in early choral music from the late Medieval and Renaissance periods. Founded in 1986 by Simon Ravens, the group emphasises authentic performance practices and has gained national and international acclaim.

Everybody Eats charity collection at Messiah

The NZSO supports the great work that Everybody Eats does, providing kai to the people of Auckland and Wellington. Keep an eye out for volunteers at the Messiah concert who will be collecting funds to support this cause. Donations can be made via EFTPOS or cash.   

Everybody Eats is a charitable restaurant that aims to combat food waste, food poverty and build community by serving a three-course dinner to all on a koha/pay-as-you-can basis, four nights a week in Auckland and Wellington. To find out more, click on the link or follow @everybodyeatsnz on Instagram.  

‘Tis the season to become an NZSO Member!

Treat yourself – or that special someone – this Christmas with the gift that keeps on giving. An NZSO  Membership for 2025!

Why pay continuous booking fees when you can become an NZSO Member from just $10 a year? Even Ebenezer Scrooge says that’s a bargain.

Starting from $10, you can secure your 2025 tickets now! As an NZSO Member, you’ll enjoy no hidden fees and have immediate access to discounted tickets, plus a range of exclusive benefits.

Don’t miss out – 2025 concert tickets are from just $22. And just as exciting as opening presents, in 2025 we’ll have another exciting assortment of exclusive NZSO Member events.

Stellar Strings, held at Wellington’s Space Place, was our final Members event for 2024. Selling out accross two sessions, this event was a great follow up to our equally popular pre-concert dinners in collaboration with Everybody Eats. 

We can't wait to share more unforgettable experiences with you in 2025. Stay tuned for our upcoming events and continue to enhance your NZSO journey. 

Experience the NZSO at Toast Martinborough in January

Musicians from the NZSO are proud to be part of the Toast Martinborough Weekend Opening Night Gala at The Runholder in Martinborough on Friday 17 January. The unforgettable sound of an NZSO string quartet and Latin performances will accompany a delicious three-course summer feast. Get in quick to book your tickets, available via iTicket!

We’re back in March with two unmissable tours 

From Baroque splendour to a Mussorgsky masterpiece, the NZSO kick-starts its 2025 Season in March with two exciting concert tours.

Timeless Beauty: Handel & Telemann sees NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen lead an ensemble of musicians performing exquisite Baroque music in eight North Island centres, beginning with Paraparaumu on 6 March.

We finish March in style with NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New’s first tour of the season with Pictures at an Exhibition in Wellington (27 Mar) and Christchurch (29 Mar).

Joining Vesa for Timeless Beauty are NZSO Section Principal Trumpet Michael Kirgan, Associate Principal Trumpet David Johnson, Sub-Principal Trumpet Mark Carter and Section Principal Timpani Laurence Reese, with performances in Wellington (7 Mar), Carterton (8 Mar), Palmerston North (11 Mar), Napier (12 Mar), Rotorua (13 Mar), Hamilton (14 Mar) and Tauranga (15 Mar).

The mesmerising programme features Handel’s Overture and Symphonia from Occasional Oratorio and his Alcina Suite, Matthew Locke’s The Tempest Suite, and Telemann’s Concerto for 3 Trumpets and Timpani.

Handel's mastery in blending celebratory and contemplative elements has stood the test of time like few others. The transitions between moments of majesty and reflective serenity are beautifully evident in his Occasional Oratorio and Alcina excerpts.

Like Alcina, Locke's interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest conjures themes of magic, illusion, and transformation throughout the suite. The grand finale, Telemann's Concerto for 3 Trumpets and Timpani, full of dynamic energy and dazzling virtuosity, showcases Baroque brilliance and festivity.

Later in the month, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition brings to life the paintings of Viktor Hartmann, with each movement musically describing each artwork in exquisite detail.

We are thrilled to welcome Emily Beynon to our shores for a very special world premiere. As the Principal Flute of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and hailed as one of the top five flautists in the world by Classic FM, Beynon premieres a new work by French composer Guillaume Connesson. Her performance is sure to dazzle with its “virtuosity and rich feeling” (Gramophone).

New Zealand composer Gareth Farr’s The Invocation of the Sea from his acclaimed From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs, which also features in the concert, vividly captures the sounds and instruments of the Pacific, transporting listeners to the heart of the ocean.

Thank you NZSO donors!

A message from NZSO Section Principal Flute Bridget Douglas.

"On behalf of the orchestra, I wish our audiences and supportive community a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you again in 2025 for another fantastic season of concerts.

Hightlights for me this year include our Beyond Words concert to mark the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque Attacks, featuring moving performances by members of the Christchurch Muslim community.

It was also wonderful to work with leading UK orchestral animateur, Rachel Leach and NZSO’s own Chris Lam Sam presenting Firebird education concerts. This year, the generosity of our funders and donors enabled the NZSO Education and Community Engagement team to connect with over 35,500 people at 381 events in 43 centres across the country – a new record for the NZSO. 

It was also such an incredible honour to accompany two of the world’s best violinists, Maxim Vengerov and Augustin Hadelich and to welcome the return of conductor Vasily Petrenko with outstanding pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk playing Rachmaninov.

Generous support for the NZSO this year has enabled the purchase of new instruments for our wind section, and we also welcomed an essential new vibraphone to our percussion family.  NZSO musicians cherish our supportive community, and we invite more NZSO fans to get involved and come behind-the-scenes with us in 2025."

Celebrating the 20th NZSO Todd Young Composer Awards

Aotearoa New Zealand's emerging composing talent shone brightly at the 20th NZSO Todd Young Composer Awards.

Jacob Barrett took home the prestigious Todd Young Composer Award for his piece Deforestation, while Cameron Monteath won the Orchestra Choice Award for La veille, as chosen by the NZSO players. These two were among eight talented finalists celebrated on 07 November in Wellington.

The other finalists were:

Benjamin Lang (From a Spark, to Inferno)
Grace Wellik (Celestial Sunrise)
Lauren Doherty (Intertwine)
Rafael Hosking (Terraced Beings)
Thorin Williams (States I – Dreamstate)
Tim Evans (Every Leaf)

All finalists received mentorship from acclaimed composers Claire Scholes and Ewan Clark. Their compositions were performed by the NZSO, led by Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich, and recorded by RNZ Concert.

This marks Cameron Monteath's second win, having previously secured both the Young Composer Award and Orchestra Choice Award in 2022.

Over the past 20 years, the NZSO Todd Young Composer Awards programme has provided unparalleled professional development to over 150 composers. Many past participants, such as Claire Cowan, Tabea Squire, Jeremy Mayall, Celeste Oram, Salina Fisher, Reuben Jelleyman, Nathaniel Otley, and Sai Natarajan, have gone on to achieve significant acclaim in their careers.

The Todd Trust continue to support the Todd Young Composers Award, as it has done for 20 years.

Milestone for NZSO’s Conducting Fellowship

November was an exciting milestone for the NZSO’s Conducting Fellowship, a pioneering programme established just three years ago.

To an audience comprising friends, whānau, NZSO donors, supporters, and the music community, 10 young aspiring conductors led the NZSO in a captivating programme featuring music from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky.

This event was the first public performance for the NZSO Conducting Fellows, and they left the audience breathless. NZSO Music Director Emeritus James Judd, who has supported the Fellowship’s visionary instigator, Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich, praised the skill and passion of each young conductor throughout the evening.

“It is a privilege to play a part and thrilling to see the result. The concert was beautifully organised. I think our young conductors appreciated what an extraordinary opportunity it was to play in front of such an invited audience,” he said.

The young conductors – Samiu Uatahausi, Luka Venter, Langakali Halapua, Kira Oldfield, Reuben Brown, Enyah Talamaivao, Ben Robertson, Anne Filimoehala, Virginie Pacheco, and Tavite Tonga – studied and trained with maestros Judd and McKeich and the orchestra during sessions in February, June, September, and November this year.

The Conducting Fellowship sessions will resume next February, with eight positions available.

The NZSO Conducting Fellowship is made possible with support from The Tindall Foundation and Creative NZ under its Pacific Arts Strategy.

Making the best of the summer break

Australian Eli Vincent joined the NZSO’s viola section in 2023. We asked Eli what his plans are over the Kiwi summer.

I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year – it will be my first in New Zealand! I grew up in Brisbane, and before moving to Wellington had spent five years in Germany, so all my memories of Christmas involve either heat and stifling humidity, or the dark and freezing European winter. Fingers crossed this year brings a comfortable middle-ground between the two!

What is your ideal Christmas dinner?

My ideal Christmas dinner is picking at the leftovers from lunch, which was always the showstopper for me. There are always a few regulars on the table at lunchtime; prawns, glazed ham, mango and avocado salad, halloumi and vegetable skewers, and a nice bread, focaccia perhaps? A festive (but responsible) amount of cold beer and white wine is always welcome, before ending the meal with a couple of rumballs and of course everyone’s favourite (and definitely Australian) dessert: pavlova with berries, pomegranate, passion fruit, and ice cream.

Ideal Christmas dinner musical accompaniment?

Christmas is normally the season for performing concerts of the Creation, Messiah, Hansel and Gretel, The Nutcracker, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; so, at the end of an already full performance season, I actually don’t have a huge appetite for classical music around the lunch table!

Growing up in Australia, my Mum was vehemently opposed to hearing about winter wonderlands or Frosty snowmen in Christmas carols while sweating through a Brisbane December – and boasts an impressive collection of truly bizarre Australian carols CDs as a result. As strange as I used to find their substitutions of reindeer and snowflakes for kangaroos and jacaranda trees, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without listening to them.

When not practicing and rehearsing NZSO rep, what will you play over the holidays?

What I’m most looking forward to is taking a few weeks off playing altogether! The last six months at the NZSO have been so full of back-to-back concerts, tours, workshops, and recordings that it’s going to be nice to have a rest and reset. In the new year however, I’ll dive into it with some back-to-basics studies, maybe some fun indulgent solo stuff that I normally don’t have time for during the season, and then I’ll get a good head start on some of the 2025 repertoire. There’s some amazing music to learn, with some devilishly difficult gems throughout the season; I’d rather get the notes under my fingers now than have them sneak up on me later in the year!