Journey to Rossini’s Italy with the NZSO in Auckland tonight! 

Tonight, in Auckland Town Hall the NZSO will take the audience on an unforgettable musical journey to Italy with one of the greatest symphonic choral works ever written. 

 Opera giant Rossini’s breathtaking Stabat Mater features three extraordinary Aotearoa New Zealand singers: soprano Madison Nonoa, mezzo-soprano Anna Pierard and tenor Filipe Manu, plus Australian bass Jeremy Kleeman. 

 The singers are joined by internationally lauded choir Voices New Zealand. 

 And the Italian flavour doesn’t stop at the music. The NZSO is led by renowned Italian conductor Valentina Peleggi, making her Aotearoa New Zealand debut.  

 Peleggi conducts many leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic. She is highly regarded for her direction of bel canto opera. Concerto.com declared: “Peleggi has Rossini in her blood.” 

 Her family history has special link to opera. When her great-grandmother was a teenager, she attended an audition in Rome overseen by Puccini for his new opera La Bohème. Puccini offered her a lead role, but Peleggi’s great-grandmother had to decline as she was to marry into a family which considered singing an unrespectable profession. 

 However, her daughter — Peleggi’s grandmother — inherited her love of opera and passed it across the generations, encouraging Peleggi to sign up for a children’s choir that led to a life-changing experience at the age of 13. 

“I was singing Carmina Burana… When the huge orchestra in front of me and the adult chorus behind me started, the wave of sound hit me physically,” she has said.  

 “For the first time, I felt part of something bigger than myself. That is how my passion for music really started — and how I decided to become a conductor.” 

 Rossini’s dramatic hour-long choral work was inspired by the 13th-century ‘Stabat Mater’ liturgy, a creative source for multiple composers. As an exciting addition, tonight’s concert also features the world premiere of a new 21st-century Stabat Mater by acclaimed New Zealand composer and musician Victoria Kelly. 

 Kelly’s Stabat Mater, commissioned by the NZSO, is a response to Rossini’s interpretation and a contemporary appraisal of Mary, motherhood and women.  

 Kelly, who has collaborated with NZ Trio, Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, Tami Neilson and others, is delighted that her work will be performed by the NZSO and Voices New Zealand. 

 “There is nothing quite like the sheer emotional force of an orchestra and choir performing together… not only because of the music, or the astonishing scale of the sound, but also because this vast ensemble reveals—in the most powerful and life-affirming way—the possibilities of creative collaboration.” 

Amplify your gift – Annual Appeal now match-funded by the NZSO Foundation

We are thrilled to announce that the NZSO Foundation will now generously match new and increased gifts to this year’s appeal up to $100,000. 

With your generous gifts match-funded by the Foundation, you’ll make an even bigger difference to what we do, which can be life-changing for musicians and communities, and exhilarating for audiences. 

This is a unique opportunity to amplify your gift and make your support go further! 

Donate to the Annual Appeal by 31 December and:  

• The NZSO Foundation will match any new gift of $100 or more. 

• The NZSO Foundation will match increases of $100 or more from existing supporters. 

The NZSO Foundation is dedicated to sustaining the NZSO for future generations by championing world-class performances, supporting nationwide music education programmes, and enriching community experiences for all New Zealanders. 

Unique violinist and conductor makes New Zealand debut next week

Virtuoso and global phenomenon Pekka Kuusisto makes his Aotearoa New Zealand debut in Wellington and Christchurch next week with the NZSO. 

The unique Finnish star performs one of music’s best-loved works, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and lead the NZSO for its first ever performance of a glorious symphony by pioneering 19th-century composer Louise Farrenc. 

Hailed as “a fantastically exciting violinist, as well as a conductor” (The Times) and “the most personal sound of any classical violinist now alive” (The Telegraph) Pekka became one of the most talked about violinists in the UK after his debut performance at the prestigious Proms in 2016. 

Pekka says his interpretation of The Four Seasons will be distinct and exciting. For one, he plays violin throughout the performance while at the same time directing the orchestra—a demanding feat for any musician. 

He also knows that The Four Seasons popularity means audiences come with a variety of expectations. 

“If it would be possible to measure what people expect stylistically, my guess is something rather ‘round and soft, gentle’ is still what most people think Vivaldi should sound like. Who am I to say that’s wrong? [But The Four Seasons] is not in a museum. This is like super-active, explosive, aggressive music. Sometimes it needs to be exactly that… I can only play it convincingly the way I think and feel it.” 

He will take the same approach for Farrenc’s rediscovered Third Symphony, now regarded as one of the finest French compositions of the Romantic era. 

During her lifetime Farrenc, the only woman made a professor at the Paris Conservatory in the 19th century, was well known and admired for her music and teaching. Two of her biggest fans were composers Hector Berlioz and Robert Schumann. However, after her death she fell into obscurity until the late 20th century. 

Music writer Tom Service says her Third Symphony “deserves a place… in the repertoires of every orchestra. Farrenc’s symphony is as impressively energetic and structurally satisfying as any of Mendelssohn’s or Schumann’s symphonies.” 

The Wellington concert will be livestreamed for free on streaming service NZSO+. 

NZSO’s 2026 Season: Epic. Powerful. Emotional. 

NZSO Members can start booking their ticket to our dazzling 2026 Season, featuring over 40 concerts across 15 cities and towns. With a blockbuster lineup of international stars and homegrown talent, the year promises unforgettable musical experiences.  

GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist James Ehnes and celebrated pianist Sir Stephen Hough join NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New for landmark performances, including Mahler’s Titan Symphony and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Maestra New also leads Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Wellington and Dunedin. 

Spanish violin sensation María Dueñas opens the season with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, while British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 and a solo recital. Rising Kiwi star Shan Liu, 15, returns to perform Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. 

Other highlights include Dutch trombonist Jörgen van Rijen. He joins the NZSO under Music Director Designate André de Ridder for premiering Andrew Norman’s Trombone Concerto. Maestro Pietari Inkinen conducts Wagner and Sibelius with tenor Simon O’Neill and NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen. 

Handel’s Messiah closes the year with Erin Helyard and international soloists. The season also features soprano Madeleine Pierard, cellist Li-Wei Qin, conductors Benjamin Northey, Dane Lam, and NZSO Music Director Emeritus James Judd. 

NZSO partners with Rob Ruha for TEIWA and presents Gloria – A Triple Bill with the New Zealand Dance Company and Co3 Australia as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. 

Tickets are on sale now for NZSO Members. Don’t miss this exciting season and experience something greater. 

Sensational cellist makes NZ debut with NZSO in October 

One of the world’s most talked about cellists makes his Aotearoa New Zealand debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in three weeks to perform one of the greatest works written for the instrument. 

The extraordinary Austrian Kian Soltani, hailed by The Times as a “remarkable cellist” and by Gramophone magazine as “sheer perfection”, will play Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the NZSO in Wellington (23 Oct) and Auckland (24 Oct). 

Affirmation: Dvořák & Brahms also sees the return of phenomenal Australian conductor Simone Young, considered one of the finest 21st-century interpreters of Wagner. The concerts will open with the prelude to his opera Lohengrin. 

Johannes Brahms’ triumphant Second Symphony, one of the greatest symphonies ever written, completes this unforgettable evening. 

Kian’s playing is characterised by a depth of expression, sense of individuality and technical mastery, alongside a charismatic stage presence and ability to create an immediate emotional connection with his audience.  

The 33-year-old plays with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors and is a popular and highly regarded recording artist. In 2017 he signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and his first album Home, comprising works for cello and piano by Schubert, Schumann and Reza Vali, was released to international acclaim.  

Kian has since recorded albums including Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Staatskapelle Berlin and conducting and piano legend Daniel Barenboim, who has been integral to his career. 

The cellist has said he approaches all the great works written for cello as personal to him and to audiences.  

“Everyone should discover the music for themselves. I think that is the characteristic of a genius masterpiece, is when it works for everyone. Everyone can find something in it. 

“I don’t try to compare myself with anyone who has played the piece before. As long as you present truthfully what you feel is the intention of the composer, I think you cannot go wrong.” 

Kian was born to a family of outstanding Persian musicians. His late mother Farzaneh Navai was a famous Iranian harpist. His father Khosro Soltani plays the bassoon, flute and Persian wind instruments the ney, duduk and sornay. 

He studied from age 11 with Ivan Monighetti, a cellist who himself studied with one of the greatest cellists of all time, fellow Russian Mstislav Rostropovich. 

Simone Young, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor, stunned New Zealand audiences with her previous concerts with the NZSO in 2015. She was hailed as “fabulous” by Wellington’s The Post and “Potent” by the New Zealand Herald. 

Over a groundbreaking four-decade career, she has become one of the world’s most sought-after conductors. Her achievements range from top orchestras and prestigious opera houses, including the Met in New York, La Scala in Milan and the legendary Bayreuth Festspielhaus, where last year she became the first woman and first Australian conductor to conduct Wagner’s Ring Cycle. 

“Simone Young’s conducting is a revelation, crisp, clear, and forward moving, stripping away the Wagnerian excess to reveal the drama at its core,” The Guardian declared. 

Such are her achievements, in 2023 the conductor was the subject of a feature-length documentary Knowing the Score, executive produced by Cate Blanchett who played a conductor in the film Tár. 

“I think of myself like a sports coach: I bring it all together,” Young has said about conducting.  

NZSO joins Royal New Zealand Ballet for a very Kiwi Nutcracker 

The NZSO is thrilled to join with the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) for the world premiere of a brand-new production of Christmas classic The Nutcracker.  

The orchestra, led by NZSO Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich, accompanies the RNZB for the Wellington performances (30 Oct-8 Nov) of the best-loved ballet to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. 

The RNZB then tours The Nutcracker to Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Auckland and Palmerston North until 20 December. 

Choreographed by Artistic Director Ty King-Wall, it’s a vibrant, heartwarming reimagining set against the golden glow of a 1950s Kiwi summer – and RNZB’s biggest and most ambitious production of the year. 

With over 40 glittering tutus and costumes handcrafted over nine months by the company’s specialist costume team, along with breathtaking new stage designs, this ballet promises to wow audiences of all ages. 

This original production brings the magic of Tchaikovsky’s score and the much-loved story to Aotearoa’s landscapes, traditions and nostalgia for summers spent at the bach. From playing barefoot cricket to eating melting ice creams beneath a blooming pōhutukawa, the RNZB’s Nutcracker is a love letter to growing up in New Zealand. 

The production is brought to life through the vision of an extraordinary creative team: the internationally acclaimed set and costume designer Tracy Grant Lord, lighting designer Jon Buswell and the visual effects team at POW Studios. Together, they’ve created a truly magical world that cleverly sweeps the audience into the fantastical adventure of young Clara. 

King-Wall’s version of The Nutcracker begins on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum family bach, where family and friends gather for a summer celebration. Clara’s godmother, Auntie Drosselmeyer – reimagined here as a retired ballerina – arrives with a handcrafted Nutcracker doll, a gift that sparks a magical adventure. 

Nature is at the heart of this Nutcracker. From the pōhutukawa that towers over the Stahlbaums’ bach to the snowy expanses of the South Island, New Zealand’s geography is woven into the fabric of the ballet.  

“Our landscapes define us,” says King-Wall. “They are a source of beauty, inspiration and shared memory, and their emotive power has influenced this production immensely.” 

Enjoy Wellington’s finest cuisine with tangos and spirituals 

Book your next unforgettable dining experience at Wellington’s Logan Brown Restaurant, accompanied by exhilarating music performed by NZSO musicians! 

For only $75, this not-to-be-missed lunch on Friday, 10 October from 12.00pm, features three courses and a programme of tangos and spirituals from the world’s greatest composers. 

Piazzola, Gardel and Ginastera wrote songs and dances of love and loss, while Dvořák’s “American” quartet perfectly demonstrates his declaration: “It is the poor to whom I turn for musical greatness”.  

Contact steve@loganbrown.co.nz to book your table now! 

NZSO joins South Auckland communities for a blast of brass 

The NZSO is excited to join communities and musicians in South Auckland this month for a special celebration of all things brass. 

NZSO musicians David Bremner (Section Principal Trombone), Shannon Pittaway (Principal Bass Trombone), Michael Kirgan (Section Principal Trumpet), David Johnson (Associate Principal Trumpet), and Alexander Hambleton (Associate Principal Horn) will present an inspiring weekend of music making culminating in a free combined concert featuring South Auckland’s own Seventh-Day Adventist High School Brass Band and Maamaloa Brass Band. 

Among the works to be performed are Prismatic Light by Alan Fernie, Dakota by Jacob De Haan, Reflection in Nature by Robert Redhead and excerpts from West Side Story. 

In addition to the concert, there’s a series of free masterclasses for all ages and levels, designed to offer valuable insights for performing and technical improvement. There will be a full range of workshops to choose from: whether it’s the specialised Trumpet/Cornet or Horn, and Trombone/Euphonium session, a more general Low Brass event or a full Brass Band Conducting Workshop, there’s something for everyone. 

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to join brass players from your national orchestra as they work with South Auckland’s finest.  

This project is organised by NZSO Education and Community Engagement and made possible by a generous bequest to the NZSO Foundation. 

Free Masterclasses – no registration required 

WHEN: Saturday, 11 October 10.00am – 3.00pm 
WHERE: Auckland Brass Bandroom - 98 Captain Springs Rd, Onehunga, Auckland 
10.00am: Trumpet/Cornet workshop with NZSO’s Michael Kirgan and David Johnson 
11.00am: Horn workshop with NZSO’s Alexander Hambleton 
12.00pm: Low brass workshop with NZSO’s Shannon Pittaway and David Bremner 
1.00pm: Trombone/Euphonium workshop with NZSO’s David Bremner 
2.00pm: Conducting workshop with NZSO’s David Bremner 

NZSO brass musicians, Seventh-Day Adventist High School Brass Band, Maamaloa Brass Band 

WHEN: Sunday, 12 October 2.00pm 
WHERE: Seventh-Day Adventist High School 119 Mountain Rd, Mangere Bridge, Auckland 
Free – koha accepted 

NZSO Todd Young Composer Awards 2025 – and the winners are… 

Congratulations Rafael Hosking, winner of the 2025 Todd Young Composer Award with Godwit/Kuaka! and Nicholas Graham Brownlie, who took out this year’s Orchestra Choice Award with Blind is the Gardener. 

The winners were announced at an award ceremony and concert to invited guests at Welington’s Michael Fowler Centre on 19 September. 

Now in its 21st year, the Awards are made possible by the generous support of The Todd Trust and have become an unparalleled opportunity for Aotearoa New Zealand’s emerging composers. 

Rafael and Nicholas were two of eight talented young composers who took part this year. The other young composers were Wayne Gao, Georgina Palmers, Jamal Hassan Hussein, Estella Wallace, Lauren Doherty and Daniel Harris. 

Ryan Youens, an expert composer mentor, supported the young composers through the process of creating their works. (Ryan himself was a Todd finalist in 2005, 2006 and 2008.) Each composition was then workshopped and performed by the national orchestra, led by NZSO Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich.  

The 2026 Todd Young Composer Awards will be held 26-27 November next year.