From some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s finest young musicians to superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, the NZSO presents more than dozen exhilarating concerts and events in Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington from April to November.

The NZSO’s Young Artists Showcase on 12 April features six young soloists – the youngest is 11-years-old – and 17 orchestral instrumentalists from around the country performing with the Orchestra.

Led by NZSO Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich this is an unmissable evening showcasing our young music talent with the national orchestra.

Internationally renowned Scottish conductor Sir Donald Runnicles and make his NZSO debut with Bloch & Shostakovich Enduring Spirit in Wellington on 28 April.

Sir Donald, one of the world’s top conductors, and Altstaedt, a virtuoso across music genres, feature in concerts celebrating Ernest Bloch’s legendary work for cello Schelomo, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s magnificent Tenth Symphony.

Sir Donald, who hasn’t conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand before, is General Music Director of the prestigious Deutsche Oper Berlin, Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in the United States and Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Altstaedt is one of the most sought-after cellists in the world. His versatility spans early to contemporary music performed with leading orchestras and ensembles.

“The cello – it’s a physical addiction, I’m bound to it,” says Altstaedt. “I’ve always been driven by an urgent need to find the connections – between composers, philosophers, artists, writers.”

Emperor on 11 May is the Wellington debut of acclaimed English pianist Paul Lewis, who captivated NZSO audiences when he performed in Auckland last year. Lewis will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in a concert also celebrating R Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 and New Zealand composer Ross Harris’ Cento.

Versatile German conductor André de Ridder conducts the NZSO for the first time this year with the concerts Become Ocean, Blues Symphony and Beethoven 5 in Wellington, 28-30 July.

De Ridder is known for his work across music genres, ranging from classical and opera, to electronic and pop. He’s featured on albums by Gorillaz, electronic duo Mouse on Mars, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Max Richter’s hit interpretation of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

With the NZSO, de Ridder’s three concert programmes include a work by Bryce Dessner of American band The National, jazz great Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony and the outstanding contemporary work Become Ocean by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winner John Luther Adams.

The NZSO joins forces with New Zealand Opera in Wellington on 10 August for to perform a critically acclaimed new interpretation of Béla Bartók’s operatic masterpiece Bluebeard’s Castle.

This production of the Hungarian composer’s only opera is a hit reimagining that premiered in London last year to universal praise. The newly formed company Theatre of Sound set Bluebeard’s Castle, first staged in 1918, in the present day and focussed on a married couple facing the devastating reality of dementia.

Extraordinary American pianist Joyce Yang performs on 1 September with the NZSO conducted for the first time by six-time Grammy Award-winning conductor Giancarlo Guerrero. The conductor will also lead the NZSO National Youth Orchestra with the concert NYO Enigma in Wellington on 1 July.

Innovative composer Alexander Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy on 28 October features soprano Madeleine Pierard and NZSO Section Principal Flute Bridget Douglas.

The music of cinema legend John Williams is celebrated on 17 November. Virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is long-time Williams’ collaborator, including three albums with the Oscar-winning composer since 2019.

Mutter’s performances, led by NZSO Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New, include Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, written especially for the Grammy Award-winning virtuoso. She will also perform several of Williams’ movie themes, arranged by Williams for Mutter and orchestra.

For more information on the NZSO’s Season 2023, including concerts outside Wellington, please click here.