May Readings completed

The 14th session of NZSO-SOUNZ Readings were held in the Wellington Town Hall on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th of May.

Conductor Kenneth Young led the orchestra through rehearsal and recording of six works by six New Zealand composers: 

Rakaia by Ryan Youens
Aurum by Simon Eastwood
Parallax by Hermione Johnson
Witch Scarers by Robin Toan 
Sketches for Bassoon and Orchestra (2mvts.) by Mike Nock
in saecula saeculorum by Michael Williams 

The sessions were well attended and appreciated by observers who gained insight (insound?) into the range of works available to orchestras from Kiwi composers.

After the last session on Tuesday a public forum was held focusing on the issues surrounding the programming of New Zealand music in festivals. Kate Mead (Radio NZ Concert Manager and SOUNZ Trustee) chaired the panel of invited guests: Michael Williams (composer), Cath Cardiff (Manager of Arts Development for Creative New Zealand), Lissa Twomey (Artistic Director of New Zealand International Arts Festival) and David Malacari (Artistic Director of the Auckland Festival).  

The discussion between panel and audience ranged from information about how New Zealand music gets commissioned and programmed, to discussion about the need to balance programming and marketing issues. It was agreed that festivals have an opportunity to mount events which audiences might not usually be able to see or hear, and this also needs to be balanced - in the sense of orchestral music - against the programming which our professional orchestras already undertake in their annual series. Some ideas about how audiences for new music could be developed through festival events were aired and  the Festival directors invited composers and musicians to contact them with projects that might suit their festivals.

The next session of NZSO-SOUNZ Readings will take place on 3,4 September in the Michael Fowler Centre under the baton of visiting American conductor Scott Parkman.

^{Photos from top:}

^{1:Conductor Kenneth Young with composers Ryan Youens, Robin Toan and Simon Eastwood}

^{2:SOUNZ Executive Director Scilla Askew with composer Michael Williams and NZSO Oboist Robert Orr}

^{3: The NZSO are joined by bassoonist Colin Hemmingsen and a jazz trio for the reading of Mike Nock's Sketches}

^{4: Mike Nock confers with conductor Ken Young and bassoonist Colin Hemmingsen}

^{5:The forum panel: Kate Mead, Michael Williams, Cath Cardiff, Lissa Twomey and David Malacari}