Today, the Dunedin Youth Orchestra resumes rehearsing for our upcoming concert after a couple of weeks off for Easter and Anzac Day. We are working hard towards our next concert, which will take place in just three weeks: our concert is 7:30pm, Saturday 24 May, at Knox Church.
Our preparations for this concert began back in February, when we started assembling our orchestra for the year. We are proud to boast the largest orchestra in recent years. Even sections that have been hard to fill–such as violas, cellos, bassoons, and horns–are bursting at the seams. The orchestra currently has over 60 players, all aged between 13 and 25.
This semester, David Burchell is our conductor. We previously worked with David in 2012, and are again enjoying his blend of humour and professionalism in rehearsals. David has prepared a programme on the themes of “dreams and nightmares.” Pieces we will perform include incidental music to Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty and–at the grittier end of things–the fifth movement of Berlioz’s Fantastic Symphony, entitled “March to the Scaffold.”
We are also enjoying Max Wilkinson’s contribution to the programme as our featured soloist. Max has been the youth orchestra’s principal trombone since he moved to Dunedin in 2011. He was awarded one of two DYO Young Musicians’ Award scholarships in 2013 and will be performing Ferdinand David’s Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra. After rehearsing the orchestra alone for several weeks, Max joined the orchestra for the first time in our last rehearsal before Easter. It’s sounding great already and we are certainly looking forward to performing this piece in concert in a coupe of weeks.
As a final update, the Incorporated Society (which runs the orchestra) held its AGM at the end of March. Some changes were made to our committee, including the election of a new Treasurer. The full list of committee members is on our contact page.
We are looking forward to getting back into rehearsals tonight, and can’t wait to see you at our concert later in the month.
Dunedin Youth Orchestra Presents: Dreams and Nightmares
Saturday 24 May, 7:30pm
Knox Church, Dunedin
David Burchell – conductor
Max Wilkinson – trombone
SULLIVAN Overture to Ruddigore
MENDELSSOHN Incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
SAINT-SAENS Danse Macabre
HUMPERDINCK Prelude to Hansel and Gretel
TCHAIKOVSKY Suite from Sleeping Beauty
BERLIOZ “March to the Scaffold” from Symhonie Fantastique
DAVID Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra
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$15 adults / $10 concession / $5 high-school / children free