James MacMillan Conductor

Colin Currie Percussion

 

Celeste Oram

NYO Composer in Residence 2016 (world premiere)

James Macmillan

Percussion Concerto No. 1 Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Reuben Jellyman

NYO Composer in Residence 2017 (world premiere)

Britten

Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell)

 

Composer Sir James MacMillan and percussion superstar Colin Currie have shown an unwavering commitment to developing the next generation of classical musicians. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to welcome them to Aotearoa to work with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

MacMillan’s Veni, Veni, Emmanuel was premiered in 1992 and has since been performed hundreds of times across the globe. Driven by a central heartbeat, soloist and orchestra are meshed together in sonically diverse music that culminates in the recognisable and much loved hymn from which the work takes its name.

An exploration of different timbres also drives Benjamin Britten’s beloved Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Using a theme borrowed from Henry Purcell, Britten’s music revels in the individual brilliance found throughout the Orchestra, providing the perfect platform for New Zealand's finest young instrumentalists to shine.

The NZSO is equally committed to showcasing Aotearoa's most exciting young composers. With MacMillan conducting the premiere of our 2016 and 2017 Composers in Residence commissions, this performance is a rare opportunity to glimpse the future of New Zealand music in the hands of an international master.

NZSO season ticket holders may request a complimentary ticket to this concert.