The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra's concert progrmme for 2022 is starting mid-year after Covid-19 disrupted a concert planned for earlier this year.
The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Pieter du Plessis
There is an overseas conductor confirmed in the mix.
General manager Philippa Harris said that is something that could not have been confirmed until recently, but all the invited soloists are all home grown.
She said the government's wage subsidy scheme and the fervent support of the local community has allowed them to survive the Covid era.
Harris said Covid has not made things easy and they were hoping to launch earlier in the year when it became evident that Omicron was about to hit and cause major disruptions.
Philippa Harris Photo: OAR FM Dunedin
"Well there was plan A and plan B and actually we're up to plan F to be honest."
Harris said the concert that was about to take place before Omicron hit was postponed until the end of the year and the orchestra is now kicking the series off with the June concert.
She said the delay gave them the opportunity to develop their website and thankfully bookings are now coming in steadily.
Harris said they relied heavily on the government's wage subsidy to get them through the pandemic.
"That's because we wanted to pay people, our players and conductors and soloists for cancelled concerts and without the ticket income and the sponsorship income coming in that was going to be tricky to do."
She said the orchestra's sponsors have been great and many people who had booked subscriptions to the concert series decided to convert what they had paid to donations.
"When it was clear that we couldn't put on the concerts they had paid for they said please accept their money as a donation, so we've been very thrilled with the level of support we've had from so many sectors of the community."
Harris said Dunedin is very proud of its orchestra and the response through the Covid lockdowns is evidence of that.
This series focuses on New Zealand musicians, she said.
"It didn't seem wise to actually risk an international line-up which is what we had for 2020."
But Harris said it is a "lovely excuse" to focus on local musicians.
"One of the differences for us this year is a concert celebrating Matariki and that's our July international series Town Hall concert - it coincides with the local Waka Matariki festival.
It will feature a range of works which celebrate the stars and planets, she said.
The concert will include taonga puoro played by Ariana Tikao and Alistair Fraser in works which have been specially written and with a Matariki theme.
Harris said the Covid pandemic has led the audience to a greater appreciation of all those involved in the concerts and an excitement about returning to live concerts.
"Live performances have that X factor, it's that sort of electrical connection between the conductor and the players and the audience that you just can't get through digital means or recordings."
