Peter Hoar
AI coming ready or not for our news and music
Business is booming in artificial intelligence technology and new applications appear in the news almost daily. At an AUT symposium this week, experts said it’s already being deployed in creative… Video, Audio
Review: APO's Welcome Back With Houstoun gets rapturous reception
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra made its welcome return to the stage last night after a shutdown forced by the Covid-19 Virus. Audio
100 not out: broadcast radio - the mass-media 'cockroach'
Organised broadcast radio is 100 years old this year - and it's not just alive, but still kicking pretty hard. Some say surviving and even outliving other media and technological changes make it the… Video, Audio
Review: APO with organist Benjamin Sheen
Touring British organist Benjamin Sheen provided a powerful performance with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra last night. Peter Hoar was at the Auckland Town Hall. Video
APO and Wu Man deliver a night of imaginative music
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Reimagined concert lived up to its title for reviewer Peter Hoar, with music from ancient China to the 1990s delivered in effortless style. Video, Audio
Review: APO's Pathétique concert "most exciting things I've heard for a while"
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Pathétique concert last night really did impress reviewer Peter Hoar. In fact, it was one of the most exciting things he's heard in a while.
Review: APO's Turangalîla-Symphonie
An expanded APO filled the stage and the choir seats of the Auckland Town Hall on Saturday night to cap 2019’s Arts Festival with an exhilarating performance of Olivier Messiaen’s sprawling… Audio
Review: Silk Road Ensemble at the Auckland Arts Festival 2019
Silkroad Ensemble's world fusion feast delights audience but went too easy on the spice Video
A vibrant, funny, and fast-moving show that had the audience laughing and gasping with wonder
Komische Oper Berlin and 1927 present Mozart's opera The Magic Flute at Auckland Arts Festival. Audio
Review: New Zealand Opera's La Bohème
NZ Opera’s latest production is a feast for the eyes and the ears. Spectacular staging and costuming along with powerful singing made for a grand night of opera according to reviewer Peter Hoar Audio
REVIEW: APO’s The Prodigal Son
Talented conductor Lionel Bringuier returned to Auckland to lead the APO in last night’s concert The Prodigal Son, featuring works from Ravel, Saint-Saens and Prokofiev. Peter Hoar was at the Town… Audio
Upbeat for Friday 31 August
Soprano Madison Nonoa wins the inaugural McCormick Opera Competition, Upbeat previews the Big Sing Finals with Adjudicator David Childs, and we review last night’s APO concert and round out the week…
Review: APO’s Aida
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, with a range of talented vocalists, livestreamed its performance of Aida on Friday night. Did it hit the right notes? Peter Hoar was there. Video, Audio
Upbeat for Tuesday 24 July
The NZ Secondary Students Choir is stranded in Shanghai, NZSM announces a lullaby competition, Peter Hoar reviews Aida and we meet Lexus Song Quest judge Lisa Gasteen.
Review: NZSO’s An Evening with Simon O’Neill
Kiwi tenor Simon O’Neill has returned home to perform Wagner’s song cycle Wesendonck Lieder with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra around the country. Peter Hoar was at the Auckland concert which… Audio
Upbeat for Tuesday 12 June
A stable of horses react to the a-mare-zing sounds of Bach, how listening to music at work alters your mind, NZSO with tenor Simon O’Neill is reviewed by Peter Hoar, Jazz Tui winner Umar Zakaria and…
Review: NZO's The Elixir of Love
Husband and wife tenor Pene Pati and soprano Amina Edris brought their real-life love to the stage for New Zealand Opera’s performance of Donizetti’s bel canto comedy The Elixir of Love. Peter Hoar… Audio
Upbeat for Friday 1 June
The world premiere of Corey Baker’s The Last Dance with the RNZB, NZO’s The Elixir of Love opens in Auckland, City Choir Dunedin members jet to London to perform a New Zealand oratorio and we round…
Review: Alex Ross with Stroma
Alex Ross, author and music critic for the New Yorker, is touring New Zealand with the group Stroma and singer Bianca Andrew for Chamber Music New Zealand. Peter Hoar has been in the crowd. Audio
Upbeat for Tuesday 22 May
Cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason is topping the pop and classical charts following his royal wedding performance, we start our Classics 101 series, Peter Hoar reviews Alex Ross with Stroma’s concert.