Annual Appeal 2024 - 'Make the Difference'

Dear Music Lover,

After an inspiring year filled with exceptional music and community connection, we want to acknowledge the important part you play in our ongoing success. Your donations make an enormous difference, enabling us to bring outstanding international and local artists to Dunedin, involve thousands of young and emerging musicians across our community education programmes and present innovative programming - help us build on this success.

DSO Performances

It takes significant resources to bring you high-quality performances by our world-class musicians, conductors and soloists. Some highlights this year have been Jonathan Lemalu singing Mahler, Alistair Fraser performing taoka (taonga) pūoro, James Judd conducting Sibelius’s seventh symphony, French Horn soloist Sam Jacobs, Rebecca Ryan singing Rod Biss’s Songs, four DSO Principals performing Bach, soloists and choir in Mozart’s Requiem and eight top local musicians for DSO Plays ABBA.

With your donation

A Message from DSO Principal Guest Conductor

“In the short time that I have been privileged to be the DSO Principal Guest Conductor I have felt welcomed into a warm, vibrant artistic community. The DSO team of musicians, administration and board are devoted to enriching more lives through our outreach, educational activities and concerts.

I know we all share a passion and belief in the positive power of music and your support is vital to secure the future, to ensure that great music reaches as many lives as possible. You can be sure everyone at your DSO values every contribution highly.”

Thank you,
James Judd - DSO Principal Guest Conductor

DSO Community Outreach

We believe in the capacity of music to transform lives through our educational programmes including: our annual community Play with the Orchestra, the DSO Youth Academy with record numbers enrolled this year, and our schools tour to Dunedin, Otago and Southland seeking to reach c. 5580 young people. Many might not otherwise experience live orchestral instruments and music.

Innovative programming

We strive to present diverse and innovative programming that challenges our musicians and engages our audiences. Your support enables us to commission new works and explore bold artistic performances such as Michael Norris’s Rerenga and Rod Biss’s Four New Zealand Bird Songs, both received to great acclaim.

Rebecca Ryan
Soprano and Otago University Alumni

“I think it is important for us all to be performing works by our own NZ composers and am delighted to have performed Rod Biss’s Four New Zealand Bird Songs alongside the wonderful Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.”

Why our donors give

Rosemary Hudson has supported the orchestra since 1979 – a significant 46 years of the orchestra's nearly 60 years of existence!

“When I left Auckland to live in Dunedin in 1979, I was pleased to find that there was a local orchestra, I immediately started subscribing and donating to the DSO and have done so continuously since then. Over the years, I have been delighted to watch the orchestra flourish to such a high professional standard and greatly enjoyed all the performances with the varied repertoire they draw on - life in Dunedin would be much the poorer without the DSO and it well deserves our support!”

Rosemary Hudson - DSO Donor

We invite you to make the difference - your donation matters!

Your donation ensures the growth and vitality of the DSO - an important cultural entity and resource, which brings joy, education, and inspiration to countless individuals in Dunedin and to the regional community.

Your donation at any level does make a difference!

$50, $100, $250 or even $1,000 will help us deliver for you exceptional artists, strong performances, music education and programmes that provide meaningful community engagement, contributing to the following:

You make the difference - your donation matters!

We invite you to make a difference as your donation matters. Please support our Make the Difference Appeal now and click the Donate Button.

Warmest regards,

Megan Bartlett
Chair

P.S. You can also support our appeal by joining the DSO Virtual Café by setting up a regular automatic donation for as little as $6.

Another way to donate is via direct credit to the DSO's bank account 06-0901-0016368-00 using your Name and APP as the reference (send your address to office@dso.org.nz so we can send you a receipt),
or phone the DSO office to discuss payment options: (03) 477 5623

The DSO acknowledges our Core Funders with thanks.