News - 27 Oct 2022

DSO Otago Schools Tour 2022

DSO’s schools tour is a highlight of every year, as six of our players visit primary and intermediate schools to introduce kids to classical music and the instruments of the orchestra. This year, we will visit not only schools based in Dunedin, but also schools in Oamaru, Queenstown, Wanaka, Cromwell and Alexandra, over a two week period in mid-November.

As usual, we’re taking a varied group of instruments on the road. Our schools tour audiences will hear the sounds of the flute, viola, violin, cello, horn, trombone and percussion, as played by DSO members Feby Idrus, Cameron Monteath, Rose Stevenson, Lydia Ford, Ben Walker and Rob Craigie. The music will be arranged by Justine Pierre, also a DSO player and a well-known teacher and performer in the Dunedin music community, and it features a mix of family-friendly classical and contemporary pieces. (The bass flute features in Justine’s version of The Pink Panther!) Completing the tour line-up is Rob Duffy, our expert chauffeur who doubles as stage manager too.

The schools tour is a major component of the DSO’s commitment to supporting and enriching music education throughout the Otago and Southland regions. For many schools, access to instruments, concerts and tuition is limited, which is why we offer the schools tour concerts free of charge, and so remove any barriers that might ordinarily prevent the introduction of classical music to these kids. We also travel to the schools so that schools don’t have to organize and pay for their students to attend the concerts. Consequently, we gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Cooke Howlison Toyota, who loan us their courtesy van so that we can travel from school to school in Dunedin. At the time of writing, we are also seeking grants to cover the tour’s additional costs.

If you or your company are interested in contributing to our schools tour, please contact our Development Manager Sandy at development@dso.org.nz